Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger and Eli Roth in the Quentin Tarantino movie ‘Inglourious Basterds’

We head back fifteen years today for the Quentin Tarantino written and directed World War Two era movie Inglourious Basterds (2009). The movie is set in Nazi-occupied France with two worlds of opposing forces conspiring to assassinate leaders of the inhabiting regime in an alternate history coming to pass at a Paris cinema. The movie was filmed in Germany and France.

(From left, Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, Lena Friedrich as Suzanne LaPadite and Denis Ménochet as Perrier LaPadite in the Quentin Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds).

The movie opens in 1941 with SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa of Austria interrogating farmer Perrier LaPadite of France with the suspicion of the Jewish Dreyfus family under the floorboards of LaPadite’s home. The farmer, choosing to spare his own family, acknowledges the hidden family. Landa has all but Shosanna Dreyfus shot, permitting the 18-year-old girl to run to safety. Landa, LaPadite and Dreyfus were portrayed by Christoph Waltz, Denis Ménochet and Mélanie Laurent, respectively.

(From left, Eli Roth as Sergeant Donny ‘The Bear Jew’ Donowitz and Brad Pitt as Lieutenant Aldo Raine in the Quentin Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds)

Fast forward to 1944 when the movie introduces United States Army Lieutenant Aldo Raine, as portrayed by Brad Pitt, is shown recruiting Jewish–American soldiers for a special operations commando unit. The unit operates with the mission to create fear among Nazis by killing and scalping them while carving swastikas in the foreheads of permitted survivors among their audiences for the purpose of making the unit’s existence known among German armed forces functioning in France. The ‘Basterds’ unit in Inglourious Basterds included Sergeant Donny ‘The Bear Jew’ Donowitz, Private Smithson Utivich, Private Omar Ulmer, rogue German Sergeant Hugo Stiglitz and Austrian-born translator Corporal Wilhelm Wicki, portrayed respectively by Eli Roth, B.J. Novak, Omar Doom, Til Schweiger and Gedeon Burkhard.

(From left, Mélanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus and Daniel Brühl as Fredrick Zoller in the Quentin Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds).

As the above is occurring, German sniper Fredrick Zoller is set to star in a propaganda film Stolz der Nation (Nation’s Pride). Zoller, portrayed by Daniel Brühl, becomes infatuated with cinema operator Emmanuelle Mimieux, one and the same as survivor Shosanna Dreyfus from earlier in the film. Zoller convinces Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, as portrayed by Sylvester Groth, to premier the propaganda movie at the theatre of Mimieux/Dreyfus. Shosanna conspires with lover and projectionist, Marcel, to kill the German leaders in attendance at the premier. Jacky Ido portrayed Marcel.

(From left, Diane Kruger as Bridget Von Hammersmark and Michael Fassbender as Lieutenant Archie Hicox in the Quentin Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds).

Michael Fassbender portrayed British commando Lieutenant Archie Hicox. Hicox has been recruited to infiltrate the premier, though an intervening step towards that end at a French tavern goes gruesomely wrong. The Basterds come to a compromise to keep the premier in play with undercover Allied agent and German film star Bridget von Hammersmark, with von Hammersmark being portrayed by Diane Kruger. Aldo Raine and the Basterds intend to proceed with the Hicox plan in the British commando’s place, despite the blown cover of the Brits and von Hammersmark. The especially satisfying and intriguing part of the plan, as well as the simultaneous plan of Shosanna Dreyfus and Marcel, is that Hans Landa has what should be sufficient suspicion of both avenues of plot against German leadership to take effective measures against them.

(From left, Jacky Ido as Marcel and Mélanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus in the Quentin Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds).

The resolution for many of the characters come to pass in that theatre, with some exceptions coming into play based on actions negotiated at the theatre. That the larger story is one of vengeance and violence in confronting a historic grievance in large part is the point of the film. Doing this with a sense of comeuppance for a duplicitous character central to this movie is particularly appreciated. I grant the movie Inglourious Basterds as directed and written by Quentin Tarantino 4.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Bryan Adams and the album ‘Reckless’

Recorded at studios in New York City, New York, United States and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the fourth album released by Bryan Adams of Kingston, Ontario, Canada occurred on Monday, November 5th, 1984. With a sound perhaps best characterized as a combination of pop/rock, soft rock and arena rock, the album Reckless performed well throughout 1984 and much of 1985.

(The album Reckless by Bryan Adams was first released on Monday, November 5th, 1984).

One Night Love Affair opens the album with a straightforward song about a single night of physical intimacy. Opening the album Reckless with a style that expresses the larger meaning of the album, the song introduces a candid moment of self-memory and consideration. The notion that this night concealed deeper feelings that were felt between the couple adds to the sense of mystery and recklessness.

(One Night Love Affair was the fifth single released in support of the Bryan Adams album Reckless).

She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancin’ follows the album opener by questioning how satisfying the choices of life truly can be. The desire for independence and seeking gratification through dancing animates the sense of angst and opportunity offering this song its impact.

Run to You charted sixth in the United States and eleventh in the United Kingdom. Adams wrote the song with collaborator Jim Vallance of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. As quoted here on Songfacts, the two originally “wrote the song for Blue Oyster Cult,” later modifying “the riff down to E-minor, later adding a capo to achieve an F#-minor tuning, which better suited Bryan‘s vocal range.” When both Blue Oyster Cult and .38 Special declined the offered song, that Bryan Adams made a go of it led brought legitimate success.

(Run to You was the first single from Bryan Adams‘ fourth album, Reckless).

Heaven charted first in the United States and thirty-eighth in the United Kingdom, actually having been written for a movie titled A Night in Heaven (1983) that didn’t amount to much. Originally a power ballad as presented by Adams, “in 2002 it was recorded by DJ Sammy, whose version went to #1 in the UK and #8 in the US.” DJ Sammy is originally from Mallorca, Spain. The song itself resonates lyrically by defining a romantic relationship that has blossomed into something meaningful and sustaining.

(The third single released for the Bryan Adams album Reckless was Heaven).

Somebody charted eleventh in the United States and thirty-fifth in the United Kingdom. While the song itself is about pursuing and maintaining romantic relationships, song co-writer Jim Vallance mentioned as quoted here that “the second verse is about World War I. Said Vallance: “Adams and I are both interested in First World War history (Bryan‘s grandfather served with the British Army in WW1). As a result, lyrical references to that war occasionally appear in our songwriting. It’s not always in context, and it doesn’t always make sense.” The song itself was inspired by the success, or lack of it, that people have in nightclubs aiming to attract relationships.

(Somebody was the second song released to support the Reckless album by Bryan Adams).

Summer of ’69 charted fifth in the United States and forty-second in the United Kingdom. As the title itself invokes a pair of images, it becomes fair to note that Bryan Adams was born in November of 1959. As quoted by Songfacts here, Summer of ’69 “[is] a very simple song about looking back on the summertime and making love. For me, the ’69 was a metaphor for making love, not about the year. I had someone in Spain ask me once why I wrote the first line ‘I had my first real sex dream’… I had to laugh.”

(The fourth single released from Reckless by Bryan Adams was the song Summer of ’69).

Kids Wanna Rock offers a clear statement of Bryan Adams‘ musical sensibilities as a performer. While the song approaches a hard rock sensibility without quite landing there, the clear lyrical and sonic aim achieved here is to call out that the sound delivered is more aggressively guitar and drum based than something disco or dance-pop based.

It’s Only Love features Tina Turner, originally of Brownsville, Texas. The song charted fifteenth in the United States and twenty-ninth in the United Kingdom. As noted by Songfacts here, “[t]his song takes a nontraditional approach to healing from heartache, reminding us that it’s only love, and life goes on. Refreshing words for anyone worn down by songs that remind us that love is his towering emotion that rules our lives.”

(The Bryan Adams duet with Tina Turner, It’s Only Love, was the sixth single released from the Reckless album by Adams. The released single included a live version of the song from 1985).

Long Gone offers a production value as close to a rock & roll and country fusion as any song on the album. The notion underpinning the song is that relationships look destined for breakup, yet not all attempts at romance are lost when the need for love is viewed through the lens of a second look. While the song doesn’t call this desperation, the notion that needs are needs definitely calls this song a friend.

Ain’t Gonna Cry reflects the tenth and final song for the Reckless album. The song plays in the sandbox of one-night stands, with Adams‘ sense of worth telling him losing a night’s sleep isn’t worth the possibility of a single night of physical intimacy. The sense is no way, no how. That Bryan Adams isn’t going to cry sizes up his closing thought about how this instance, and some in general, struck even him at this point in his life as fleeting.

Additional musicians playing on this album included Tommy Mandel of New York City, Robert Sabino of the Bronx (New York City), Keith Scott of Vancouver, Dave Taylor of Vancouver, Pat Steward of Vancouver, Mickey Curry of New Haven, Connecticut, Steve Smith of Whitman, Massachusetts, Canadian Jody Perpick, Lou Gramm of Rochester, New York, Gerry Berg, John Eddie of Richmond, Virginia and Bob Clearmountain of Connecticut.

Matt – Saturday, November 5, 2022