Number 10. I'm almost tempted to not do the usual 'Author's Note within an Author's Note'. It would have made sense to stop by like part 4, but with one part left after this one, I might has well keep with the trend. Also, since I'm publishing these back to back without much reader feedback or input, I can't really know whether you love or hate these pre-essay notes. I'm going to go with love.
Author's Note
This story is the tenth installment (of eleven planned installments, for now) in my "Origins of a Writer" Series.
You can find previous parts on my page or by searching "Origins of a Writer" on the top left.
If you don't have time to read the previous parts, it's okay! Lucky for you, the actual stories aren't related, so all you really need to know before you start reading Part 9 below is the Author's Note portion of Part 1. And just because I'm so accommodating, here it is (apologies to those who are actually reading all parts, you can just skip ahead) ---
Believe it or not, but I wasn't always a great writer (if you're laughing at this statement, I can't hear you).
In my first year of college at UC San Diego, I took a class called 'Theatre And Film' (I think), in which we studied (watched) films that were based on stage plays. Instead of exams, we were graded on essays comparing each adapted film we studied to its original written play.
Obviously, I got an 'A' in this class (this is a verifiable fact, and I am boasting because it was my first A in college). But on a more serious note, this class (and the 'A' grade, just saying) was particularly important to me because it was the first time I wrote something I wanted to write.
Basically, when historians in the future research my life, they will find traces of Launchora's origins in this class.
So to continue celebrating Launchora's first week of story-publishing (i.e. June 20-27, 2014), I'm going to publish some of my college writings/essays in this multiple part series, which I would like to call "The Origins of A Writer". Yes, I just made that up and then changed the name of this story to reflect it.
---- End of Author's Note from Part 1
This essay (part 10 of the series) is the first of two in the fourth and final segment of my college writing, which I wrote for a class called LTWL 184 (Film Studies and Literature: Close Analysis of Filmic Text). The professor changed the theme every time he taught, and the theme for when I took it was 'Film Takes On World War II." It was a really serious class with some very depressing conversations. I took this class because I wanted to pursue a Film minor, which I didn't have the time to complete. Still, it was an interesting experience. I had to watch Inglourious Basterds and Schindler's List multiple times during exam weeks which was awesome.
This essay was written (finished) on February 11, 2010, and is reproduced here word-for-word, typo-for-typo. As always - don't judge my writing, judge 19-year-old me's writing.
Spoiler Alert: This one is about Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009), a film I would put in my top 25 best films of all time list. The essay topic was to pick a sequence in the film and do a shot-by-shot analysis. While that may not sound exciting to some (most?) of you, it was just too much fun. The scene I wrote about was only 128 seconds, but my paper went over 3,000 words. Considering that the film clocked in at 152 minutes, if I wrote a paper on the entire film it would be over 200,000 words! Also, if you are upset I didn't pick the basement sequence or chapter one - I wish I could have but they were simply too long for the purpose of this class/paper. Still, doing the research for this film was really fun since I got to watch the movie a bunch of times and read Tarantino's screenplay (which he published because he knows how good a writer he is). Now wouldn't it be awesome if Tarantino ever used Launchora to write/publish his future films/novels?
P.S. Please do not be mad at me for criticizing this sequence's place in the story. If I say anything below that isn't a compliment to this masterpiece, I am lying because I had to - this was a supposed to be a critical essay after all. Again, please don't be upset. I love this film. Inglourious Basterds is a classic.
ESSAY TEN
STIGLITZ AND THE TARANTINO STAMP
Introduction
The sequence subject of research here is sequence 6, titled “HUGO STIGLITZ”, from the film “INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS”, written and directed by QUENTIN TARANTINO.
The sequence is from Chapter Two of the film’s five chapters, and is 2 minutes and 8 seconds (or 128 seconds) in length, comprising of 33 shots. The sequence follows the introduction of the Basterds, after they massacre a troop of German soldiers and begin to interrogate the survivors. This sequence serves as a referential flashback providing the backstory of a key member of the Basterds (B). It is explained by a Voice Over given by, in Tarantino’s own words, a “LITERARY NARRATOR” (N). It helps in setting up the character of Hugo Stiglitz (S) as a Nazi-hating German, a notorious killer wanted in Germany who is recruited by the Basterds, lead by LT. ALDO RAINE (R). While the sequence does give the film the stylish and cool look of a guys-on-a-mission like in “The Dirty Dozen” that Tarantino seemed to be going for, it clashes with the mostly serious/dramatic tone of rest of story in its execution, therefore seeming unnecessary when weighed against the rest of the film.
Shot Breakdown
Shot (1) 5 secs
LS of S. Low angle POV shot of S from R and the Nazi soldier. S is standing on a brick surface, taking the shape of a stage. The low angle makes the subject look more imposing and superior, while the brick stage sets up the flashback sequence which introduces S. The stage, the title (Tarantino signature, discussed later) and the VO tone suggest S as a product/contestant being showcased. S laughs at his introduction, proud of his exploits and reputation amongst the Third Reich. The electric guitar accompanying the title and provides a rock/punk theme to the killings, masking the subsequent brutality with coolness and style.
Shot (2) 3 secs
LS (for the sake of shots 2-6) of german military newspaper. Wide shot displaying CU picture of S, and 12 CU pictures of 12 of the 13 gestapo men S killed. Dated 1940, a year before Chapter 1. VO begins by N, signaling a flashback/backstory sub-sequence.
Shot (3) 3 secs
CU of newspaper title and headline in German. Tracking shot in right direction, slow movement suggests importance of text. Sets up why S is famous in the German Army, being portraying as a sadistic killer and traitor being exposed on the front page.
Shot (4) 3 secs
CU of CU pictures of first line of V. Tracking shot in right direction, edited after shot (3) to infer that the spectator is being provided a closer look of the same newspaper page. VO details that all V were important Gestapo officers.
Shot (5) 2 secs
CU of CU pictures of second line of V. Tracking shot in left direction, continuing same story by now reading the next line from right to left, as opposed to left to right in shot (4).
Shot (6) 2 secs
ECU of S photo. Left side of face is shadowed, left background is white; right side of face is lit, with black background. The mug shot focussed on the eyes portrays S as a psychopath, while the dual black and white background show his treacherous and double-crossing nature.
Shot (7) 2 secs
MS of S strangling his 1st V with a wire. The top of the V head and right side of S head is lit by natural daylight, the angle suggesting that the location is a bunker of some sort. The murder takes place at a corner of the path, meaning S sneaked up on the V. The smoke from S’s cigarette tracks his path until he reached the V and attacked from behind.
Shot (8) 2 secs
POV CU of 2nd V. The light on the pillow and V face is coming from a window to the right of the frame, possibly moonlight or before dawn. The V wakes up in shock, reacting to the presence of S standing on top of him, leading to the next cut.
Shot (9) 2 secs
CU of S. The entire frame is black due to the night, except for S, who is being framed by the light from the window to the left of the frame. S reveals a knife; the vector from the knife leads into the vector of the V from Shot (8) and as the knife reaches the bottom of the frame, it meets the V in the next shot.
Shot (10) 2 secs
Reverse POV CU of V under pillow. The blood from the first stab tells the spectator that it is the same V and he was hit. The music takes away any feeling of sympathy for the V, as the attacker is one of the good guys, despite the gruesome stabbing. At this point there is almost a symmetric frame within a frame. The overall black frame of the screen surrounds a white frame, like a canvas; and the blood from the V acts as color, creating an abstract form of art.
Shot (11) 2 secs
Reverse CU of S. S is now on the right side of the frame, compared to previous shot (9). The expression on S face is of anger and release of aggression. S doesn’t care about caught, seen from the choice of methods to kill, going for the more painful way rather than a more quiet way. As S retracts the knife from the same vector as in shot (9), the spectator can see the blood at the end of the knife. The knife has no light or reflection, and blends in the darkness of the frame background, leaving just the red color, like paint dripping from a brush.
Shot (12) 1 secs
CU of S. The vector from his eyes has changed, suggesting a new room, a new bed (in the opposite direction), a new window, and a new V. The light on the right side of S face is possibly from dawn. S expression is of impending enjoyment.
Shot (13) 2 secs
POV CU of 3rd V. The vector from S hand is perpendicular to the frame, dividing the frame into two parts - one that is lit by the window on the left, and the other being in the dark. The shot ends with another shocked V seeing the last face the V will ever see. This is intended by S, who wants the Gestapo officer to know it was a German soldier who killed him. Again, the music along with S expression suggest a comical theme, saying that the spectator shouldn’t feel anything for the V.
Shot (14) 1 secs
Reverse CU of S. As V wakes up, S puts on his evil mask. The vector from S head is diagonal to the frame. This shot is similar to Shot (11).
Shot (15) 1 secs
Reverse POV CU of V. V face is perpendicular to the frame as in shot (13); but the vector from S hand has changed. It is now diagonal to the frame, starting from the bottom left of the frame, meeting V face in the middle of the frame. The hand diagonal from this shot meets almost perfectly with the head diagonal from the precious shot, forming a slash through the frame. The left hand is placed appropriately enough to give the impression of a first person view, such as a video game, where the spectator can feel like the player who is doing the killing himself, giving a stylish nod to slasher video games and the spectators’ wish for a cool action film with “awesome/killer” sequences.
Shot (16) 4 secs
Side angle MS of S as S continues to strangle V with fist. The two bodies in the frame form an acute ~30 degree angle, with only the inside of the angle being lit by the light on both bodies’ left. This scene is one of two strangulation sequences within the film (the other being the death of Bridget Von Hammersmark (H)). However, due to the several factors, the spectator feels no emotion for this V, as compared to the second scene where H is strangled by Landa. In this scene, the rock music, the fact that the V is a Nazi, as well as the visual execution of the scene provide a vibe of enjoyment for the spectator. This is obviously not the case for H death sequence, since H was one of the good guys and was killed by the villain of the story. Also significant is the lack of music from H’s death scene. Tarantino is extremely suggestive with the music in his films, and when the dialogue (which he is very proud and boastful about) is important, he rarely uses any non-diagetic sounds. In the scene in question where S strangles the V, the music lets the spectator know that this sequence is only for fun.
Shot (17) 2 secs
LS of S along with 5 Gestapo Officers. The VO connects the previous killing to this scene where S has been caught after killing 13 officers. The officer on the right with the red swastika band is carrying a whip, which can be connected to the flashback scene in sequence 15 where S is being whipped.
Shot (18) 2 secs
Side angle MS of S and two officers dragging S to possibly a car or truck that will take S to the prison where S will be held, and subsequently rescued by B. S walks on the path, framed by the pillars. This shot reveals that it is night and therefore the light in shots (17) & (18) is from a artificial source, possibly street lamps or floodlights around the Gestapo base.
Shot (19) 2 secs
Continuation of shot (17) where the guards drag S from LS to MS. The VO leads this shot into the prison in shot (20).
Shot (20) 4 secs
LS of S in a bird-like cage in a dungeon/bunker like facility in Berlin, awaiting death sentence. The guard walks from the left to the right of the frame, with his body crossing the cage.
Shot (21) 4 secs
CS of S. Rack focus being implemented with the shot being taken from outside the bars. The vector of S eyes is diagonal to the frame and leads to the bottom of the cage for most of the remaining shots. S head is framed perfectly between the two bars as S smokes. The front of S face is lit by daylight from the adjacent corridor. Although the spectator has already been informed that S is rescued and becomes a Basterd, S is still unaware of his fate and awaits the sentence without fear, not regretting his actions.
Shot (22) 2 secs
MS of guard being knifed in the neck by WICKI who sneaks up on the guard from the darkness. The light beams of light on both faces means that this was a secluded portion of the prison floor, and that the quick kill wouldn’t yet raise any alarm; allowing the rest of the B to infiltrate the base and reach S to initiate the rescue.
Shot (23) 3 secs
MS of S. Rack focus applied with the inside of the prison in focus, and the LS of the guard is blurred. The source of light is corridor on the left adjacent to the cage.
Shot (24) 3 secs
Low angle MS of guard. The vector of the guard’s eyes points to the newspaper, showing distraction which allows for the B to sneak in and start cleaning up the place. As the scene progresses the guard’s face is replaced by newspaper covering the face and the frame revealing a story in German suggesting importance.
Shot (25) 1 secs
MS of B as B jumps in with shotgun to begin the quick execution of the guards.
Shot (26) 1 secs
MS of guard being shot. The vector of the shot fired in the previous shot connects with the guard, sending the guard into the wall cavity. The guard is pushed with the bullet into the open frame of the wall.
Shot (27) 1 secs
Return to shot (23). The lack of reaction by the guards means the guard attacked in shot (26) wasn’t in the same room. B enters the room from the right, guns blazing.
Shot (28) 3 secs
Tighter LS of shot (27). The shot is no longer framed by the prison bars. B vectors from right to left while shooting machine gun. All the remaining guards are shot in this scene. There is diagonal source of light coming from the corridor in the center of the frame, which lights up the guard on the left who was reading the newspaper. Blood can be seen in the air along the vector of the light diagonal from the center to the left side of the frame.
Shot (29) 2 secs
MS of S. POV shot of the dying guard (the one who is shot in the middle of the next scene). S is still smoking, not reacting to the shooting of the guards. There is a lot of breathing/nose room for S in this shot. The cigarette drag made by S at the end of this shot builds the continuity for the edit into the next shot.
Shot (30) 42 secs
Return to shot (23/27) but with entire room in focus. The guards are dead (except one who is shot again) and the B enter from 4 corridors, two on each side; while R enters from the central corridor (also the light source). Longest Shot in sequence. Non-diegetic music with military drumming and piano is called “Algeri: 1 November 1954”, taken by Tarantino from the war film “La Battaglia di Algeri” (The Battle of Algiers) (1966). The eight B (4 on each side) form two sides of a triangle, with R walking into the center, and the prison bars as the third side. As R begins to talk to S, he is framed perfectly by the bars (vertical with two horizontal bars throughout). The top horizontal bar frames R head between the two bars as R introduces the B and commends S talent. The one-sided verbal conversation leads to S being recruited as a B.
Shot (31) 12 secs
MS of R, CU of S. Slight rack focus on R as he speaks and aligns in between the three bars. The front of the face is situated between the first and second bar lit by the light from the corridor in front of R, while the back of the head is in between the second and third bar and in the dark. R speech ends with R eye vector meeting S gaze and leads into the next shot.
Shot (32) 4 secs
Rack focus of CU of S through blurry bars as S accepts R offer to continue work as a Nazi-killer and become a Pro as a member of the B. The background theme ends at the end of this shot.
Shot (33) 3 secs
Back to Shot 1. Diegetic laughter in the background by the B. The return to this shot ends the flashback/backstory sequence and places the spectator back into the present time of the story. S nods at his introduction to the Officer (given by R), as well as to his lengthy visual introduction (given by the N).
Summary
With sequence 6, Tarantino introduces a new narrative approach to storytelling in his films - the Voice Over. Through all his works as writer and/or director, “Inglourious Basterds” is the first one to have a narrator. In the screenplay, the narrator is featured more frequently; in about five sequences - twice in Chapter 2, and thrice in Chapter 3. However, in the film the narrator is limited to two short sequences (the second being when explaining how a nitrate film burns). While Tarantino himself refers to the VO as the “Literary Narrator”, which makes sense since this is his first period film and the VO does make the story seem less fictional than it really is, it takes the spectator away from the overall film experience.
When the VO begins about 30 minutes into the film, it gives an impression that at that point the film begins to take a stand at what it really is - as described by Tarantino himself - a Spaghetti Western set in WWII.
After the first chapter in France, the film sets a high bar in terms of serious storytelling, but by the unnecessarily stylized execution of sequence 6 it appears to have marked itself with the Tarantino Stamp, specifically with the title in the middle of the screen “HUGO STIGLITZ” in 'KIll BIll' Yellow. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can lead to loss of authenticity if the film were to be judged on its qualification as a war classic. What the film - and the sequence - does achieve to become is a definite Tarantino classic, which also seems to be what the filmmaker is going for. This goes into Tarantino’s preference of style over substance, or film form over content, as seen in the Kill Bill movies. Sequence 6 seems to have borrowed its style from the graphic novel style of Kill Bill, but it doesn’t really fit into the rest of the story. If the clever dialogue in Tarantino films were to be considered QT: the writer’s signature, sequence 6 would carry QT: the director’s signature.
However, at the same time, sequence 6 is a great sequence where the Basterds’ tactics are revealed. It follows a scene where the Basterds are seen handling the aftermath of an ambush which they clearly won, but the spectator doesn’t really get to see them in action. Sequence 6 does achieve that goal and gives the spectator an idea of what they are capable of and how they differ from normal soldiers. The sequence also succeeds in providing a good understanding of Stiglitz’s character, explaining his frustration in sequence 15, and the flashback sequence in that scene.
The newspaper sequence provides a historical look to the film’s mostly fictional characters, while also giving the film the look of a modern western, while using a humorous VO by an extremely familiar voice gives the film the look of the guys-on a-gun-blazing mission. Even the music in the sequence can’t help but remind the spectator of the similarities with other Tarantino works - with clashing themes of western, revenge, guys-on-a-mission.
The content of sequence 6 is essential to the story line, as it does give the viewer an exciting background story to a interesting character. However, it is in its form and execution that the sequence doesn’t complement to the film’s story. The film didn’t necessarily need a narrator; and using VO unexpectedly distracts the spectator from the story. By itself the story of Hugo Stiglitz works great and would work well as a film by itself, but for the sake of the total product, it would have sufficed to reference Stiglitz’s exploits through simple dialogue, or a less stylized flashback. In a film that includes great storytelling throughout, sequence 6 stands out. It makes the film a definite Tarantino project - being more fun, and less legendary. The film had the potential to be a lot more, but minor flaws - the occasional titles, baseball bats, funny strangulations, and absent narrators - take away from the film experience and keep the film from earning the status of a cult classic such as Tarantino’s earlier works.