If you consider the five following aspects, they may have changed the chemistry of Inglourious Basterds for the worse.
Quentin Tarantino’s script was in the making for over a decade
Movie director Tarantino is said to have sat down to work on writing the script for Inglourious Basterds in 1998. That’s more than a decade of scriptwriting in the making. Had Tarantino rushed this through within a few years, who is to say that the film would have had the same appeal?
Tarantino always imagined Brad Pitt as Aldo Raine from day one
Brad Pitt was guaranteed to be Aldo Raine from the start. Tarantino is said to have always envisioned Pitt taking the lead role. He grabbed the bull by the horns and telephoned Pitt’s agent, who promptly secured his actor to front Inglourious Basterds. Had Pitt turned down the role, who knows how engaging Aldo Raine would have been?
It has one of the most popular bingo themes in movie history
Although it may have gone unnoticed by some fans, this movie has one of the most enjoyable bingo themes in the history of Hollywood. Waltz, who plays Colonel Hans Landa, screams “that’s a bingo!” many times throughout. His exclamations mimic the shouts of bingo players up and down the land, celebrating when a plan comes together on a bingo card. This simple game is still enjoyed worldwide today, both on and offline. Organizations like Buzz Bingo operate land-based and online rooms with its newfound accessibility helping bingo to transcend the generations, with the game enjoyed in US since the 1920s.
Rod Taylor was talked out of retirement to appear as Winston Churchill
Once you watch Inglourious Basterds, you’ll feel like no other actor could have assumed the role of Winston Churchill quite like Rod Taylor. However, it could have been so different given that Taylor had effectively retired from the big screen before Tarantino convinced him to give it a go. It was Taylor’s last role before his passing in 2015.
Christoph Waltz was nearly usurped by Leonardo DiCaprio
Hans Landa could have been played by Leonardo DiCaprio rather than Christoph Waltz. Tarantino was indifferent as to whether Waltz – who was a relative unknown stateside – had the pulling power at the box office. Nevertheless, Tarantino put his faith in the Austrian and was repaid in spades. In fact, Tarantino is quoted as saying Waltz “gave [him his] movie” based on the strength of his performance.
Who knows if Inglourious Basterds would rank in the top three of Tarantino’s highest-grossing movies had some of these changes happened. One thing is for certain, Tarantino managed to pull off an impressive World War II title in the mould of Enzo G. Castellari’s ‘The Inglourious Basterds’ release from the late 1970s.
Christoph Waltz was nearly usurped by Leonardo DiCaprio
Hans Landa could have been played by Leonardo DiCaprio rather than Christoph Waltz. Tarantino was indifferent as to whether Waltz – who was a relative unknown stateside – had the pulling power at the box office. Nevertheless, Tarantino put his faith in the Austrian and was repaid in spades. In fact, Tarantino is quoted as saying Waltz “gave [him his] movie” based on the strength of his performance.
Who knows if Inglourious Basterds would rank in the top three of Tarantino’s highest-grossing movies had some of these changes happened. One thing is for certain, Tarantino managed to pull off an impressive World War II title in the mould of Enzo G. Castellari’s ‘The Inglourious Basterds’ release from the late 1970s.
