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Inglorious Basterds: A Screenplay
With such iconic films as the Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction, Kill Volumes 1 & 2, and Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino has become the most famous and revered writer/director of his generation. Now he's back with his most ambitious movie the World War II epic Inglourious Basterds. Starring Brad Pitt and filmed on location in Germany and France, it has the largest cast of characters of any Tarantino film to date. The movie will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2009.
The action tale follows the parallel story of a guerilla-like squad of American soldiers called "The Basterds" and the French Jewish teenage girl Shosanna who find themselves behind enemy Nazi lines during the German occupation. When the Inglourious Basterds encounter Shosanna at a propaganda screening at the movie house she runs, they conspire to launch an unexpected plot to end the war. Pitt plays Lieutenant Aldo Raine-the leader of the Basterds. Raine is an illiterate hillbilly from the mountains of Tennessee who puts together a team of eight Jewish-American soldiers to hunt down the Nazis.
Filled with Tarantino's trademark electric dialogue and thrilling action sequences, Inglourious Basterds is destined to become one of the most talked about films of 2009 and a landmark in cinematic history.
The action tale follows the parallel story of a guerilla-like squad of American soldiers called "The Basterds" and the French Jewish teenage girl Shosanna who find themselves behind enemy Nazi lines during the German occupation. When the Inglourious Basterds encounter Shosanna at a propaganda screening at the movie house she runs, they conspire to launch an unexpected plot to end the war. Pitt plays Lieutenant Aldo Raine-the leader of the Basterds. Raine is an illiterate hillbilly from the mountains of Tennessee who puts together a team of eight Jewish-American soldiers to hunt down the Nazis.
Filled with Tarantino's trademark electric dialogue and thrilling action sequences, Inglourious Basterds is destined to become one of the most talked about films of 2009 and a landmark in cinematic history.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
82 people are currently reading
1566 people want to read
About the author
Quentin Tarantino
54 books1,755 followersQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an Academy Award- and Palme d'Or-winning American film director, screenwriter and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an independent filmmaker whose films used nonlinear storylines and stylized violence. His films include Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill (Vol. 1 2003, Vol. 2 2004), Death Proof (2007), and Inglourious Basterds (2009).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
April 23, 2024
I almost didn't get this book. But it was on clearance and the price was right (2 packs of smokes or half a bag of Ruffles) so I gave it a try. I wasn't disappointed.
I've seen the movie and this is a great after movie treat. Kind of like a deleted scene or two. There were a lot of changes from the final draft to the screen, but it is essentially the same story: a Jewish woman's revenge and a scalping filled romp by the Basterds.
Watch the movie and then read this book.
P.S. - April 23, 2024. More than a decade after rescuing this book from clearance and this book turned out to be huge bargain.
I've seen the movie and this is a great after movie treat. Kind of like a deleted scene or two. There were a lot of changes from the final draft to the screen, but it is essentially the same story: a Jewish woman's revenge and a scalping filled romp by the Basterds.
Watch the movie and then read this book.
P.S. - April 23, 2024. More than a decade after rescuing this book from clearance and this book turned out to be huge bargain.
March 9, 2010
Está bien, quizás no sea una obra maestra de la literatura, pero la verdad que la pasé tan bien leyendo este guion como viendo la película homónima, así que si soy sincero conmigo mismo, alcanza las cuatro estrellitas automáticamente porque me gustó revivir la peli en prosa y punto. De todos modos, también aporta el hecho de que hubiera varias escenas inéditas en la peli que acá tienen su lugarcito, explicando algunos detalles que no quedaron en claro (como por qué tienen tantos nombres escritos en él el bato del Oso Judío). No creo que lo relea a corto o mediano plazo, pero tampoco le haría asco. A ver si después encuentro más o menos barato algún otro libraco del Taran.
May 29, 2021
Tan entretenido como la película.
Soy fan de este director.
Soy fan de este director.
December 10, 2009
Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds is the screenplay for the revenge war film of the same name. Moviegoers love Tarantino's films for a multitude of reasons or they hate them for a multitude of reasons, but the screenplay provides a whole new insight into the filmmaker and his work.
Author David L. Robbins says in the forward, "The script remembers, too, the classic propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl and Joseph Goebbels. It glimpses the faces of Hitler and Churchill and the interior of a wartime movie house in Paris, and zooms in on the horrors of close combat, the mania of vendetta. . . . Inglourious Basterds does not indulge in lampoonery or mere cobbling. It is reverently authentic as a war story, working the same tense, edge-of-the-seat magic as the best of the genre, book or movie. At the same time, it's Tarantino, its own thing."
There are two main story lines in the film and the script -- one deals with the death and ultimate revenge plot of Shosanna Dreyfus and the other follows the basterds through Germany as they take on the Nazis and bumble around during secret missions to win the war. In typical Tarantino fashion, the script bounces from each group and several moments in time, quilting together the larger arc of the story and conclusion of the war.
The script includes little tidbits about the characters that are never seen or talked about on screen. Readers will be amazed by the depth of detail Tarantino provides in stage direction, the description of the scene, and explanation.
"Lt. Aldo [played by Brad Pitt:] has one defining physical characteristic, a ROPE BURN around his neck -- as if, once upon a time, he survived a LYNCHING." (Page 19)
"WE SEE all the pagentry below. Tons of SPECTATORS. Tons of guests dressed in Nazi uniforms, tuxedoes, and female finery, walking up the long red carpet (with a big swastika in the middle, naturally) leading into Shosanna's cinema. The German brass band omm-pa-pa-ing away. German radio and film crews covering the event for the fatherland back home. And, of course, MANY GERMAN SOLDIERS providing security for this joyous Germanic occasion." (Page 125)
Although the script does not depict the true conclusion of World War II, Tarantino illuminates the horrors of war and creates an atmosphere of the ridiculous in its revenge themes. Watching the film is fast-paced, hilarious at moments, and gruesome, but reading the script plunges readers into their own personal version of the events and enables them to sink their teeth into Tarantino's witty and poignant dialogue. The basterds' dialogue drips with disdain and self-righteousness, while Col. Hans Landa, or the Jew Hunter, uses language to demonstrate his superiority, even though his outward actions border on comedic.
Lt. Aldo: Well, Werner, if you heard of us, you probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business. We in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is boomin'. (Page 28)
FEMALE SGT. BEETHOVEN and STIGLITZ bring their guns toward each other and FIRE. They BOTH TAKE and GIVE each other so many BULLETS it's almost romantic when they collapse DEAD on the floor. (Page 108)
Overall, Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino is an excellent specimen of a screenplay from its detailed stage direction and description to its witty and insightful dialogue, it will capture readers imaginations just as the film did on screen. There are portions of the script that did not make it onto the big screen, but that's to be expected with any film; there also are scenes in the movie that are not in the script. The beauty of a screenplay is that it is not a stationary work of art, but one that evolves from page to screen under the guidance of its maker.
Author David L. Robbins says in the forward, "The script remembers, too, the classic propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl and Joseph Goebbels. It glimpses the faces of Hitler and Churchill and the interior of a wartime movie house in Paris, and zooms in on the horrors of close combat, the mania of vendetta. . . . Inglourious Basterds does not indulge in lampoonery or mere cobbling. It is reverently authentic as a war story, working the same tense, edge-of-the-seat magic as the best of the genre, book or movie. At the same time, it's Tarantino, its own thing."
There are two main story lines in the film and the script -- one deals with the death and ultimate revenge plot of Shosanna Dreyfus and the other follows the basterds through Germany as they take on the Nazis and bumble around during secret missions to win the war. In typical Tarantino fashion, the script bounces from each group and several moments in time, quilting together the larger arc of the story and conclusion of the war.
The script includes little tidbits about the characters that are never seen or talked about on screen. Readers will be amazed by the depth of detail Tarantino provides in stage direction, the description of the scene, and explanation.
"Lt. Aldo [played by Brad Pitt:] has one defining physical characteristic, a ROPE BURN around his neck -- as if, once upon a time, he survived a LYNCHING." (Page 19)
"WE SEE all the pagentry below. Tons of SPECTATORS. Tons of guests dressed in Nazi uniforms, tuxedoes, and female finery, walking up the long red carpet (with a big swastika in the middle, naturally) leading into Shosanna's cinema. The German brass band omm-pa-pa-ing away. German radio and film crews covering the event for the fatherland back home. And, of course, MANY GERMAN SOLDIERS providing security for this joyous Germanic occasion." (Page 125)
Although the script does not depict the true conclusion of World War II, Tarantino illuminates the horrors of war and creates an atmosphere of the ridiculous in its revenge themes. Watching the film is fast-paced, hilarious at moments, and gruesome, but reading the script plunges readers into their own personal version of the events and enables them to sink their teeth into Tarantino's witty and poignant dialogue. The basterds' dialogue drips with disdain and self-righteousness, while Col. Hans Landa, or the Jew Hunter, uses language to demonstrate his superiority, even though his outward actions border on comedic.
Lt. Aldo: Well, Werner, if you heard of us, you probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business. We in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is boomin'. (Page 28)
FEMALE SGT. BEETHOVEN and STIGLITZ bring their guns toward each other and FIRE. They BOTH TAKE and GIVE each other so many BULLETS it's almost romantic when they collapse DEAD on the floor. (Page 108)
Overall, Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino is an excellent specimen of a screenplay from its detailed stage direction and description to its witty and insightful dialogue, it will capture readers imaginations just as the film did on screen. There are portions of the script that did not make it onto the big screen, but that's to be expected with any film; there also are scenes in the movie that are not in the script. The beauty of a screenplay is that it is not a stationary work of art, but one that evolves from page to screen under the guidance of its maker.
July 23, 2020
Jedno je sigurno: ovaj scenario u obliku knjige je živi dokaz, crno na belo, da je gospodin Kventin Tarantino 2010. godine na dodeli Oskara bio maksimalno pokraden u kategoriji za najbolji originalni scenario.
August 30, 2009
Wow! Where do I begin? Tarantino does not let us down in this World War II Nazi-infested tale of survival and gruesome murders (ahh, the irony). The screenplay parallels two different stories. The first being with Shosanna Dreyfuss. She's a jewish girl hiding from the Nazi's under the floorboards of a German Farmhouse. Her family gets machine-gunned by Colonel Landa's minions in front her. She is the only survivor. Her mission in life stays the same: survival but with a twist -- get revenge. The second story to parallel Shosanna's is about the Inglourious Basterds led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine. The basterds mission is to kill all Nazi's, torture them like they've tortured all the Jews, and scalp them. Their stories meet up when all the prominent Nazi's converge in the same cinema. Shosanna and the Basterds are simultaneously planning their revenge in the same location, at the same time, though neither knows about the other. Will they both execute their plans effectively? Or will they die trying?
The story is definitely Tarantino-esque will all the mayhem and witty dialogue. If I would post all the lines that I liked the most, I'd be here a while, and you'd be reading the entire screenplay! I'll just post a little dialogue between Lt. Aldo Raine and the Basterds that happened in the beginning of chapter 2 and sums up the Basterd's mission:
Lt. Aldo Raine: My name is Lt. Aldo Raine and I need me eight soldiers. Eight Jewish-American soldiers. Now, y'all might of heard rumors about the armada happening soon. Well, we'll be leaving a little earlier. We're gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we're in enemy territory, as a bushwackin' guerrilla army, we're gonna be doing one thing and one thing only... killing Nazis. Members of nationalist socialist party conquered Europe through murder, torture, intimation, and terror. And that's exactly what we're gonna do to them. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I sure as hell didn't come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half Sicily and then jump out of a fuckin' air-o-plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity. Nazi ain't got no humanity. They're the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin', mass murderin' maniac and they need to be dee-stroyed. That's why every son of a bitch we find wearin' a Nazi uniform, they're gonna die. We will be cruel to the Germans and through our cruelty they will know who we are. They will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, disfigured bodies their brothers we leave behind us and the Germans will not be able to help themselves from imagining the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, at our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the Germans will be sickened by us, the Germans will talk about us and the Germans will fear us. And when the Germans close their eyes at night and their subconscious tortures them for the evil they've done, it will be with thoughts of us that it tortures them with. Sound good?
The Basterds: YES, SIR!
Lt. Aldo Raine: That's what I like to hear. But I got a word of warning to all would-be warriors. When you join my command, you take on a debit. A debit you owe me personally. Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y'all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis. Or you will die tryin'.
The story is definitely Tarantino-esque will all the mayhem and witty dialogue. If I would post all the lines that I liked the most, I'd be here a while, and you'd be reading the entire screenplay! I'll just post a little dialogue between Lt. Aldo Raine and the Basterds that happened in the beginning of chapter 2 and sums up the Basterd's mission:
Lt. Aldo Raine: My name is Lt. Aldo Raine and I need me eight soldiers. Eight Jewish-American soldiers. Now, y'all might of heard rumors about the armada happening soon. Well, we'll be leaving a little earlier. We're gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we're in enemy territory, as a bushwackin' guerrilla army, we're gonna be doing one thing and one thing only... killing Nazis. Members of nationalist socialist party conquered Europe through murder, torture, intimation, and terror. And that's exactly what we're gonna do to them. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I sure as hell didn't come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half Sicily and then jump out of a fuckin' air-o-plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity. Nazi ain't got no humanity. They're the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin', mass murderin' maniac and they need to be dee-stroyed. That's why every son of a bitch we find wearin' a Nazi uniform, they're gonna die. We will be cruel to the Germans and through our cruelty they will know who we are. They will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, disfigured bodies their brothers we leave behind us and the Germans will not be able to help themselves from imagining the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, at our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the Germans will be sickened by us, the Germans will talk about us and the Germans will fear us. And when the Germans close their eyes at night and their subconscious tortures them for the evil they've done, it will be with thoughts of us that it tortures them with. Sound good?
The Basterds: YES, SIR!
Lt. Aldo Raine: That's what I like to hear. But I got a word of warning to all would-be warriors. When you join my command, you take on a debit. A debit you owe me personally. Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y'all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis. Or you will die tryin'.
March 6, 2014
Watched the film
winter
Tarantino's wishful thinking, oubviousuluy
October 9, 2017
O adevărată dovadă a geniului lui Quentin Tarantino, atât cât şi o delectare pentru pasionații de cinematografie, mai precis scenaristică şi/sau regie. Mai multe gânduri curând pe blog ^.^
September 22, 2018
Siguiendo con mi racha de leer guiones de películas, no podía dejar pasar leer el de esta, la cual es una de mis favoritas, al igual que el director, Quentin Tarantino, nada como poder revivir la peli pero escrita, que si bien aquí nos muestran algunas escenas inéditas las cuales no tuvieron lugar en la peli y que resuelve algunas preguntas que pudieron quedar tras verla, la verdad es que sigo reiterando que como a pesar de ser guiones, cada autor tiene su propio estilo, y el de este hombre me gustó mucho porque incluso en algunas partes describe el movimiento de las cámaras con mucho detalle, cosa que algunos no lo mencionan en los anteriores guiones que he leído, sin duda espero poder leer pronto algún otro de este autor y por supuesto ver nuevamente la película.
September 24, 2020
Una palabra: "Excelente"
August 10, 2017
(EN) OH, have you read the Inglourious Basterds? You mean, have I seen them? No, READ!
It was a really tense and thrilling experience reading the screenplay and it was a surprisingly immersive experience. I have seen the movie when it came out, so some faint memories remain. However reading the dialogues just sucked me right into the story and the small, just right hints from Tarantino completed the emotions of all that was witnessed. (Also, the screenplay might not have the wacky style, but some of the side notes or mentions are as funny as the movie was.) Recommend to those that liked the movie and also to those that like reading.
Maybe I from now on I will just watch a trailer and read screenplays that is how great the experience was...
It was a really tense and thrilling experience reading the screenplay and it was a surprisingly immersive experience. I have seen the movie when it came out, so some faint memories remain. However reading the dialogues just sucked me right into the story and the small, just right hints from Tarantino completed the emotions of all that was witnessed. (Also, the screenplay might not have the wacky style, but some of the side notes or mentions are as funny as the movie was.) Recommend to those that liked the movie and also to those that like reading.
Maybe I from now on I will just watch a trailer and read screenplays that is how great the experience was...
May 4, 2021
• As for the film itself, I've only ever seen the opening scene, at the milk farm. This movie is so good at giving subtext and letting you piece together these tense power plays.
• Obsessed with the scenes at the tavern and the dialogue.
• Obsessed with the whole thing. What an entrancing screenplay – full of action and satisfying vengeance.
• Quentin Tarantino is incredible at building characters that feel so believable and authentic. We are fully immersed in their bodies and lives. Col. Landa and Zoller feel so real, just as Shosanna and the Basterds feel real.
• Obsessed with the scenes at the tavern and the dialogue.
• Obsessed with the whole thing. What an entrancing screenplay – full of action and satisfying vengeance.
• Quentin Tarantino is incredible at building characters that feel so believable and authentic. We are fully immersed in their bodies and lives. Col. Landa and Zoller feel so real, just as Shosanna and the Basterds feel real.
August 6, 2019
This has to be one of the greatest books alive! I couldn't put it down. Some might call me strange, but, albe darn, it rocked!
Then I watched the movie, and well, it's even better.
Then I watched the movie, and well, it's even better.
October 24, 2024
unfortunately it is my whole personality
May 16, 2025
There’s a lot of nazi killing, enough to make a boy blush.
November 27, 2018
Awesome pure dark comedy. To the ones who are looking forward to reading this book, get a paper copy. The kindle version's format seems to bother the flow.
February 9, 2021
So cool to see a great movie in print. Many scenes in this screenplay didn't make the final cut, but they explain certain hidden references made or subtle situations that come up in the movie.
December 10, 2022
Either you are a Tarantino fan or you aren’t
Either you have seen the movie or you haven’t
If you said yes to both questions above you will adore this script and all it evokes
If you aren’t (Gallic shrug)
Either you have seen the movie or you haven’t
If you said yes to both questions above you will adore this script and all it evokes
If you aren’t (Gallic shrug)
February 4, 2016
Πρόκειται φυσικά για το σενάριο της ταινίας του αγαπημένου μου σκηνοθέτη Κουέντιν Ταραντίνο. Στην ταινία έβαλα εννιά στα δέκα αλλά στο σενάριο και άρα στο βιβλίο αυτό βάζω άριστα δέκα γιατί φυσικά οι διάλογοι και ο τρόπος εξιστόρησης του Ταραντίνο είναι απλά σε ανώτερα επίπεδα ψυχαγωγίας.
Δεν χρειάζεται να πω και πολλά για την ιστορία, είναι μια what if εκδοχή του τέλους του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, κάπως τραβηγμένη βέβαια αλλά σίγουρα συναρπαστική και ενδιαφέρουσα. Αυτό που μου έκανε εντύπωση είναι κάποιες μικροδιαφορές που παρατήρησα σε σχέση με την ταινία που είδα. Για παράδειγμα βλέπουμε μια δυο ιστορίες των Μπάσταρδων που δεν είδαμε στην ταινία. Πως πήγε ο Εβραίος Αρκούδος στον πόλεμο. Ή πως γνωρίστηκε η Σοσανά με τους "θείους" Μιμιέ. Δεν κάνουν την διαφορά, αλλά έδωσαν ένα βάθος στους χαρακτήρες. Αν σας άρεσαν οι Άδωξοι Μπάσταρδη ή γενικά σας αρέσουν οι διάλογοι και το στιλ εξιστόρησης του Ταραντίνο, τιμήστε αυτό το βιβλίο, σίγουρα θα σας ανταμείψει.
Εγώ το βρήκα σε προσφορά στην Πρωτοπορία πριν κάμποσο καιρό, δεν ξέρω όμως αν είναι ακόμα σε προσφορά. Τέλος, κυκλοφορούν τσάμπα στο ίντερνετ, στ'αγγλικά, όλα τα screenplay των ταινιών του Ταραντίνο, οπότε σίγουρα κάποια στιγμή θα τα διαβάσω γιατί σαν φαν οφείλω να το κάνω. Ελπίζω ν'αρχίσει να γράφει μυθιστορήματα, όταν και αν αφήσει την καρέκλα του σκηνοθέτη.
Δεν χρειάζεται να πω και πολλά για την ιστορία, είναι μια what if εκδοχή του τέλους του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, κάπως τραβηγμένη βέβαια αλλά σίγουρα συναρπαστική και ενδιαφέρουσα. Αυτό που μου έκανε εντύπωση είναι κάποιες μικροδιαφορές που παρατήρησα σε σχέση με την ταινία που είδα. Για παράδειγμα βλέπουμε μια δυο ιστορίες των Μπάσταρδων που δεν είδαμε στην ταινία. Πως πήγε ο Εβραίος Αρκούδος στον πόλεμο. Ή πως γνωρίστηκε η Σοσανά με τους "θείους" Μιμιέ. Δεν κάνουν την διαφορά, αλλά έδωσαν ένα βάθος στους χαρακτήρες. Αν σας άρεσαν οι Άδωξοι Μπάσταρδη ή γενικά σας αρέσουν οι διάλογοι και το στιλ εξιστόρησης του Ταραντίνο, τιμήστε αυτό το βιβλίο, σίγουρα θα σας ανταμείψει.
Εγώ το βρήκα σε προσφορά στην Πρωτοπορία πριν κάμποσο καιρό, δεν ξέρω όμως αν είναι ακόμα σε προσφορά. Τέλος, κυκλοφορούν τσάμπα στο ίντερνετ, στ'αγγλικά, όλα τα screenplay των ταινιών του Ταραντίνο, οπότε σίγουρα κάποια στιγμή θα τα διαβάσω γιατί σαν φαν οφείλω να το κάνω. Ελπίζω ν'αρχίσει να γράφει μυθιστορήματα, όταν και αν αφήσει την καρέκλα του σκηνοθέτη.
March 21, 2025
Mi primer enamoramiento con el personaje de Hans Landa fue en la gran pantalla (soberbio Christoph Waltz). El segundo está en las páginas de este guión.
Es magnífico el desarrollo de su personalidad psicópata a través del dominio de la palabra en cada escena, cómo se hace con el control ante la presencia del resto de personajes.
Es magnífico el desarrollo de su personalidad psicópata a través del dominio de la palabra en cada escena, cómo se hace con el control ante la presencia del resto de personajes.
September 14, 2020
Forever one of my favorites. It was the first Tarantino film I've ever watched and I just can't get enough of watching it. Now that I red the screenplay and saw the changes he made and his narration of the scenes, you can tell how much he loved his characters. Definitely a recommended read to all the cinephiles out there.
January 17, 2021
One of my favorite Tarantino films, I was bound to read it eventually. I was excited to just chill out and read the script and imagine the film I’ve seen plenty of times in my head, but I was actually surprised with how many changes the script had in comparison to the film. From subtly changing certain characters in what they say(I’m assuming because the delivery was better with other actors), characters dying differently, to full on scenes that never made it to the film. (There’s a whole backstory to how the bear Jew got his bat).
This script also reads like a book sometimes and gives us some thoughts into what certain characters were thinking that make the scenes much more interesting. I would’ve never gotten that from the movie, so I’m glad I read this. I got deeper understanding for these characters that I already loved.
Tarantino also writes in certain sections as if he’s talking to us the reader and it’s kinda funny to picture him writing this and getting a giggle at something he knows will be read after the fact.
I definitely say you should read this one if you enjoyed the movie. No sketches for framing ideas, but it does gives you more content that you don’t get from the movie so it’s still a win win.
This script also reads like a book sometimes and gives us some thoughts into what certain characters were thinking that make the scenes much more interesting. I would’ve never gotten that from the movie, so I’m glad I read this. I got deeper understanding for these characters that I already loved.
Tarantino also writes in certain sections as if he’s talking to us the reader and it’s kinda funny to picture him writing this and getting a giggle at something he knows will be read after the fact.
I definitely say you should read this one if you enjoyed the movie. No sketches for framing ideas, but it does gives you more content that you don’t get from the movie so it’s still a win win.
May 31, 2021
This screenplay was exceptional! I admittingly haven't read many, which is a mistake I should now care to fix, but Inglorious Basterds' bravado and oozing love for cinema and literature made this the perfect place to begin.
It was interesting to see the places this document differed from the movie of which I'm so familiar. It was easy to identify the points of divergence, and in every single place, the cuts and changes made in the final film were better choices than the ones in the script. Hitler being killed by Donnie is a much better choice than his death-by-bomb. It makes it personal, and the joy of seeing him and Goebbels riddled with machine-gun fire is infinitely more satisfying than what would have been a sudden explosion.
This had me hooked all the way through - and that might've been due to my not reading any fiction for quite some time - and even in the more innocuous moments, like the detailed description of how to project film and the flashes of backstory for select characters, I was along for the ride and deeply interested.
I can't wait to read more movies.
It was interesting to see the places this document differed from the movie of which I'm so familiar. It was easy to identify the points of divergence, and in every single place, the cuts and changes made in the final film were better choices than the ones in the script. Hitler being killed by Donnie is a much better choice than his death-by-bomb. It makes it personal, and the joy of seeing him and Goebbels riddled with machine-gun fire is infinitely more satisfying than what would have been a sudden explosion.
This had me hooked all the way through - and that might've been due to my not reading any fiction for quite some time - and even in the more innocuous moments, like the detailed description of how to project film and the flashes of backstory for select characters, I was along for the ride and deeply interested.
I can't wait to read more movies.
August 3, 2019
EXCELENTE. Si a la película le puse 10 estrellas, el guión, definitivamente, se lleva las 5 estrellas. Como amante del cine y la literatura, digo que este libreto debe enseñarse en todos los colegios y universidades de cine (al menos de América). Tarantino escribió este guión con con su inconfundible sello "tarantinezco". Este guión está enriquecido con el lenguaje audiovisual y hasta tenía conceptos que yo no conocía. Sirve mucho para todo aquel que aspira a ser un realizador audiovisual (la escritura de guión, específicamente). Es tan divertido y explosivo como la propia película. Lo bueno es que describe planos, acciones y efectos visuales y recursos audiovisuales que son ocurrencias de él. Es muy creativo e ingenioso. Para todo aquél que quiera saber cómo se escribe un buen guión, este libro es 100% recomendado.
October 5, 2023
Another "Once Upon a Time..." screenplay by Quentin Tarantino that dazzles, thrills you with scenes that on one page throws you into fits of laughter and on the next tosses you deep into a pit of tension. You start to find the pattern between the chapters, ridiculous through-lines of syntax, turns of phrase, and turning points that crescendo in Shoshanna's theater. The differences between the script and the final film are striking; some bits' excising feel natural while others shed light on characters or events or the structure of the narrative that you can't help but add-on to your memory of the scenes onscreen.
Hans Landa is great on the page, but it can't be understated enough how well Christoph Waltz brought him to life.
Hans Landa is great on the page, but it can't be understated enough how well Christoph Waltz brought him to life.
January 31, 2019
During his press run for Kill Bill back in '03 at Charlie Rose, Quentin mentioned in passing a WWII script he was working on and called it the greatest thing he had ever written. He even went on and revealed it's official title on air - Inglourious Basterds. That was six years & three films before the world would come to know what - in my opinion - might be the single greatest WWII film maybe even just the best movie ever made, period. Reading this script was so insightful on deleted scenes, and a whole lotta other stuff too. The fifth chapter, bares the most differences with the film, which make it even more exciting if you've seen it already.
April 21, 2021
More interesting a read than The Big Lebowski. While that was very similar to the final product, this screenplay has numerous differences. From scenes in Act 2 that build "The Bear Jew" beyond what was seen in the movie, to how Shoshanna came to work at the cinema. None of this is required reading as most of the extra details don't illuminate beyond what was shown(even though some of the missing dialogue is a sad cut), but it does show the blueprint of a movie including cut vestigial elements and how the edit is the "true" final draft.
May 20, 2020
Unpopular opinion but I hated Inglourius Basterds when i first saw it. He is great filmmaker but Basters was way to ludicrus and over-the-top even for his standards and i could not swallow it. But maybe screenplay is bether i said to myself and went for it. I was suprised how well it was written, it was much bether format than a film. In book form Basterds shine on film form it is ridiculus. I sugest first reading a screenplay then the film.
December 16, 2025
The screenplay was better than the movie, in my opinion. The dialogue was well written for each of the characters, and I could imagine the movie characters saying the dialogues. I think the first scene and the tavern scene were the best parts of this screenplay-- there was flow and direction. The other parts felt disjointed. Perhaps if there was a better connection between all the characters, it would make the movie/screenplay stronger.
October 25, 2017
Excellent! Love the movie, and the screenplay is written with sass and humor, as was expected, giving me extra little tidbits I hadn't picked up on watching the films. The forward was even awesome! One could only hope to write a screenplay at this level of clarity and vision.
I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!
I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!
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