The Film:

For years, Quentin Tarantino has been rumored to make a WWII film called Inglorious Bastards and for the longest time I thought it was an original idea. To my surprise, his version is a loose remake of an Italian 1978 film, directed by Enzo G. Castellari. Whatever Tarantino does with his version (here), the original is sure a wildly fun picture.

The film wastes no time moving along. It’s a quick picture, even at 100 minutes, but it’s constantly fun and entertaining. As the MPs are transporting a group of soldiers to be tried for various reasons, Nazis attack them. Instead of helping to fight back, they grab machine guns and escape, hoping to get to the Swiss border. Meeting a deserter from the Nazi armies, he unintentionally leads them back to the Allies and they join a suicide mission to destroy a Nazi train carrying a new, dangerous missile.

It’s not too complicated of a plot, essentially an exploitive version of the Dirty Dozen, but the success of this picture relies on the non-stop action and its cast. Bo Svenson and Fred ‘The Hammer’ Williamson get top billed. They are excellent, funny, and worthy of the star billings, but it’s the lesser known actors that steal the show. Peter Hooten, Michael Pergolani, and Raimund Harmstorf as Adolf Stachs, all add to the film, creating a good ensemble team.

What also impressed me a lot was the scope in some of the shots. Scenes of damage and debris can be seen deep within the frame, giving the film its war epic feel. The action is well staged, especially at the climax when the ‘bastards’ are divided up, each doing a different task. Even die hard war fans, should at least find enjoyment from this escapist action film. It can’t be all bad, when the ‘bastards’ pretend to be German in order to swim with a handful of naked blondes, only to have The Hammer blown their cover accidentally. The girls run to their vehicles, grab machine guns and start shooting-naked as the day they are born!

The film tries to add in a few moral dilemmas, but it’s all ham-fisted. The screenwriters don’t have that depth like Sam Fuller achieved to balance thrills with subtext. But who cares. The film is a blast start to finish. While labeling it as a long lost classic is a bit much, one can see why Tarantino loves it.

The Blu Ray:

Severin Films has released Inglorious Bastards in three editions, one a single disc version with just an audio commentary, a 3-disc ‘Explosive’ Edition, and now the Blu Ray.

Audio/Video: For such an old film, the picture quality will be determined by the remastering and how the elements were stored all of these years. The DVD looked pretty good, and surprisingly so does the Blu Ray. Some scenes appear softer than usual, and it doesn’t look as good as some other catalog titles, but Severin did a decent job here. You can tell it’s 1080p. The detail is there. Just don’t expect it to look like a recent title, because while it looks good, it’s still an old film with some source flaws.

The audio isn’t as spiffy as the picture. Although, it’s a DD 5.1, it’s still very mono-sounding, with little bass and hardly any directional elements. I’m not surprised. The audio does feature some dialogue that gets muffled sounding.

Two new featurettes grace this disc.

Inglorious Reunion: At a recent retrospective, the cast and director participate in a QandA session. In 1080i.

Enzo’s 70^th Birthday in Los Angeles: The Hammer and others talk to Enzo at his birthday party about the film. Runs about 7 minutes, also in 1080i.

The other extras are ported over from the 3-disc edition Severin put out last year, minus the CD soundtrack.

Audio Commentary: You have to seek it as it isn’t labeled on the packaging, so go to audio options and select it. It’s worth it as Castellari is very detailed about the production filled with tons of info. To keep him on track is the disc’s producer keeping the flow of talking steady without any dull spots.

Conversation with Tarantino and Castellari: A great extra although some trivia is repeated from the audio commentary. Tarantino has a lot of enthusiasm for the film and typically, it is contagious. I can’t wait to see what he does with his version. Well worth a look, as some information is new and a good extra to watch if you’re not a commentary fan.

Train Kept-A-Rollin’ : This 75 minute documentary in 1080i, covers everything, filled with interviews and rare photos, I wish all cult films were treated this way. It is in the Italian language with English subtitles, as many of the crew was Italians but that should not keep you away. This is a perfect compliment to the interview and audio commentary as everyone happily chimes in on all facets of the production.

Back to the War Zone: This shorter feature, also in 1080i follows Castellari as he retraces the film’s shooting locations comparing them now to when they were there. It’s okay and short at 13 minutes and is also in Italian with English subs.

Conclusion: The film is a blast and the extras are superb, easily making this one of the top cult titles from last year to own still. The Blu Ray is iffy, but if you’re a high def enthusiast then get it. All others rent before you buy.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu Ray: Rating:

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Tags: Inlgorious Bastards, Quentin Tarantino