World War II is an Iconic subject across the world, not to mention the United States. The way that World War II impacted the world came in many ways. Some being firsthand stories of the struggles to survive or the heroism shown through till victory, others were things of fact and of history that shaped the world today, and even propaganda and “fictional” stories about the war. Some of the propaganda made it through to the big screens, such as “The Inglorious Bastards” that depicts a very different victory over Europe than the history books interpret today. The film gives details of how the Germans hunted down Jewish families and also how the high ranking German Officers were in their leisure time; however the way that the story is portrayed shows an outlook on the way there could have been spies to infiltrate the German system. The story starts with a Jewish family being hunted in 1941, then adds in different story lines, characters and point of views as it moves on. The villain, German SS Colonel Hans Landa, kills all but one person in the Jewish family, Shosanna. The villain, the colonel that was “hunting Jewish”, later in 1944 meets his match of the American Jewish insurgent group, “The Inglorious Bastards.” The Inglorious bastards, unknowingly team up with a few others to kill Hitler and company, in a movie showing in Shosanna’s cinema. Around that time in history (1944) the war in Europe had opened with D-Day where many Americans had lost their lives. Although the war was going on, the captured Jews were being put to work or to death in camps around Germany (Forty, 208). As the war ended in the film on the date of June of 1944, in real life the world war invasion just begun.
Although Inglourious Basterds has a different ending and added fictional parts than what really happened, there are some similarities and truths that are in the film as well. The film starts off with a very realistic pre-WWII scene, German SS troops were looking for Jew’s that were hiding from being capture. Although the scene may not be a specific event that happened, it is very similar to the descriptions of what would happen when Germans were hunting for Jew’s (Forty, 73). The other very true thing about the movie was how the Germans portrayed American army’s through movies they made or propaganda; for example, the movie that was made had shown Americans getting shot easily by a single German sniper and the commander of the Americans portrayed as a fat Southern that was not intelligent. Germany actually made real films depicting them winning the war and that American had lost (Forty, 188). The rest of the movie, other than simple things like weapons, vehicles, and dates, was fictional or inaccurate portrayal of the war. The Insurgent group was not a true group, to the details of being all Jewish or being behind enemy lines causing mayhem before the war in Europe truly began. Although there were groups of American men or spies in Europe, none were as successful as the film depicts. The way that the men in the movie were able to avoid capture or death, like they did, would have been almost impossible in the time they were in. Even with the war not being present where the “Bastards” were, there were too many Axis Power patrols and soldiers stationed throughout all of Europe. Another major fictional point in the movie was how the Jewish woman Shosanna was able to conceal her cover, change her name, and obtain a theater – would have been very hard, if not impossible to do in any art of Europe at that time. Even though many Jewish people were able to flee or blend in at that time, she would have been caught at some point for at least one of those things above, because she was in the heart of Germany and they had papers and info on every citizen native to Germany. The final major inaccuracy was the death of Hitler and other important members of the Nazi council in the burning theater. Although it was natural for the high-arches of the Third Reich to attend prestigious movie premieres, parties and more. The time, place, and people in that theater would have been entirely different due to many safety, and other events going on at that time. There are many issues but I’ll name the main few, Hitler would have not been present in a room with many other leaders of the Nazi regime, especially if word of a shooting involving Americans dressed as Germans that had tickets to that movie were going to be there. There also would have been more security guards. And finally, even stated in the movie, the Americans were invading Europe, D-Day had just happened, there would not have been a party. Though highly impossible for the war to end the way the movie shown, it was a great “what if” to be able to compare to.
When the war had started in 1939, the United States of America was not involved the way that other countries were. Although, there was a lot of propaganda and speeches up until the invasion on D-Day this movie was not made in the time of the war or before it, there was propaganda inserted into the film. On June sixth of 1944, there was a speech/letter given by Dwight D. Eisenhower to the enlisted men about to invade. The speech was a form of propaganda and talked about how America can prevail against the enemies of the German war machine. The speech is one that was remembered by many real soldiers as a letter of inspiration and could have helped them be reminded of what they were fighting for. In the intro of “Inglourious Basterds” Lieutenant Aldo Raine, gives a speech that is telling his men not to give up and how to fight off the Germans. He even challenges them to each kill 100 Nazis each. The comparison of the two very different sounding speeches, have a similar focus on encouraging or challenging the men to win the war or task at hand. The other primary source(s) that help support the story are photos during the wartime period. The photos also helped validate the use of places or props in the movie, by proving the atmospheres or setting to be as realistic as possible. Some of the photos were very helpful in understanding what the reactions were of people in the photos at that time, whether it was Hitler grinning at victory (Forty, 51) or Jewish men being forced out of their homes (Forty, 51). Although, the photos and speeches helped validate parts of the films accuracy, it really help contradict it by proving many things to not be so accurate in the film. The speech and most of the photos would not have happened in the work of the fiction, due to the war’s ending. However, there were a few photos that support it through the earlier time period showing the way Hitler lived his life in Europe at the time of the invasion. Over the entirety of the film there are not many chances to see the front lines, but there are scenes that show the higher ranks of Nazi soldier’s parting or at films. In the photos represented in Germany at War in Color, the parties or gatherings were in a bigger area and had way more guards and security personal on watch, which the movie did not have. The entirety of the film was not similar to what the setting would have truly been.
Over the course of viewing the film I believe that the makers made the film with comedy and a big “what if” of what the war could have been like. The way that the movie was filmed with chapters, as if it were a book, was a twist on trying to make it more of a story or book that went off of different point of views, as the movie did. The way the characters were portrayed or acted was very stereotypical which added a comical side to the story. Whether it was the southern American Lieutenant Aldo Raine who was very stubborn, or Hitler who sported a cape and mustache and had an anger issue, it added to the comedy of the film. The addition of the different point of views was a good way of learning how each of the characters was developed and what they believed in or were after. The major reason I believe they made the movie for is the “what if” factor. The movie gives a great idea of what the war could have been like with the death of the leader of the Axis Powers, or how it would have been different if Americans were able to get an insurgent team in. The idea of a different outcome because of a different approach could actually help teach history by showing the different causes and effects that could happen from choices. It can show how ridiculously comical and easy the war could have been avoided. It also helped give a sort of an idea of how the life of a runaway “Jew” was like, or German leaders, and what spies would have experienced during WWII. This movie could be used in a history class as many things. It could be used as a sort of propaganda for what WWII could have been like. It could be used to show what certain people’s situations and lives were like in that time in Europe, under Nazi order. Lastly, it could be used as a comparison between facts and fictional beliefs.
The film, “Inglourious Basterds”, brings a sort of enjoyment to the idea of a “what if” ending to WWII by giving an outlook on how there could have been spies who infiltrated the German system, portraying how the Germans hunted down Jewish families, and the way German Officers spent their leisure times. Overall, the movie being a historical fiction, is great and shows what the war could have been like if a different approach was taken. I think it is ok for historical fictions to have inaccuracies. It is a are part of propaganda, and can motivate future things or even affect future decisions that would shape history. It also brings enjoyment into storytelling and “what if” conversations, which can lead to more interest in the true history. It’s also ok that the film was a comedy because it reveals how propaganda can be funny and the comedy also adds a lightness to the movie overall. This Historical fiction would have been nice if it actually happened, but the consequences and outcomes of history after would have been very different and the world could have been altered from what it is like today.
Originally published 15.10.2019