In 2005, Quentin Tarantino was quoted as saying that he had written the script, a World War II story, but that he needed to convert it to a shooting script. He said that writing the script and preparing a shooting script were "two different things".
Quentin Tarantino started writing this movie before Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) but could not decide on a good ending and decide to put it on hold to do Kill Bill with Uma Thurman, a project he had been mentally preparing since Pulp Fiction (1994).
Quentin Tarantino intended for this to be as much a war film as a spaghetti western, and considered titling the movie "Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France". He gave that title instead to the first chapter of the film.
Quentin Tarantino worked on the script for almost a decade.
David Krumholtz dropped out due a scheduling conflict and Samm Levine took his place.
British actor Simon Pegg was originally set to play Lt. Archie Hicox but was forced to pull out of the project because of scheduling conflicts. Michael Fassbender replaced him.
Tarantino approached Adam Sandler to play Sgt. Donny Donowitz. But Sandler had to turn it down because the schedule conflicted with the filming of Funny People (2009).
The role of Francesca Mondino was written especially for Julie Dreyfus, who played a similar character in Quentin's previous movie, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003).
Nastassja Kinski was in talks for the role of Bridget Von Hammersmark; Tarantino even flew to Germany to meet the actress, but a deal wasn't reached.
Eli Roth's character, Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, is part of the Tarantino-verse, sharing the last name of the film producer character, Lee Donowitz, in the Tarantino-written True Romance (1993). The Lee Donowitz character also produced a war film "Comin' Home in a Body Bag".
Isabelle Huppert was the first choice for Madame Mimieux, the former owner of the cinema featured in the film. But scheduling conflicts got in the way, so Quentin Tarantino cast Maggie Cheung in the role. The role wound up being cut out of the finished film.
Michael Madsen was originally announced to star as a character named Babe Buchinsky.
Tim Roth was in talks with Tarantino to play Lt. Archie Hicox.
Leonardo DiCaprio was the first choice for Col. Hans Landa, but Quentin Tarantino then decided that a German speaking actor should play the part.
According to Eddie Murphy, he was in talks with Tarantino for a role in the film.
Despite being Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino's first time working together, Brad had co-starred in True Romance (1993) (which was written by Tarantino).
The name of Mike Myers' character is a homage to actress Edwige Fenech.
The name of Til Schweiger's character, Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz, is a homage to the legendary Mexican actor Hugo Stiglitz.
The name of Brad Pitt's character, Lt. Aldo Raine, is an homage to both the actor and WWII veteran Aldo Ray and a character from Rolling Thunder (1977), Charles Rane (played by William Devane). One of the casting directors, Johanna Ray, is Aldo Ray's ex-wife.
On German advertisement materials, all swastikas were removed or covered up as it was unclear to the distributor if they violated German law (which prohibits the exhibition of Nazi symbols except for purposes such as historical accuracy).
When asked about the misspelled title, director Quentin Tarantino gave the following answer: "Here's the thing. I'm never going to explain that. You do an artistic flourish like that, and to explain it would just take the piss out of it and invalidate the whole stroke in the first place."
Eli Roth directed the film-within-the-film, "Nation's Pride". Quentin Tarantino asked Roth to direct the short, and Roth requested his brother Gabriel join him to direct behind a second camera, which Tarantino agreed to. In two days the brothers got 130 camera setups, and Tarantino was so pleased he gave Roth a third day that he was originally planning to shoot with actor Daniel Brühl. Roth got 50 more setups the third day, much to Tarantino's delight. The total running time of the short is 5:30, and was always intended to feel like pieces of a longer film, not a coherent short.
Ennio Morricone was attached to score the film before pulling out due to a scheduling conflict with Baarìa (2009). Several of Morricone's songs from other films do however appear in "Inglourious Basterds".
Eli Roth put on 35 pounds of muscle to play Donnie Donowitz, "The Bear Jew". Roth also learned to cut hair for the role from producer Pilar Savone's father Umberto at his salon in Beverly Hills.
Eli Roth and Omar Doom were nearly incinerated filming the fire sequence in the theater. During tests the flame temperatures reached 400 degrees centigrade, and during the take the set burned out of control and the temperature of the ceiling above them reached 1,200 degrees centigrade (2,000 degrees fahrenheit.) Quentin Tarantino was seated on a crane operating the camera in a fireproof suit, and none of them wanted to back down and ruin the shot. Fire marshalls said that another fifteen seconds of filming and the steel structure would have collapsed, incinerating the actors. Roth and Doom were treated for minor burns.
Released theatrically in the US on the same day as Shorts (2009) by Robert Rodriguez. Quentin Tarantino and Rodriguez' last film was their collaboration Grindhouse (2007).
Rumor had it that Harvey Weinstein was trying to force Quentin Tarantino to cut 40 minutes of the movie after the feedback from Cannes Film Festival (which ran 148 minutes). However, Harvey denied this rumor stating that Quentin was reorganizing some scenes since he didn't have enough time to completely finish editing the film before sending it to Cannes since he was given only six weeks to edit whereas other directors are given normally six months to a year. In fact, the theatrical cut runs one minute longer than the cut that was premiered at Cannes.
The name Wilhelm Wicki (played by Gedeon Burkhard) is an homage to directors Georg Wilhelm Pabst and Bernhard Wicki.
The very first scalping shown in the film on a dead Nazi is a dummy of Quentin Tarantino.
Director Cameo: [Quentin Tarantino] In the German propaganda film-within-a-film, "Nation's Pride", directed by Eli Roth, Tarantino voices an American soldier, who says, "I implore you, we must destroy that tower!".
The title "Inglourious Basterds" was inspired by "The Inglorious Bastards", the English title of Enzo G. Castellari's Quel maledetto treno blindato (1978), which is also about a group of American GIs wreaking havoc behind enemy lines. (English Title: "The Inglorious Bastards". The Italian title literally translates as "That Cursed Armored Train".)
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] Feet Shot
The mock up posters for the propaganda film "Stolz der Nation" are historically accurate including a German censor approval stamp and they are rendered in the style of the actual film posters of that era, according to the book Film Posters of the Third Reich.
Michael Fassbender's performance as Lt. Archie Hilcox is layered with irony due to his real life. Fassbender was born in Germany to German and Irish parents and raised in Ireland, now residing in London with fluency in German as his first language and English as his second, and a mastery of English accents and dialects. Here he plays and Englishman who goes undercover as a German, and who can speak German fluently, but cannot hide his accent.
WILHELM SCREAM: In the film-within-the-film, "Nation's Pride", the Wilhelm Scream can be heard when a soldier is shot and falls from an upper window.
Mike Myers' character Ed Fenech is named after Giallo Scream Queen Edwige Fenech. She quit acting but last appeared in Hostel: Part II (2007), directed by Eli Roth - who appears in this film.
Christoph Waltz's (Col. Hans Landa) first American film. His previous work is all in German cinema.
The final cut of the film ran 3 Hours and ten minutes. Quentin Tarantino and Sally Menke cut it down to it final length in 2 days before its first public showing.
Shosanna Dreyfus is named after actress Julie Dreyfus, who appears in the film as Francesca Mondino.
Cameo: [Samuel L. Jackson] The Narrator.
Mélanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus is dressed up during the final theater scene to resemble Veronika Voss from the Fassbinder film.
When Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) mentions former UFA actress Lilian Harvey, Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) throws a tantrum and screams never to mention that name in his presence. Lilian Harvey had to flee Nazi-Germany in 1939 after helping Jewish choreographer Jens Keith to escape to Switzerland.
Cameo: [Harvey Keitel] The voice of the American Superior negotiating on the wireless radio with Raine and Landa.
The pipe Col. Landa smokes at the LaPadite farm is a Calabash Meerschaum, a.k.a. the Sherlock Holmes pipe.
In 1978, Bo Svenson was in Quel maledetto treno blindato (1978). Its USA release went by the title "The Inglorious Bastards".
The second time Sylvester Groth has played Josef Goebbels (the first being Mein Führer - Die wirklich wahrste Wahrheit über Adolf Hitler (2007)). Martin Wuttke - who plays Hitler - previous played Goebbels in Rosenstrasse (2003).
When Colonel Landa speaks with Lieutenant Raines and Private Utivich about chances being "999-point-999 out of one million" it appears he misspoke. However, when counting in Germany, a period is used where a comma would be used in the English world, and vice-versa. He did mean 999,999 out of one million but mistranslated.
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [Mexican stand-off] Twice during the scene in LaLouisiana. Once between Archie Hicox, Dieter Hellstrom and Hugo Stiglitz and just minutes later between Aldo Raine and Sgt. Wilhelm. Raine and Wilhelm also discuss the requirements for a "Mexican stand-off".
The surname of Omar Ulmer is a reference to German Expressionist filmmaker Edgar G. Ulmer.
Lt. Aldo Raine bears many similarities with Tristan Ludlow in Legends of the Fall (1994), also played by Brad Pitt. Both characters are American renegades fighting the Germans and taking their victims' scalps and they engage or have engaged in moon-shining.
Cameo: [Samm Levine] As the painter in the background of Hitler's introductory scene. (Samm admitted this by posting a picture of himself as the character on his Twitter account at 4:03 PM on August 21st, 2009.)
Cameo: [Volker Michalowski] German TV Comedian - can be seen as one of the soldiers in the bar playing the card game.
In the film, a group of German soldiers are playing a game where one as to guess what famous name is written on one's forehead. The note on the soldier played by Ken Duken reads Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who became known for being a double agent for Germany during World War I. This mirrors the role played by Diane Kruger a famous actress turned double agent for the Allies during World War II.
When asked how he got into the violent, baseball bat-wielding mindset of "The Bear Jew", Eli Roth partially attributed his performance to the historically accurate costumes: "Being in wool underwear will make you want to kill anything."
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [Long shot] From Shosanna walking into the premiere to Landa approaching von Hammersmark.
Tarantino's trademark shot of actors from a trunk or engine compartment is replaced by shots from the viewpoint of post swastika-scarred victims.
Quentin Tarantino met with Brad Pitt at Chateau Miraval in France where he lives with Angelina Jolie. They talked about Brad playing the role of Aldo Raine over the course of a night and five bottles of the estate's own Pink Floyd Rose when he accepted the role.
Later in the movie, Shosanna Dreyfus calls herself Emanuelle Mimieux. The actress Yvette Mimieux starred in The Time Machine (1960) with Rod Taylor, who plays Winston Churchill in Inglourious Basterds.
As with all of Quentin Tarantino's films, there are blatant mistakes and errors inserted on purpose. One example of this can be found in the English subtitles of characters speaking in a foreign language. Occasionally, the foreign word is inserted into the subtitle. Example: When Col. Landa is speaking to the French farmer, he says "Oui" which is French for "Yes". Instead of the word "Yes" appearing in the subtitle, the word "Oui" appears despite the fact that the rest of the French dialog is translated to English.
In both the trailer and the movie itself, when Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) is introduced, he is shown wearing the insignia for the "Black Devils" the first special service force, composed of both Canadian and American soldiers.
In earlier drafts of the screenplay Shosanna was a much more active member of the French resistance, sniping at soldiers from rooftops and even compiling a death list of high ranking Nazi officials to cross off. But when Quentin Tarantino did his "Kill Bill" series he worked those plot details into that story. When he returned to work on "Basterds" he found the two revenge stories to be too similar, so instead he decided to make Shosanna a more realistic character and have her keep a low profile.
In a scene in the movie theater, Eli Roth's character Sgt. Donny Donowitz uses the alias "Antonio Margheriti". This alias is named after cult Italian director Antonio Margheriti (director of such films as Apocalypse domani (1980)), one of Roth's and Quentin Tarantino's favorite directors.
Cameo: [Soenke Möhring] Besides playing Pvt. Butz, Soenke Möhring also appeared as Gestapo officer Walter Frazer with the French girlfriend at the bistro with Fredrick and Shosanna.
During the final card game with SS officer at the LaLouisiane tavern, the SS officer's character that he has to identify is King Kong. King Kong (1933) was one of Adolf Hitler's favorite movies.
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [bare feet] Shoshanna is barefoot during the final scenes in the projection room.
Cameo: [Bela B. Felsenheimer] The drummer of the German punk band "Die Ärzte" (the doctors) appears as an usher at the movie premiere. Bela B. is known to be a huge fan of horror and Tarantino movies.
One of the Jewish names carved on The Bear Jew's bat is Anne Frank.
Aldo Raine's snuff box has the Inglourious Basterds' eagle insignia on it (which is depicted on every official poster of the film, above the first O in Inglourious).
A deleted scene reveals the origins of The Bear Jew's bat. This scene was still in the film during the screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
The character of Kliest is only present as a telephone voice, spoken by the German actor Christian Brückner. Similarily, the character of the OSS Commander is only heard as a voice on the radio, played by Harvey Keitel. Christian Brückner provided the German dubbing voice for Harvey Keitel in _Pulp Fiction (1994)_.
Cloris Leachman originally appeared in the film as Mrs. Himmelstein, an elderly Jewish woman living in Boston. Although filmed, the scenes featuring Mrs. Himmelstein drinking tea with Donny Donowitz (and signing his trademark baseball bat afterward) were cut from the final film. Tarantino says that he might use the footage in the prequel instead.
Quentin Tarantino cites the propaganda movie Hitler--Dead or Alive (1942) as one of his influences: "Three gangsters go to Germany after an industrialist puts out a million-dollar contract on Hitler," Tarantino says, explaining the "Dead or Alive" plot. "They get him, but the S.S. surrounds them. So they take off Hitler's uniform, shave off his mustache and cut off that big lock of greasy hair that hangs in his face. When the Nazis burst in, he doesn't look like Hitler any more." The Nazis proceed to beat him mercilessly. "It's unbelievable! They're giving him the old Nazi backhand and he's just ranting and raving."
Though Hans Landa is referred to as "colonel" by several characters in the film, the German term for his rank in the SS is "Standartenführer".
Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) wears the insignia of the British Combined Operations Command, which included forces from all the British services as well as other allied forces as well as the famous Commandos.
Daniel Brühl dubbed himself for the Spanish version of the film.
Quentin Tarantino's highest-grossing film since Pulp Fiction (1994).
While the character of Brad Pitt, Lt. Aldo Raine, fakes to be Italian actor in the end of the movie, he uses name "Enzo Girolami", which is the birth name of the director of original Inglorious Bastards (Quel maledetto treno blindato (1978)), Enzo G. Castellari.
The sharp guitar chord that is Hugo Stiglitz's theme is from 'Billy Preston''s score for Slaughter (1972).
In a scene in the movie theater, Brad Pitt's character Aldo Ray uses the alias "Marino Girolami". This alias is named after cult Italian director Marino Girolami (director of such films as Zombi Holocaust (1980)), one of Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino's favorite directors.
Director Cameo: [Quentin Tarantino] The body of the first German soldier to be seen scalped on screen.
Donowitz talks about "Teddy Ballgame" in Chapter 1. This is one of the many nicknames for Ted Williams, who in addition (arguably) to being the greatest hitter who ever lived, was also a war hero who interrupted his baseball career twice to serve in WWII and the Korean War.
The music track "Tiger Tank" by Lalo Schifrin is used in the film. The track was originally scored for Kelly's Heroes (1970), another WWII classic staring Clint Eastwood, about a group of renegade Allied soldiers who attempt to steal gold from a bank behind enemy lines.
The role of Col. Hans Landa is that of a notorious and merciless "Jew Hunter", In real life, Christoph Waltz has a son who is a rabbi.
When Soshanna (disguised like Ms. Mimieux) encounters again with Hans Landa in the scene of the restaurant, a scary and shock music can be heard. This music was the same score used by Charles Berstein in the well-known horror film The Entity (1981).
