"My Father, The Inglourious Basterd"

[Carol]

Caught Inglourious Basterds on On Demand this weekend and absolutely loved the movie. I went googling for information about the soundtrack and stumbled across a real-life story written by a British woman whose father served in an elite Jewish regiment by the name of "X Troop".

Its a good read, I particularly enjoyed it as my own father was a WWII vet.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-09/my-father-the-inglourious-basterd/

 

[Senjojutsu]

Its a good read, I particularly enjoyed it as my own father was a WWII vet.

Thanks Carol,
I remember reading about some Polish Army pilots serving within England's RAF who had a quirk of always following disabled Luftwaffe planes downward until they crashed - no parachutes to be allowed.

My father was a WWII vet, and my mother (WAVES) along with various uncles.
Obviously I grew up with some stories.
Like an uncle (who died when I was too young to remember) who got his first navy ship command on what happened to be VJ day.

"WWII - The Big One" as Archie Bunker used to tell his liberal son-in-law "Meathead".

A war where we actually were allowed to call the enemy - the enemy - and even got to use derisive names.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I loved the movie too. Thanks for posting the story Carol. It was indeed a great read. :asian:

 

[Steve]

I caught this one recently, too. I really enjoyed it. One thing about Terantino is that he lets a scene play out. In most films today, the longest scenes in a movie are the action sequences. In contrast, the action in this movie was quick and brutal, and the scene leading up to it is allowed to build up. I thought Pitt did a great job and was underrated in that role.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I caught this one recently, too. I really enjoyed it. One thing about Terantino is that he lets a scene play out. In most films today, the longest scenes in a movie are the action sequences. In contrast, the action in this movie was quick and brutal, and the scene leading up to it is allowed to build up. I thought Pitt did a great job and was underrated in that role.

I agree. I happen to love Tarantino movies. I watched this movie with some friends and we had a difference of opinion on one of the scenes. The one where the girl whose family got killed in the beginning...she met the commander at dinner and he invited her to stay for Strudel. Offered her milk.

I say he recognized her and was messing with her. My friend says it was coincidence. What say you?

Don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but I'm curious about this.

 

[Steve]

SPOILERS (as an aside, are there spoiler tags on MT?)

I agree. I happen to love Tarantino movies. I watched this movie with some friends and we had a difference of opinion on one of the scenes. The one where the girl whose family got killed in the beginning...she met the commander at dinner and he invited her to stay for Strudel. Offered her milk.

I say he recognized her and was messing with her. My friend says it was coincidence. What say you?

Don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but I'm curious about this.

I think he recognized her, but you bring up a good point. The only thing that didn't really satisfy me was the neat and tidy ending. It was a little too convenient.

 

[Ken Morgan]

As movies go, it was OK. My problem with war movies is I keep hearing a little voice in my head saying, but what about, but really that would never…etc., etc…I need to just sit there and not think about history, it’s a movie made for entertainment.

I envy the lady you reference and yourself Carol. I had one Grandfather in WW1 and one in WW2, and I never really knew them. I never had a real conversation with either of them. One of my great regrets in life.

Remember that little game you’d play as kids, “who in history would you most like to meet?” People would say things like Shakespeare, Jesus, Napoleon, Churchill, and the like. Me? I just wanted to know my grandfathers.

 

[Steve]

I envy the lady you reference and yourself Carol. I had one Grandfather in WW1 and one in WW2, and I never really knew them. I never had a real conversation with either of them. One of my great regrets in life.

Remember that little game you’d play as kids, “who in history would you most like to meet?” People would say things like Shakespeare, Jesus, Napoleon, Churchill, and the like. Me? I just wanted to know my grandfathers.

I know how you feel. My great uncle Vernon was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for valor in WWI as well as the Croix de Guerre from France and the French Legion of Honor. He died when I was a kid. I have a wall in my home where I specifically put pictures of my family in uniform, and there are many whom I never had a chance to meet in person. I take a lot of pride in the fact that there are many, many pictures on that wall representing a lot of years in service to our country.

 

[Carol]

Ohhh good call on the SPOILER ALERT, Steve

I agree. I happen to love Tarantino movies. I watched this movie with some friends and we had a difference of opinion on one of the scenes. The one where the girl whose family got killed in the beginning...she met the commander at dinner and he invited her to stay for Strudel. Offered her milk.

I say he recognized her and was messing with her. My friend says it was coincidence. What say you?

Don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but I'm curious about this.

I also love Tarantino's movies and stuff like this is exactly why. He can turn something as innocuous as a glass of milk in to something spooky...without making it look trite or predictable.

I actually don't think he specifically recognized her, but he was digging. This goes on the assumption that her house was not the first house where he asked for a glass of milk.

In the first chapter, we saw the farmer's face melt under the pressure of questioning. Later in the film we see von Hammersmark also lose her composure in the scene with the shoe... but Shoshanna remained stoic until he left.

 

[David43515]

As the son of a WWII vet myself, I thought that was a great read. Those refugees who volunteered for the Commandoes sound very much like my own dad; decent, kind, gentle men who did very violent things when they had to, but never more than they had to, and always trying to remain human through it all. Dad passed away two years ago at the age of 94, but he told me once around 5 years ago that there hadn`t been a day in the last 60 or so years when he hadn`t thought of someone he knew or something he`d done or seen in the war.

 

[grydth]

As movies go, it was OK. My problem with war movies is I keep hearing a little voice in my head saying, but what about, but really that would never…etc., etc…I need to just sit there and not think about history, it’s a movie made for entertainment.

I envy the lady you reference and yourself Carol. I had one Grandfather in WW1 and one in WW2, and I never really knew them. I never had a real conversation with either of them. One of my great regrets in life.

Remember that little game you’d play as kids, “who in history would you most like to meet?” People would say things like Shakespeare, Jesus, Napoleon, Churchill, and the like. Me? I just wanted to know my grandfathers.

War movies are to actual war as martial arts movies are to actual fighting, for the most part.

My father was one of the Black Sheep Squadron's fighter pilots, and this even got me in at one of the unit's reunions. That was an experience. My father spoke of that war often, publicly and privately.... but there was a good deal that never was said publicly. But I thought there was too much emphasis on his war experiences and not on all that he did as a husband, father, businessman.... I've always thought that people like my parents, once there were millions like them, is what made the USA great. he also taught me there is a time to stop hating, a lesson not widely taught it would seem......

Maybe the bravest of all of us (I was more the opposite) was my uncle Harry. One of the meekest and quietest guys you'd ever see.... but with a cold steel core. In WWI he drove an ambulance, a dangerous job as the Hun artillery would shoot at engine noises. In WWII he was a merchant seaman on the Murmansk run taking supplies to the Russians - the water was so cold that you'd usually die even if you got off a sinking ship.

 

[Carol]

As movies go, it was OK. My problem with war movies is I keep hearing a little voice in my head saying, but what about, but really that would never…etc., etc…I need to just sit there and not think about history, it’s a movie made for entertainment.

I envy the lady you reference and yourself Carol. I had one Grandfather in WW1 and one in WW2, and I never really knew them. I never had a real conversation with either of them. One of my great regrets in life.

Remember that little game you’d play as kids, “who in history would you most like to meet?” People would say things like Shakespeare, Jesus, Napoleon, Churchill, and the like. Me? I just wanted to know my grandfathers.

Unfortunately my adult conversations with my dad were limited. He had a stroke when I was in college, which took a good amount of his mind and body. He existed (I won't say lived) for several years afterward, but the father I knew was taken away with the initial attack. I am grateful that I had the chance to know what I did while he was still with us, but it is still heartbreaking to me to know that the biggest positive influence in my life never really saw the person I would grow up to be...for better or worse.

 

[Ken Morgan]

Unfortunately my adult conversations with my dad were limited. He had a stroke when I was in college, which took a good amount of his mind and body. He existed (I won't say lived) for several years afterward, but the father I knew was taken away with the initial attack. I am grateful that I had the chance to know what I did while he was still with us, but it is still heartbreaking to me to know that the biggest positive influence in my life never really saw the person I would grow up to be...for better or worse.

Don't worry.
He knows.

 

[Bruno@MT]

My Grandparents lived through WW1 and 2.

I talked a lot with my grandmother about life in WW2 when I was a kid. Not the gory stuff but day to day life. I think she wanted to keep the horror away from me. My grandfather spent part of the war in the Breendonk POW camp which was apparently infamous for being a place of abuse and torture. I never got to talk to him though. He died when I was 3 or so.

My other grandparents also lived through both world wars, but I they died when I was a kid.

I also love Tarantino's movies and stuff like this is exactly why. He can turn something as innocuous as a glass of milk in to something spooky...without making it look trite or predictable. .

Whenever I hear 'Clowns to the left of me...' I can't help but think of the 'ear' scene in reservoir dogs.

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

I agree. I happen to love Tarantino movies. I watched this movie with some friends and we had a difference of opinion on one of the scenes. The one where the girl whose family got killed in the beginning...she met the commander at dinner and he invited her to stay for Strudel. Offered her milk.

I say he recognized her and was messing with her. My friend says it was coincidence. What say you?

Don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but I'm curious about this.

I don't think he recognized her. I think that he was the sort of person who liked to play mind games with people, and who had a repertoire of things he liked to do to elicit responses.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

GorLOMmeee!!!!!!