‘Inglorious Bastards’ a Glorious War Romp
Exploitative war flick is full of action and fun
written by Sandro Continenza, Sergio Grieco, Franco Marotta, Romano Migliorini, and Laura Toscano
directed by Enzo G. Castellari
If you thought the title of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds sounded a bit familiar, that’s because it’s taken from a 1978 cult classic from director Enzo G. Castellari. Just in time for Tarantino’s latest, Severin Films have done cinema fans a favor by releasing the original Inglorious Bastards on DVD and Blu-ray. Best known for his exciting spaghetti westerns, Castellari tried his hand at the so-called macaroni combat genre, a name given to man-on-a-mission action flicks that came out of Italy in the 1970’s. Although these movies are often characterized by their schlocky demeanor, and Bastards does tread in that territory from time to time, it’s also a fine piece of cinema with artistic merrit.
The film takes place in 1944 during World War II in France. A group of delinquent soldiers are on their way to be court-marshaled when the convoy is attacked by Nazi enemies. The military police along with many of the prisoners are killed, leaving a group of five prisoners the opportunity to escape. Since they can’t go back to their own land due to their infractions nor can they survive long in the German-occupied area, they decide to head to the neutral Switzerland. On their way, they’re mistaken for a different group of Americans who were supposed to infiltrate a Nazi train to steal part of a V-2 missile. With only the French Underground on their side, the group of rebels must band together for their commando mission. They may be bastards of the war, but they prove themselves to be anything but inglorious by the movie’s end.
The movie is action-packed with plenty of gunplay, explosions, deaths, and a great finale. It’s first and foremost an action/war picture, but it also has a lot of comedy. Jokes in older movies of this nature are often lost to modern audiences, but the humor here is still funny. There are also some exploitative moments, such as naked chicks firing machine guns. In fact, a re-cut version of the film exists under the title G.I. Bro which makes Fred Williamson’s character the lead to capitalize on the blaxpolitation market.
Castellari may most familiar with people for his infamous Great White. The film had its Stateside release blocked in 1981 by Universal Pictures after a lawsuit found it guilty of plagiarizing Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Despite being a rip-off of a superior film, it was still a good shark movie. Similarly, a lot of people have made connections between The Inglorious Bastards and Robert Aldrich’s 1967 film, The Dirty Dozen. The plots are fairly alike, but Bastards has the great sense of humor which makes it almost a satirical look at the macaroni combat rather than a rip off of those that came before it. Even one of the taglines pokes fun, stating that “whatever the Dirty Dozen did they do it dirtier!”
The uncut print was fully-restored for this release, and you are taken right inside the hail of gunfire. Although obviously shot on a limited budget, the Blu-ray restoration makes the picture look as crisp as an exploitation film can, making Castellari’s direction really shine. As with many of his films, he uses beautiful slow motion shots for emphasis. Much of the film is over-the-top fun, but there are some beautifully operatic moments. He also utilizes matte shots to make his small scale seem grand, truly making the most of what he had to work with.
The release is also packed with special features. ‘Train Kept A-Rollin’ is a lengthy documentary which brings back some of the cast and crew to discuss their experiences in creating the film. It’s interesting to hear them tell their stories of the fun they had on set. A highlight of the special features is a conversation with Enzo Castellari and Quentin Tarantino in which the two impressive directors discuss the art of filmmaking. It’s fascinating to watch the high-energy Tarantino gush while explains his personal connection to the film and why he chose to use the title for his. (The interview took place just as he was finishing up the first draft of his script.) It’s clear that both have a real respect and admiration for each other. Castellari began making movies because he liked what American directors were creating, and now Tarantino is bringing things full circle by using Italian cinema as an influence.
‘Back to the Warzone’ marks Castellari return to the film’s major locations. He tells anecdotes about the movie while walking among the scenery where it was shot. There is also a brief chat and recap with Castellari and stars Bo Svenson and Fred Williams at Castellari’s 70th birthday celebration in Los Angeles last year. You can see that the sense of camaraderie is still there. There’s footage of the introduction and Q&A from a screening of the film at LA’s New Beverely featuring the trio of Castellari, Svenson, and Williams, and lastly, an informative commentary track by Castellari.
Despite being shot on a low budget over three decades ago, The Inglorious Bastards has held up well over the years. With its good action, fun laughs, solid direction, likable cast, and plentiful bonus features, this release is a treat.
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