comment #1

Geoff says ...

I can't remember, but isn't there some quote from Roger Avary about Quentin bringing him a shitload of handwritten papers for Natural Born Killers (or was it True Romance?). The point was that Quentin went off and wrote all this disjointed stuff longhand and it needed some serious editing and talking through.

So maybe he could give a damn about the spelling and he just has a great ear.

comment #2

Don Murphy says ...

Umm I would be surprised if the illiteracy was a put on.

comment #3

Balthazar says ...

Nice first-half review, Heer Wells. Can't wait for your comments on the thing as a whole.

You're right. It's pure, dumb fun on a fifth-grade boy's level. Maybe that's how I should have interpreted the Shoshonna character -- how would a fifth-grader envision a revenge-minded Jewish teenaged girl?

The set pieces are something else, in terms of racheting up tension -- and you haven't even gotten to the two biggies in the second half yet.

My biggest problem with the second half is that not enough of it is Aldo's film. There needs to be more of him and his men and some of those guys need just a little more screen time to get fleshed out.

comment #4

Balthazar says ...

Also, many of my bigger problems with the script, such as the VO narration that only seems to pop up when QT has no other crutch, could be merely a function of me not understanding what style and tone QT already has in his mind for directing this sucker. I mean, we have to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Plus, my god, what joy awaits us on the soundtrack for this film??

(That said, does this script make you think that, once and for all, QT is probably never going to mature as a filmmaker, like PTA has. WYSIWYG with QT, and at least that's something we can enjoy usually)

comment #5

Mgmax says ...

"The German and French characters are so idiotically cliched they almost sound like the kind of material that a John Candy SCTV skit would use."

So it's... a WWII movie in the tradition of Das Boobs?

Really, this is why it's worth coming back here:

It is absolutely the most inauthetic, bullshit-spewing World War II movie that anyone's ever written. And I love it, love it, love it for that. ... every scene is pure popcorn, pure shit-kickin' Quentin, pure movie poontang.

comment #6

nemo says ...

Being a functional illiterate might go a long way toward explaining his slow output.

Being an undisciplined drug-vacuuming party hound probably explains the rest.

He's still the hippest video store clerk to walk the earth. (I alsmot sepled that "cleark".)

comment #7

JD says ...

Tarantino dropped out of high school in ninth grade. His brilliance is not of the classroom variety. And who gives a shit about spelling errors anyway? It's a movie, not a spelling bee.

comment #8

Balthazar says ...

Things from Harry Knowles review that make me wonder what fucking script he read:

1. "There's a tender love story. There's the power of cinema, not as a metaphor, but as a literal tool to be something astonishing."

2. "I couldn't help it as I read the script, but to imagine actors like Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, etc in these roles as opposed to a modern cast."

3. "There's a hefty amount of subtitled sequences - as German, Italian, French are all spoken - along with English. This is there to just add to the illusion of reality. To lull you into a feeling of the real world."

REAL WORLD?!?!?

comment #9

Richard_Stone says ...

I'm spellling this piece INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS forever. Did he not notice the spelling when he saw the 1977 version?

Man, QT gets passes from critics and fans like no other mofo in this business. "Hey look, this script is full of spelling mistakes. What a great put-on!"

comment #10

nemo says ...

"Aldo and his men, each one of the Hebrew persuasion"

So I take it that Brad Pitt is playing the Fred Williamson role?

comment #11

Richard_Stone says ...

I really feel like going all Frank Grimes on QT, but fuck it. One last comment though: I don't need all my movies to be ultra-realist documentaries, but the fakeness and lack of research of BASTERDS originates from QT's laziness, not from creativity or an original vision. I don't see in what world this can be a good thing.

comment #12

Balthazar says ...

Famous Writer/Directors don't HAVE to do research, as long as they keep having fun and making money with their films. Who the hell needs research or speeling?

Of course, if you were a famous writer/director who didn't want to rest on his laurels and wanted to find a library and thoroughly research a period in history in order to make a painstakingly accurate and absorbing film that has actual cinematic value ... you would be Paul Thomas Anderson.

comment #13

The Bandsaw Vigilante says ...

Re-reading Jeff's review, I think he's probably right on about all the spelling "mistakes" in this thing -- I mean, for fuck's sake, Boston is misspelt "Bostin," and Bavaria reads as "Barvia."

Also, "Leni Refensthal," and "Winston Churchell." (Then, he spells "Riefenstahl" correctly later in the script!)

And "Boorman," instead of "Bormann." And "Ghengus Khaun."

By the end of the script, I was thinking this exact same thought...total mind-fuck on Tarantino's part, re: the spelling. Though the "testicle shootout" scene is gonna be awesome onscreen.

(Also, the nuttier-than-squirrel-shit "Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz" is the role I'm most looking forward to seeing Quentin cast.)

comment #14

Richard_Stone says ...

Only in Hollywood can illiteracy be mistaken for a mind-fuck.

comment #15

Balthazar says ...

I disagree that the spelling mistakes are on purpose.

As an editor who deals daily with people who can write, but not spell, I can tell you that American spelling is just atrocious. We're a Third World nation, if you rank us by our spelling aptitude.

It's a combination of not caring about education, lack of work ethic and, in the case of the Post-QT generation, people growing up with the crutch of Spellchecker and being mongoloids without it.

But, back to the story....

comment #16

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Balthazar: If Harry Knowles believes there's a real world element going on in this script and wants to say that, fine. If he wants to imagine Gregory Peck or Paul Henreid acting in this thing....whatever. The movie will come out and he'll either look like a prophet or a loon.

comment #17

JD says ...

Movies aren't literature. Scripts aren't literature. In fact, most serious-minded movies (ie. Atonement) are mediocre because they so badly want to be literature, rather than shameful, tawdry cinema. Tarantino isn't a successful and respected filmmaker because he has the skills of a novelist (good spelling, superb punctuation, etc.). He's a successful and respected filmmaker because he has a greater understanding of cinema than virtually anyone. And it should be noted that he did do a great deal of research for this script, famously enrolling in several college courses, etc., but it seems that he chose to implement that research in an original and unorthodox fashion. Good for him.

comment #18

Balthazar says ...

Good point, Jeffrey. That's the beauty right now. We're all free to imagine this script being filmed any way we want at this point. It's open to our minds' interpretations. (Though I still don't see the tender love story much of anywhere at this point.) ... Scripts are full of endless potential. I still think Dogma is just about the best script I've ever read. Maybe if Kevin Smith had let someone else interpret his brilliant vision.

comment #19

Richard_Stone says ...

QT has a greater understanding of cinema than virtually anyone else? Are you a crackhead?

comment #20

Balthazar says ...

It's his movie of course, but it would be interesting to see QT move a little bit out of his comfort zone in casting this. .... I don't have an great urgent need to see Michael Madsen or Tim Roth or Uma Thurman play any of these roles. Plenty of interesting actors could pull off and interpret these meaty roles.

comment #21

Richard_Stone says ...

JD, sorry for resorting to cheap insults.

Maybe you meant filmmakers working currently, but I originally read your statement as anyone anytime. I still think it's a bloated statement, but I'll concede he's one of the most ludic filmmakers around and he has a talent. But there are plenty of anonymous filmmakers everywhere who understand cinema just as much if not more then QT.

comment #22

Griff says ...

"It almost could have been written by some 15 year-old suburban kid who used to play pretend WWII games with his friends when they were 10 or 11."

That entire attitude was my problem with Pulp Fiction. It was completely a 15 year writing about what he imagined was cool shit. "Wait...they're driving in the car, talking about some bullshit, and they hit a bump and they accidentally blow the head off the guy in the back seat. BWWAAAAAHaHaHaHaHa!"

With all due respect, there's a crude Southern saying "You can't polish a turd."

QT's stuff is polished, but it is what it is.

(Also, I suspect Wells will be deadened and enervated by the final result on film, much like Kill Bill's charms quickly lost their luster for him.)

comment #23

Balthazar says ...

I think there's just a frustration that someone like QT has reached the pinnacle of his profession -- something that all of us have maybe a 1-in-500,000,000 chance of doing, and yet he works somewhat infrequently and -- worse -- has seemingly become satisfied with not challenging himself with assignments that test the bounds of his considerable skills.

comment #24

The Hoyk says ...

Well, there is one real-world detail that Quentin has correct.

There was indeed a Goebbels-produced propaganda film that had it's premiere in Nazi-occupied France: Veit Harlan's KOLBERG, a would-be GONE WITH THE WIND about a small village's last stand against French troops during the Napoleonic wars. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036989/combined) Notorious for its expense, and its use of badly needed troops and supplies, diverted from the war effort, to stage the epic battle scenes. It's been documented by the Medveds in the HOLLYWOOD HALL OF SHAME book.

Only a film lover like Quentin could figure out how to inject this nugge of truth into an otherwise over the top war fantasy. I can't wait to see this!

comment #25

supertaster says ...

And yet you haven't been able to find the time to finish it? Only through 80 pages nearly 24 hours later? That, in itself, says more than the 1000 words you just put out.

If this thing was truly genius you would have ripped through it faster than you can say Blueberry pie, and you know it.

comment #26

Balthazar says ...

I really had to get some sleep last night. But once I got past page 100, I just had to keep chugging until 3 a.m. There are no lulls in the second half. After that (too long) bar scene, the script blazes headfirst into the grand finale. No training montages. No contemplative moments. No second thoughts. I was tearing through the last 30 pages, waiting to find out whether QT would actually have the audacity to .... well, you know.

comment #27

hatchetface says ...

Thank the lord Richard_Stone isn't writing the next WWII action/exploitation film I see, because it would totally fucking suck.

comment #28

hatchetface says ...

And Jeff, make sure you listen really close when Supertaster tells you exactly what you should and shouldn't like/think/feel.

comment #29

Balthazar says ...

There are some thoughts floating around elsewhere today that Lt. Aldo Raine is actually a black character -- why the hell not? And that might possibly be QT mainstay Samuel L. Jackson. And that the meaty roll of Landa "The Jew Hunter" is actually the one being offered to Mr. Pitt. I'd love to see him dig into a really juicy villain. SLJ, though, is probably too old for that role of Aldo. (though I guess something like that never stopped them before in WW2 exploitation films)

comment #30

Balthazar says ...

Regarding the foreign languages and subtitles, it will be interesting to see how much of that QT holds onto from here forward. A good 50 percent of this script is in either French or German. They're going to need actors who are fluent in the languages, actors who can play soldiers trying their best to be fluent, actors who can speak very little French or German...

The Jew Hunter alone has to know fluent German, fluent French, hackneyed French and fairly fluent English.

comment #31

ElstonGunnAICN says ...

Frank Darabont confirmed to me the typos in the "Indiana Jones" draft that was leaked were not his. Studio interns retyped the script and photocopied it (for archival purposes?) and that's what got out. Not saying that's what happened here, but sometimes it happens. I know Tarantino writes long hand first -- I wonder about the spelling errors in that incarnation.

comment #32

JapAdapters says ...

Anyone who thinks that all prominent writers (especially screenwriters) can spell is badly mistaken. Every major author, journalist (in almost all mediums), or even (or especially) sportswriters have editors for a reason.

The word "illiterate" being badly misused here. The motherfucker can read, he just can't spell.

The misspellings are a sign of QT not having to make even a precursory effort at being someone who gives half a shit about any of this.

Btw, thank you, Wells, for the spell checker!!!

comment #33

Stephe96 says ...

The misspellings have to be a joke. Nobody spells it 'Bostin.' Right? Is that even possible? 'Nu Yoark' It HAS to be a joke!

comment #34

Sembene Cinema says ...

Rather than out-and-out comment on the script as such (I might post some more detailed thoughts later), here are some comments on what's been written here:

"There are some thoughts floating around elsewhere today that Lt. Aldo Raine is actually a black character -- why the hell not?"

Well, given that the film has zero regard for either WWII history or combat, yes, why not? Although African-Americans (and other minority groups, like Japanese-Americans) were not integrated into full combat units until Korea (as Fuller illustrated in his marvelous THE STEEL HELMET). That an African-American Lieutenant would be sent into Nazi Germany in the height of WWII on a secret mission involving integration into local communities seems a tad bit far-fetched, even for this film. Maybe Sam Jackson could undergo a reverse Downey Jr. procedure, thus making IB a meta-film?

"A good 50 percent of this script is in either French or German. They're going to need actors who are fluent in the languages, actors who can play soldiers trying their best to be fluent, actors who can speak very little French or German..."

I imagine that all the American troops, with the possible exceptions of the Austrian Jew and Hugo Stiglitz, will all be American actors (although they're only in half the film, so why shouldn't QT cast whoever he wants?). I would presume that the rest would be foreigners, although who knows? I think Carice van Houten would be dynamite as the German actress (very clearly modeled on tough-as-nails Dietrich); but what do I know?

My biggest problem with this script though is that, a few set-pieces aside, there's really nothing to build on. There's hardly any character identification (Shoshana has clear motivations, but she's hardly anything other than one-dimensional), since the titular characters only are in half the movie. The whole thing seems to meander about and then finally builds up to a ridiculously (unnecessarily?) violent climax. Even the Tarantino lingo seems tame and toned-down. For a man who's prided himself on his ability to make people care about his characters through dialogue, he really seems to fall dreadfully short here. Howard Hawks/Ben Hecht this ain't.

comment #35

Balthazar says ...

Good points.

QT, I think, truly enjoys writing juicy roles and speeches for as many actors and actresses as possible, and sometimes that's to the detriment of what makes the most sense for the plot. The current script has a few too many significant roles, and that really cuts into screen time and character-building time for Aldo and the Basterds. The biggest piece that needs to be reworked, IMHO, is the bar scene. It's too long and it's too focused on non-primary characters. They need to put Aldo Raine front and center there, I think, even though that by definition means it will need to restructured significantly. (The Brit character who literally drops into the proceeding to explain and run the big Allied operation is fun, but can be cut out IMO). ... Plus, putting Raine into the middle of the tense action in the bar scene will give him more of an emotional connection to the German starlet, which will in term make the very ending of the film that much more satisfying.

comment #36

Circumvrent says ...

I'm not that far into the script yet, but I just need to agree with Balthazar: DOGMA is probably the best script I've ever read, too.

comment #37

Richardson says ...

"has seemingly become satisfied with not challenging himself with assignments that test the bounds of his considerable skills."

I think that the 'Kill Bill' movies are an experiment in how far he can push his directorial skills with all the action and everything. And the car chase in 'Death Proof' (if nothing else) does too.

comment #38

Balthazar says ...

True, Kill Bill was the artistic apex of "QT the Loving Plagiarist" ... He pulled every fun trick out of his bag in that one.

Now I want to see him put the homage aside and craft something that's fully his own. Something that some other auteur will steal from 30 years from now.

comment #39

Redmond says ...

If anyone wants to pass this script along, I don't have much to trade except for the Frank Darabont Indy script and thanks:

m.j.redmond@gmail.com

comment #40

Balthazar says ...

To use the comparison again, if PTA had used his next 3-4 films after Boogie Nights to do variations on that same style of reference-heavy filmmaking, I think we would have all grown a bit impatient.

Instead, he went from Magnolia to Punch-Drunk Love to There Will Be Blood -- each of which is even more fresh and original than the last.

I would have never though the director Hard Eight would be capable of Punch-Drunk Love, and maybe he didn't either.

No would I have guessed the Boogie Night and TWBB were by the same director.

But you ALWAYS know when you're in a QT film.

comment #41

Balthazar says ...

So .... same time, same Bat Channel tomorrow for Jeffrey's second-half review?

Will the Caped Crusader foil the evil Nazis? Will the Boy Wonder slam his bat upside the head of the pesky Gestapo? POW!

comment #42

Balthazar says ...

Here's a question: What are the odds that Heer Tarantino himself is checking out these comments, on this and other key sites?

Maybe this is just trial balloon opportunity for him to get feedback from the world's biggest Film Geek Peer Group?

comment #43

supertaster says ...

hatchetboy, you give me too much credit. But in typical fanboy, knee-jerk fashion, you've misconstrued someone's expression of their own opinion as an attack on those who disagree.

Not sure how long you'v ebeen reading jeff, but he's a guy who prides himself on reading between the lines, not taking thngs at face value, and dissecting a situation for what it actually is instead of how it is being presented.

So following Jeff's example, if he can extrapolate one guy farting and pissing at the same to mean that his entire family is a worthless pack of animals that deserve to fail at life, then I can certainly infer from his failure/inability/lack of desire, whatever, to rip through a "genius" script that it might not be as much of a howl as he *says*. Again, his actions speaker louder than his words here.

I honestly hope that all Tarantino fans read the script, see the movie, and live long lives before dying happy and fulfilled. I, and a lot of other people it seems, are tired of the schtick, so we'll have to find fulfillment elsewhere. The world's big enough to accomodate us all, no need to hate.

comment #44

Richard_Stone says ...

For reference:

http://rapidshare.com/files/128794613/INGLORIOUS_BASTARDS_1_1_.pdf

http://rapidshare.com/files/128795912/INGLORIOUS_BASTARDS_2_1_.pdf

I admit I have a Tarantino schadenfreude going on. I was a fanboy during the Pulp Fiction triumph years, but grew out of QT after Kill Bill. Balthazar and Richardson summed up QT well.

Anyways, I did misuse the illiteracy term, but couldn't find a more accurate term for QT's spelling mistakes. For the record, there are numerous exemples of QT's poor spelling and penmanship skills in his early biographies and in Jane Hamsher's book. Don't blame the typist. Although this could be a clever way to sniff out who leaked the screenplay at the studios.

I agree that spelling mistakes are completely inconsequential to how great or not a screenplay is. I started reading this screenplay and had not much interest in reading the whole thing.

comment #45

Richard_Stone says ...

And I doubt QT gives much of a shit what anyone thinks of Basterds, except maybe if they're a financier. See his reaction to the Death Proof critical reception.

comment #46

Balthazar says ...

Yes, I'm sure QT is NOT going to run out and rework the bar scene because a couple of fools online said it was structurally poorly.

However, he's only human and we're full of curiosity, so I wouldn't be surprised if he surfs a few favorite sites and reads the message boards and talkbacks. ... See what they're saying about his new baby.

comment #47

MovieBob says ...

The fact that it's THIS nuts and a WWII movie is what has me more psyched than anything else, honestly.

I mean... I appreciated Private Ryan etc. and totally understood that big end-of-the-millenium Tim Russert/Steven Spielberg "you ROCK, grandpa!" nationwide genuflection before the Greatest Generation that happened, but it's had as a side-effect the tendency to make every WWII project play out with pace and feel of a slideshow you'd run at someone's funeral. The idea of QT bringing back this sort of wild, action-adventure pulp feel to the genre I dig.

comment #48

Richard_Stone says ...

You know what, I'm giving the script another go, and it's pretty damn good in its sick, trashy way.

comment #49

D.Z. says ...

That "Lolita" clip makes me think Sellers' character is a bisexual swinger trying to pick up a guy to join him in a threesome...

"Everybody and his uncle will get the humor, and it'll generate serious dough all around. "

That assumes that people aren't "warred" out by then...
The genre seems to have peaked with Black Hawk Down, and the only way QT can make Bastards successful is by emphasizing whatever makes it unique, not emphasizing the cliches [or "homages"] he normally relies on to sell his work.

Anyway, I predict LG will fund it.

BTW, the original IB is playing at the New Beverly at the end of the month.

Balthazar: "As an editor who deals daily with people who can write, but not spell, I can tell you that American spelling is just atrocious. We're a Third World nation, if you rank us by our spelling aptitude.It's a combination of not caring about education, lack of work ethic "

I care about education, but I can't say the same about the people who elected Bush. Also, I'd imagine the lack of a work ethic comes from the lack of stability in print media, but that's just me.

JD: "He's a successful and respected filmmaker because he has a greater understanding of cinema than virtually anyone."

I have news for you. What he likes to watch isn't cinema. And the only thing he understands is how to plagiarize.

"And it should be noted that he did do a great deal of research for this script, famously enrolling in several college courses, etc.,"

Please. The only reason he'd be enrolling in a college is to get a hit off the local frat's beer-bong.

Griff: "(Also, I suspect Wells will be deadened and enervated by the final result on film, much like Kill Bill's charms quickly lost their luster for him.)"

If I recall, he loved the first one, but hated the second one.

comment #50

Doctor Freudstein says ...

As a Verhoeven die-hard, I can’t help but find myself a little saddened that his pulpy but subversive WWII adventure never managed anything approaching this kind of stateside anticipation or discussion. That’s not really fair to Tarantino of course, but there it is. I am somewhat surprised to see the bald-faced unprofessionalism of the script -- intentional or otherwise -- dismissed with so many bemused chuckles. The combo of endless typos and sprawling self-indulgence would have no doubt doomed an industry newcomer, no matter the raw talent between the lines...

comment #51

D.Z. says ...

I'm going to be unusually off-topic here, and recommend the upcoming dvd of the anime anthology "Neo Tokyo", the second segment of which likely inspired the most of the action scenes in Speed Racer, sans the pointless dialogue. [The last segment was directed by the creator of "Akira".] Also, the Kill Bill/Hostel crowd should get a kick out of the extra dvd New Fist of the North Star, since it has some of the most hardcore fighting since Sonny Chiba's "The Streetfighter". You can pre-order it cheap at http://www.amazon.com/New-Fist-North-Star-Tokyo/dp/B001C4ZQJS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1215851350&sr=1-3
.

comment #52

corey3rd says ...

when I was at a producer's office, he pulled out an original Joe Eszterhas script. Even though he'd had it for a few months, it smelt like used rolling papers. I'm going to guess that this was the case with "Basterds." This is a stoner's World War II film.

It comes off as a violent sequel to "Top Secret."

The big question: Why are they "Basterds?" I almost thought it would be some german typo. But nope. it's just a guy who would rather light up his bong than hit the spell check button. And double shame on Harvey Weinstein for not fixing this script before sending it out to studios. Has he no shame or does he get a kick out of exploiting the illiterate? Is this like Col. Tom sending ham to Jewish record executives in order to see how bad they want to get in the Elvis business?

Not to spoil the end, but we're given a failed mission. There's no way they can win. But then we quickly discover that this isn't reality. This is stoner reality. The type of ending that comes after you shotgun your smoke into your date's mouth and say, "What if Jesus knew Kung Fu and kicked Pilates' ass?"

There is a good 90 minute film here. There are not two movies that will cost a studio $100 million to produce and $50 million on P&A.

comment #53

diesel says ...

D.Z.: "I'm going to be unusually off-topic here"

yeah you're right, that has to be the first time you've gone off-topic!

btw, thanks Richard_Stone for posting the script and to Balthazar for interesting comments.

comment #54

Spacesheik says ...

You guys remember KELLY'S HEROES, the WWII Eastwood caper with Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland (as a pothead hippy) etc -- very 60s irreverant comic sensibilities...I guess Tarantino is going for some of that here - maybe with the continentally mundane NAVARONE-like caper ESCAPE TO ATHENA...

comment #55

Balthazar says ...

Tone is going to be huge. There's comedy potential here, for sure. But I didn't read it as an all-out laughfest by any means. There's too much serious stuff going on. I mean, are you going to have this thing turn madcap funny after the somber, tense and laugh-free opening chapter in the French farmhouse? And I don't know WHAT tone QT is aiming for in the French New Wave chapter with Shoshanna, the war hero movie star and that wacky funster Goebbels. He's written another series of mini, self-contained movies here, like "Kill Bill," and that worked somewhat because Kill Bill wasn't set amongst historical background and real people. This movie is, and it's gonna be a challenge.

comment #56

Count Thread says ...

QT films are like football. If you're a fan of the game, you love them. If you're a fan of sports (or in QT's case, movie entertainment), you love them. If you're a casual person on the outside, his movies (like the game) are accessible (at least to anyone under 50).

Alas, if you hate football, you hate it. And some people just hate QT films, and root for them to fail, and think that he's the WORST PERSON EVUH. I don't know where that attitude comes from-- I've found every one of his films fascinating, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Calling them out for not being "better" or something different is the same as complaining that football may kick ass, but it's not an Olympic sport.

I love QT. I accepted long ago that he'll never "stretch" to do something different, that every film he'll ever make is really a riff on another film. And you know what? I'm okay with that. His imitators? I hate 99% of them, because they're not genius like he is. He manages to take bad movies, bad cliches, bad *everything* and make them seem fresh, new and essential.

He's film's Andy Warhol.

comment #57

Count Thread says ...

Oh, and Danny Z. can spend the rest of his life bitching like a jilted and jealous lover about QT, and it won't matter a damn, because QT brings me and millions of filmgoers joy, while D.Z. brings nothing but misery to every person he's ever spoken to.

comment #58

madskrilla says ...

20 bucks say this doesn't get made, not in this form at least. It's an Holocaust comedy where the good guys (the US) scalps people.

Quentin may have gotten this made after PULP FICTION, but he could have gotten Andy Warhol's EMPIRE made for a 100 million when he was hot off PULP FICTION. Now, after too many bombs -- a GRINDHOUSE sequel, anybody? -- he doesn't have the juice to get this financed, it's an expensive film.

You don't write an alternate history of WWII like this, there are too many icky things and too many people might find it offensive, or simply tasteless. As much as his heart may be in the right place, this doesn't treat the Holocaust respectfully. And good luck getting Brad Pitt to be filmed carving swastikas on people's faces, and other big name stars graphically scalping people.

I'm surprised at how just bad the script is. And I like Quentin, he's shallow but usually a lot of fun (and his one grownup movie, JACKIE BROWN, is a small gem)

comment #59

madskrilla says ...

I also find the jokes about the atrocious spelling misguided: Quentin is dyslexic, it's not right to make fun of someone's impairment, you wouldn't make fun of him if he were a diabetic. Dyslexia makes him write like that, not ignorance -- he's actually a very smart guy who likes to read, he just sees words differently than you and I do because of his (clearly untreated as a child) condition.

comment #60

Spacesheik says ...

"As much as his heart may be in the right place, this doesn't treat the Holocaust respectfully. And good luck getting Brad Pitt to be filmed carving swastikas on people's faces, and other big name stars graphically scalping people. "

DUEL AT DIABLO the James Garner-Sidney Poitier 60s Western certainly had a lot of scalping, man that movie was vicious. Liked the Neal Hefti opening tune though : http://youtube.com/watch?v=V6HsLBio9ew

comment #61

Balthazar says ...

Count Thread: Right on with those comments. The only difference between you and I is that I'm not as willing to "accept" that he'll never do anything different or challenge himself. It annoys me to see his talent go to waste. Pulp Fiction is his only truly great film, and it doesn't need to be that way.

Madskrilla: I don't believe there are any on-screen scalpings in the script (could be wrong).

CAN a bizarre, violent, funny, very alternate take on WW2 be pulled off? Sure.

IF SUCH a thing is possible, is Quentin Tarantino probably the guy who could best do it? Probably.

IS THIS THE SCRIPT to get it done? Right now, I don't think it is. But that's what first drafts are for, right??

comment #62

madskrilla says ...

Yes, but DUEL AT DIABLO (good call, by the way) didn't deal with the "Greatest Generation" and the Holocaust, revisionist westerns are not unheard of. After Abu Ghraib and Gitmo it might be fun and revisionist to depict the men who won WWII as thugs, but as personally liberal most Hollywood people are, this goes too far. It'd be controversial in a bad away, and I don't see how it could be US$ 500M controversial the way THE PASSION OF CHRIST became, it'd simply be a big mess.

Also, an expensive one as I said.

comment #63

goodvibe61 says ...

For the assclowns out there that are saying the stupid shIt like this script is lazy because there are a bunch of misspellings, etc.; this script is filled with so much wonderful detail, little things that will have a strong role in the overall tone of the film, I wonder if you even understood what you read, if you indeed read it. How can a script filled to the brim with such loving detail be considered lazy? It's really one of the funniest things I've read recently (the criticisms, not the script, which is also pretty damn funny).

And if you're concerned that this script doesn't respect history, or was lazily researched: you're a bunch of fools. It just validates that you don't care for the whole Grindhouse, B Movie framework. So go ahead and say it's not your cup of tea, but to slam the thing just because it doesn't fit into your sense of what makes a good film (it's not a drama ground in complete realism and historical accuracy, which this obviously is not) is shortsighted in a big way. Is it really that difficult to see that this is not Private Ryan? I mean seriously, you can read this script and fault it for not being historically accurate? What a laugh.

comment #64

madskrilla says ...

re: Balthazar's "I don't believe there are any on-screen scalpings in the script"

The copy I read, he even explains how it's done and how once you've carved out the hairline the scalp "peels off like a banana"

comment #65

Balthazar says ...

Actually, madskrilla, this movie shouldn't cost a whole lot to film.

It can all be done on sets (some of which will need blowed up good), you need a bunch of vintage uniforms, a bunch of squibs and that's probably it. Rent a vintage tank or two for a day and you're done. I'm not seeing huge expenses here, but I ain't no expert, either.

comment #66

madskrilla says ...

GRINDHOUSE is rumored to have cost US$ 100M, on paper it looked like a cheapo, too

comment #67

Spacesheik says ...

"GRINDHOUSE is rumored to have cost US$ 100M, on paper it looked like a cheapo, too"

Tarantino should have just remade that James Brolin 70s flick THE CAR and spared us all the drama.

comment #68

Balthazar says ...

The Car freaked me out when I was a kid....

Though not as much as Burnt Offerings, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Kingdom of the Spiders, The Sentinel and The House of Seven Corpses freaked me out, though.

No wonder I'm warped.

comment #69

Balthazar says ...

re: madskrilla's "The copy I read, he even explains how it's done and how once you've carved out the hairline the scalp "peels off like a banana" "

Sure, it's one thing to describe it. I'm pretty sure there are no scenes where it's shown, though. That would make Reservoir Dogs look like a kid's flick.

Are you saying even dialogue about scalping would be too much to stomach?

comment #70

D.Z. says ...

diesel: True, but when I meant unusually off-topic, it was referring to the fact that I bothered recommending and/or summarizing things, when I usually just post a link and be done with it.

mad: "It's an Holocaust comedy where the good guys (the US) scalps people."

If that Italian guy can make a comedy out of the Holocaust...

Count: "QT films are like football. If you're a fan of the game, you love them. If you're a fan of sports (or in QT's case, movie entertainment), you love them. If you're a casual person on the outside, his movies (like the game) are accessible (at least to anyone under 50)."

I'm not really sure about what liking either type of football, or sports in general, has to do with being into bad remakes, since you don't need to know the history of a particular team or any of their in-jokes to be fans.

"Alas, if you hate football, you hate it. And some people just hate QT films, and root for them to fail, and think that he's the WORST PERSON EVUH. I don't know where that attitude comes from--"

The attitude comes from realizing that QT's the equivalent of an athlete who takes steroids to win.

"Calling them out for not being "better" or something different is the same as complaining that football may kick ass, but it's not an Olympic sport."

I don't care whether it's an Olympic sport. I just want it to actually justify seeing it, not get told it's tennis, when it's really golf.

"His imitators?"

You seem to forget he's an imitator, too...

"because QT brings me and millions of filmgoers joy, "

That's not what they seemed to be saying after Jackie Brown, Death Proof, and that Broadway show...

skrilla: "Quentin is dyslexic, it's not right to make fun of someone's impairment, you wouldn't make fun of him if he were a diabetic."

He seemed to have no problem making fun of Chow Yun Fat's English, so he's also fair game. http://members.tripod.com/~Kissaki/QT.htm

Balthazar: "It annoys me to see his talent go to waste."

You don't seem to get that he never had talent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZKgptV4GmQ&feature=related

comment #71

Spacesheik says ...

Speaking of 70s guilty pleasures, Balthazar...THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE...DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY...CRASH!...I could go on..

You know what movie needs an updating, brilliant film called THE STUNTMAN - the one with Peter O'Toole playing a twisted Director out to get Steve Railsback. It is regarded as a bit of a cult movies although it was well received bycritics in '81 or so.

I could seriously see a remake with someone like Hugh Laurie in the O' Toole part taunting someone like Daniel Craig or Casey Affleck.

comment #72

Balthazar says ...

Ahh yes, The Legend of Hell House. ... Roddy McDowall, Pamela Franklin, Clive Revill and the pulpiest thing Richard Matheson ever wrote.

comment #73

Balthazar says ...

Not sure if Jeffrey's done reading yet, but this sucker has been SOLD: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37432

comment #74

JCEFalconi says ...

Hugo Stiglitz is a famous B-movie mexican actor. The kind of movies that inspired Rodriguez to make EL MARIACHI.

comment #75

Balthazar says ...

Interesting that Script Girl has the old (and presumably wrong) plot line that she's throwing out there, the one about the suicide mission for the Allied soldiers who are otherwise facing a court martial.

Either (1) she hasn't set eyes on the script yet or (2) is there a chance we've all been fed a "red herring" script?

comment #76

D.Z. says ...

Why would Miramax want to work with Harvey again, after he was forced out for saddling them with so many overpriced flops in the first place?

comment #77

corey3rd says ...

skrilla: "Quentin is dyslexic, it's not right to make fun of someone's impairment, you wouldn't make fun of him if he were a diabetic."

Nobody is making fun of him for being dyslexic. We are making fun of him because he doesn't give a crap about having someone double check his work. And we're making fun of Harvey for exploiting this NC term paper - instead of having it fixed by a 5th grade English teacher. I guess at the end of the script, a majority of the dead consist of proofreaders and editors.

comment #78

Balthazar says ...

To be fair, though we don't know if this is the version that went out to studios.

Perhaps THIS is the copy that arrived at the typist/proofer/copy editor office for polishing, and perhaps that very office is where the leak to the Web happened.

comment #79

saranie says ...

Incredible.....but I ever read more like this . It's a celeb dating site " TALLMEET .COM "..They put their story on this site ..u should find out how they met..that's really fun..