Bonjourno! This week on 100 Things We Learned From Film, we’re heading into Nazi-occupied France for one of the most audacious, quotable and flat-out entertaining films ever made — Inglourious Basterds. Join us as we uncover 30 fascinating facts about Quentin Tarantino’s alternate-history masterpiece, from the decade-long writing process and the search for the perfect Hans Landa, to the real dangers of nitrate film, the truth behind the infamous three-finger mistake, and how a relatively unknown Austrian actor named Christoph Waltz walked into an audition and changed cinema history. We’ll also explore the hidden inspirations, production nightmares, bizarre casting possibilities, historical inaccuracies, behind-the-scenes stories, and why Tarantino himself once suggested Hans Landa might be the greatest character he ever wrote. Whether you’re a fan of Aldo Raine, Shosanna Dreyfus, The Bear Jew, or just enjoy watching Nazis get absolutely obliterated in a burning cinema, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. That’s a bingo! Support The Show If you enjoy what we do and would like to help keep the podcast going, consider supporting us on Patreon. For just £1 a month you can join our “Give Us A Quid” tier and help us continue researching, recording and producing new episodes. https://www.patreon.com/c/100thingsfilm Every contribution genuinely helps keep the show alive. Visit Our Website You can find our full episode archive, articles, links and more at: 100ThingsWeLearnedFromFilm.co.uk If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please consider: Following the podcastLeaving a rating or reviewSharing the episode with a fellow film fanTelling someone who still thinks Hans Landa was “quite charming really” --- Inglourious Basterds is a 2009 black comedy war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, and Mélanie Laurent. The film tells an alternate history story of two converging plots to assassinate Nazi Germany's leadership at a Paris cinema—one through a British operation largely carried out by a team of Jewish American soldiers led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt), and another by French Jewish cinema proprietor Shosanna Dreyfus (Laurent) who seeks to avenge her murdered family. Both are pitted against Hans Landa (Waltz), an SS colonel with a fearsome reputation. The title (but not the story) was inspired by Italian director Enzo G. Castellari's 1978 Euro War film The Inglorious Bastards, but deliberately misspelled as "a Basquiat-esque touch".[8] Tarantino wrote the script in 1998, but struggled with the ending and chose instead to direct the two-part film Kill Bill. After directing Death Proof in 2007, Tarantino returned to work on Inglourious Basterds. A co-production between the United States and Germany, the film began principal photography in October 2008 and was filmed in Germany and France with a $70 million production budget. Inglourious Basterds premiered on May 20, 2009, at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, and received a wide release in theaters in Germany on August 20, and in the United States on August 21. The Weinstein Company distributed the film in the United States, while Universal Pictures handled international distribution. It was a commercial success, grossing $321.5 million worldwide, becoming Tarantino's highest-grossing film to that point, until it was surpassed by Django Unchained (2012). The film received critical acclaim, with Waltz's performance as Hans Landa being singled out for praise, but some criticized the historical liberties taken. It also won multiple awards and nominations, among them eight Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay). For his role as Landa, Waltz won the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor Award, as well as the Academy Award, Actor Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
