Inglourious Basterds starts off with a simple scene in the French countryside. A dairy farmer named Perrier Lapadite is hiding a family of Jews and is visited by an SS officer charged with hunting down any remaining Jewish families.  The SS officer interrogates Lapadite and seems to find nothing out of the ordinary.  However, before he leaves, he reveals that he knows the Jews are hiding under the floor.  He forces Lapadite to point out where they are hiding and eventually his soldiers step in and riddle the floor with bullets.  Only Shoshana, the teenaged daughter, manages to run away.  Although this scene seems quite typical at first glance, Tarantino manipulates dialogue, style of storytelling, sounds, and meaningful visuals to transform it into a classic.

Tarantino styles the storytelling and character dialogues in multiple ways to keep the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the entire scene.  The reason for this scene’s critical acclaim is largely due to the grand introduction of Christoph Waltz’s character, Colonel Hans Landa.  Throughout the scene, Tarantino’s dialogue continuously builds up Landa’s character as an unpredictable, calculating, and sinister detective with a genius for detecting Jews.  Tarantino’s main dialogue style which bolsters these character traits is making Landa overly polite and respectful, even when he doesn’t need to be.  This defies the audience’s expectations of a rude, mean, and generally evil villain in the form of a Nazi.  However, even though Landa is a Nazi, he posesses the character traits of a gracious human.  Cristoph Waltz complements this dialogue quite well with a certain edge in his voice that subtly reminds viewers that his character is still a Nazi after all.  This keeps the audience guessing and waiting in anticipation for when Landa will truly reveal his vicious side and drop his phony facade of grace. Another aspect of storytelling and dialogue is the subtle games that Landa plays which hint that he isn’t an ordinary Nazi.  He frequently requests permission from Lapadite for small privileges, such as switching the conversation to English or asking to smoke his pipe.  The audience, Landa, and Lapadite all know that he does not have to ask for such things, as he is of superior rank and controls several Nazi soldiers just outside the house.  This pretension of being of equal power with Lapadite reinforces the idea that he is truly the one with all the power in the situation.  Requests of such small things surprises the audience and upends the expectation that he would just do these things without asking Lapadite.  Of course, this “consideration” is wholly meaningless, but it forces Lapadite and the viewer to remind themselves for a second who is actually in control.  

Tarantino also makes a critical style choice to reveal the Jews hiding during the middle of the scene.  This increases the tension of the scene using a device popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense.  This device is known as the “bomb theory,” and presents a way to maximize the suspense and weight of a scene.  For this theory, Hitchcock asks us to imagine two movie scenes.  In the first scene, there is a group of people at a table having a conversation when suddenly, a bomb explodes.  The second scene is identical, except the audience is aware of the bomb’s placement and knows that the bomb will ignite.  Hitchcock states that the second version of the scene will provide much more suspense and tension than the first, increasing the engagement of the audience.  The first scene provides perhaps a feeling of surprise for 20 seconds, but the overall impact and investment by the audience remains quite low.  However, the second scene manages to provide much greater suspense because the audience knows what the eventual outcome will be but is helpless to stop it.  Suddenly the normal, everyday conversation becomes much more fascinating, as the audience yearns to break in and warn the characters of the impending threat.  Tarantino uses this tool to great effect in the scene because the revelation of the location of the Jews suddenly provides meaning and consequences to the interrogation.  Although they have not been discovered yet, there exists a sense of dread that they eventually will be found out, which is only heightened by Landa’s menacing personality and actions.  We anxiously lean in and focus on the conversation, looking for signs that Landa knows and that the jig is up.  Tarantino stretches this out to create maximum suspense, waiting for the last minute to reveal that Landa knows where the refugees are hiding and that the game has come to an end.  This scene is perhaps the most memorable of the entire film because Tarantino has essentially forced the audience to care about the characters and the consequences of their actions. It’s almost as if the scene itself is on a tightrope, dangerously teetering back and forth until eventually everything comes crashing down.

Not only does Tarantino write in a particular style to enhance his scene, he also incorporates sound effects and visuals to provide a more sensory experience for viewers.  In particular, the sound aspect of the film was heavily scrutinized in order to form the perfect atmosphere of the scene.  The sound, or foley, as it is referred to in the film industry, underwent much revision and fine-tuning to capture a feeling of closeness and presence in the movie scene.  Harry Cohen, a sound designer who worked on Inglourious Basterds, explained the slow and labor-intensive process of constructing foley for the scene in an interview with designingsound.org.  His team particularly worked on reducing the background sounds and hums to a minimum, to induce a closeness with the characters and their conversations.  This works to provide as little distraction as possible, which helps viewers to hone in on the words being spoken as well as the camera work.  Many of the common, expected sounds were enunciated to also provide the sense that one was almost in the same room, sitting in on the conversation.  For example, Cohen in particular notes seemingly small sounds such as the chopping of wood, the click of a pen, and the sound of the paper being smoothed out were all enhanced.  Tarantino’s and Cohen’s choice to focus in on even the smallest of minutiae pays off because it works to pull the viewer into the scene.  

In addition, Cohen mentioned that his team worked hard to make sure the sounds flowed well with each other as well as with the music of the scene.  One unique way that Cohen’s foley crew established a rhythm was with the sounds of various animals throughout the scene.  The interrogation was set on a dairy farm, so it would follow that there would at times be the sounds of cows, roosters, birds, and insects in the background.  The sounds of animals were often placed in the pauses between dialogues, accentuating the momentary silence.  The sounds heard vary depending on the mood of the conversation and the scene.  For example, when the tone becomes more lighthearted and Landa appears to become more affable, the twittering of birds can be heard in the background.  When Landa pulls out a comically large pipe, the moo of a cow can be heard in the background, as if to accompany the humorous visual.  Similarly, directly after Landa decides against shooting Shoshana and the dramatic music and effects cut out, several animal sounds can be heard.  The chirp of cicadas, twittering of birds, and even the moo of a cow can be heard.  These sounds all help to signify a calm after the storm.  For a moment, nothing can be heard except for the buzz of cicadas, as if to indicate a certain momentary silence.  The birds and cow soon cut in, and it appears as if life on the farm has once again resumed normally.  Conversely, the sound also boosts the maniacal moment when Landa discovers and massacres the hidden Jewish family.  For example, the music and sound effects build as a steady crescendo until the audio becomes almost unbearably loud and robust.  There are a variety of different sound effects which are combined to create this chaotic atmosphere.  Ennio Morricone composed a heavily dramatized version of opera for this scene which includes loud, intrusive instruments such as trumpets, trombones, and other brass.  A choir which provides heavily dramatized vocals is also present.  There are also gunshots when the soldiers pepper the floor with bullets.  All of these converge together in a grandly chaotic finale, the satisfying climax of a scene masterfully saturated with tension and suspense.

Tarantino also uses camerawork and visuals to boost the unique and calculating personality of Colonel Landa.  Perhaps the greatest instances of exceptional camerawork in the opening scene are Tarantino’s use of facial closeups.  In particular, three of Tarantino’s closeups were instrumental in shaping the mood of the entire scene.  The first appears when Landa first enters the Lapadite house and greets the women of the family.  He grasps Madame Lapadite’s hand and kisses it.   Madame Lapadite’s closeup sets the tone for how Landa is viewed by the audience for the rest of the scene: he is an anomaly.  Her face is uneasy and she is disturbed by the fact that such a strangely menacing man has walked in through her front door and taken over the proceedings from a man in his own home, all with a smile on his face.  Madame Lapadite’s face reflects how every single member of the audience would feel about this, and forces us to consciously ponder it.  Straight away, Landa has been established as a unique and vaguely threatening villain.  

Two closeups in sequence near the end of the scene dramatically shift the tone as well.  The first focuses on the drop of Landa’s graceful facade into the menacing villain.  In these eight seconds, the transformation that the audience has been waiting for has finally happened.  This is the undeniable turning point of the scene.  The audience’s worst fears are confirmed as Landa reveals he knows everything and will force Lapadite to obey his wishes or pay.  This is the very height of the suspense in the scene, everything which has happened in the scene has led up to this point.  The second occurs directly after, as Lapadite realizes that he has been found out by Landa.  His face seems to crumble into itself, as if he has given up and is helpless to do anything except face the consequences.  His face tears up as he looks down in defeat, and the scene is dead silent except for the tick-tock of a grandfather clock.  He sees that there is nothing to do except give in to Landa and hope he will be spared.  In this way does Tarantino reveal just how scary Landa can be, for he has made a grown man cry and give up in his own home, with nothing but his words.  This is the ultimate test of Landa’s skill as a detective, and passes with flying colors.  Although this scene lasts a mere 37 seconds, it influences the rest of the movie.  From this point on, Landa is regarded as a cunning mastermind.

Finally, as if these details were not enough to convince the viewer that Landa is an unpredictable yet menacing villain, Tarantino decided to include a prop which eventually would become one of the most talked about parts of the scene: Landa’s absurdly large pipe.  After Landa branches out on a somewhat long-winded explanation of his presence, the audience is on the edge of their seats to figure out whether or not Landa is actually aware of the presence of the Jews.  Already, he has thrown a curveball by staying after his business had appeared to be completed.  The suspense of the scene is almost too much for the audience, and just when we think there will be a resolution, Landa stalls once again to whip out his bright yellow, absurdly large, Sherlock Holmes-esque pipe.  Many critics have often questioned the significance of this action, and Tarantino himself stated in an interview with Charlie Rose that he was somewhat unsure of what it meant up until the shooting of the scene.   He states that this could be interpreted in several different ways.  The first way suggested that perhaps it was an issue of power and dominance once again, as if to signal to Lapadite that his “pipe” was much bigger as well as being fancier.  Another way Tarantino suggested that this could be interpreted is merely as another interrogation technique.  Tarantino regards Landa as a detective at heart, and perhaps took the chance to show his Sherlock Holmes pipe to signify that he had everything figured out.  When Tarantino confronted Waltz with this idea, Waltz thought this idea was brilliant.  Thus, the pipe remains as a symbol of Landa’s cunning and skill as a detective.

There have been many other movies which have depicted the same storyline of evil law enforcement searching a house for terrified refugees.  Tarantino’s is no different on the surface.  However, he makes his scene such a memorable classic by the way in which he offers character development and builds up suspense.  The content is enhanced by the style in which Tarantino writes, coordinates sound, and positions cameras.  Tarantino seems to contradict the suspense and menacing character of Landa with his seemingly polite dialogue and the sounds of animals in the background.  However, this ends up supporting the content because it reminds viewers of the true circumstances of the scene.  Tarantino also enhances the scene and supports the content by using effective facial closeups, visuals, and a dramatic soundtrack.  This situation would undoubtedly be tense if experienced in a real life situation and Tarantino can emulate the stress one would feel by building up the suspense of the scene.  The levels of stress and excitement felt by the audience pave the way for how the rest of the movie will be experienced.  However, even after the movie concludes, one can not forget the strength and drama of this scene.  As a result, this opening has been regarded as a masterpiece of suspense.  Tarantino’s opening scene succeeds in bringing glory to Inglourious Basterds.

References

youtube.com/watch?v=kaVhtfVoyg4 (full movie on YouTube)
designingsound.org/2011/11/27/harry-cohen-special-opening-inglourious-basterds/ (Harry Cohen interview about Inglourious Basterds sound)
youtube.com/watch?v=q_g7O7W-IUg (Quentin Tarantino interview with Charlie Rose about Pipe Scene)
imsdb.com/scripts/Inglourious-Basterds.html (Inglourious Basterds Script)
youtube.com/watch?v=md6folAgGRU (Bomb Theory explained by Alfred Hitchcock)

“Alfred Hitchcock explains the element of suspense.” YouTube, uploaded by Eyes on Cinema, 22 May 2015, youtube.com/watch?v=md6folAgGRU. 

Farley, Shaun. “Harry Cohen Special: Opening Inglourious Basterds.” Designing Sound, designingsound.org/2011/11/27/harry-cohen-special-opening-inglourious-basterds. Accessed 18 November 2020.

Inglourious Basterds. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, performances by Christoph Walsh, Melanie Laurent, Denis Menochet, and Léa Seydoux, the Harvey Weinstein Company, 21 August 2009.

Tarantino, Quentin. Interview with Charlie Rose. The Charlie Rose Show. 21 August 2009.