A BASTERDS WORK IS NEVER DONE

Book Review by John Larkin

THE MAKING OF QUENTIN TARANTINO'S INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS by Jay Glennie is available Nov 10th. Click the image above to pre-order at Insight Editions.

Last year I called Jay Glennie’s astounding THE MAKING OF ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD book “The Greatest Making-of Book I Have Ever Read.” Now I sit here stunned after reading his follow-up, The Making of Quentin Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, and must now bestow that same claim upon this one!

Glennie’s astoundingly detailed research, interviews, and storytelling skills culminate in a deeply engrossing recounting of the entire making of Tarantino's 2009 World War II masterpiece.

Appropriately, the journey Quentin embarked on in making BASTERDS was not unlike the “impossible mission” assigned to the titular group in the actual film. He was joined by his band of soldiers: agent Mike Simpson, lawyer Carlos Goodman, producer Lawrence Bender, director of photography Robert Richardson, editor Sally Menke, and even the infamous Harvey Weinstein.

Yes, Harvey Weinstein is a major supporting character in this mammoth making-of tale, as he very well should be, since his involvement with Quentin goes back to his first film, RESERVOIR DOGS. And the role he and his brother Bob played remains faithfully intact here and relevant to the production. Not surprisingly, many of his anecdotes involve temper tantrums, bullying, and manipulation. A certain satisfaction is achieved when Harvey must surrender multiple phones to comply with Quentin’s on-set cell phone ban.

With QT as general, the group embarks upon overcoming a series of insurmountable obstacles, including meeting a deadline of Cannes 2009 after only starting filming in October of 2008 and filming a movie in Germany with an international cast in which each actor must be born in the appropriate country for their character. If they couldn’t speak the language fluently or rightfully claim the nationality, they couldn’t play the part.

This steadfastness of Quentin’s opened up a door to some of the most astounding discoveries in the collective world of actors contributing to the art form today. The casting process alone culminated in the most impossible task of all: casting Christoph Waltz in the role of Hans Landa, the feared polyglot “Jew Hunter,” whose shoes were so impossible to fill that the struggle to find him nearly shut down the entire production.

Waltz’s arrival at the eleventh hour plays like a game-winning shot in the NBA Finals, and when you pull back, the entire making-of reads closer to a thriller than a documentary.

A clear theme reveals itself through the chaos in the jungle of the making of BASTERDS: Tarantino’s creative force as a writer and director draws an equally sharp, creative, and forceful regiment of loyal supporting players.

To be part of Quentin’s creation is to be a part of his family. As in any family, there are arguments, frustrations, and miscommunications, but all are trumped by love and loyalty. And Quentin’s loyalty and love for his family are ever present throughout the entire production and beyond.

It reaffirmed what I love about Quentin as an artist: his passion, enthusiasm, and unbridled love for cinema are so pure and intense that they lend themselves to attracting all the right people into his orbit, at the right time, even against impossible odds. There are even cases where certain players (in this case, actors who were cast) didn’t last; they weren’t meant to be because their vibe didn't match that of the world that QT creates around him.

I have already accepted that Glennie may outdo himself again as I eagerly await the confirmed book versions of the remaining films in Tarantino’s canon, with the making of DJANGO UNCHAINED slated for 2027. In that case, I am going to have to find another way to say his newest books are “the greatest making-of books ever made.” But that is not a claim to be made lightly; it’s simply that these making-of books have got it. No stone is left unturned. Fascinating, funny, and personal anecdotes are bountiful, and the fulfillment they provide is only matched by that of watching a great Tarantino film.

This is the book of the year for me and will make the perfect holiday gift for the film fanatic in your life, especially if that film fanatic is you!

John Larkin is the Managing Editor of FILMS IN REVIEW, where he has been a contributor since 2008. A filmmaker, writer and editor, he directed the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award–nominated documentary FEAR AND LOVE: THE STORY OF THE EXORCIST, an intimate retrospective on the making and enduring legacy of William Friedkin’s 1973 classic. His work for FILMS IN REVIEW spans contemporary cinema, classic Hollywood and physical media.