#tarantino-waltz

[tuserlivia]

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009) dir. Quentin Tarantino

[4ndj4]

HAD to make this version.

[holyfuckinshitleto]

THE BEAUTY OF QUENTIN TARANTINO (1992 - 2019)

[tougotstrangeld]

[everyframeapainting20]

This haunting shot from "Django Unchained" delivers visual storytelling with razor-sharp precision. At first glance, the cotton field appears ordinary, but the specks of blood on the white fibers tell a deeper, more violent story. The cotton—a symbol of Southern wealth built on slavery—is stained, visually echoing the human cost behind its harvest.

Tarantino’s use of color is deliberate. The stark contrast between the red and white mirrors the moral divide in the film, with blood seeping into the very fabric of prosperity. The shot juxtaposes beauty and brutality, forcing the viewer to confront the ugliness beneath the plantation's picturesque veneer.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson frames this moment like a painting, creating a tableau that freezes history in time. The depth of field draws attention to the immediate horror while leaving the background hazy, as though the past itself is bleeding into the present. It’s a visceral reminder that violence and exploitation are woven into America’s legacy.

In true Tarantino fashion, the shot doesn’t just evoke emotion—it provokes thought, pushing us to interrogate what has been sanitized or forgotten. It’s a visual gut-punch that lingers long after the film fades.

[outofthefuckinblue]

Bro must be thirsty

[eaglezzbear]

He just wants to be part of their symphony!

[filmreveries]

Inglourious Basterds (2009) dir. Quentin Tarantino

[jakegyllenbaalz]

quentin tarantino’s most popular films!

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[velvet-waltz]

Character study: Hans Landa

With Stranger in Paradise back in full swing, I thought it might be fun to dissect my concept of Landa (both in the movie and the Velvet Waltz-verse), and answer some questions I've gotten over the years.

(I'll mark spoilers for VW and Stranger accordingly)

What is it about this guy?

Hans Landa is a FASCINATING character. Like everyone else writing fic about him, I wanted the opportunity to rummage around in his head a bit. Put him in situations outside the scope of the movie and see what happens.

The 'point' of my fic is imagining how differently (and the same) Inglourious Basterds would play out if Hans' motivation were to change, early on. I was surprised at how many of his decisions still made sense. And how little I actually had to change about his canon characterization to accommodate this shift.

So why write a romance about Landa? He's a Nazi!

He sure is. And generally a very cold, calculating, and selfish man. I kinda think of movie/"before" Hans as the Landa Machine, operating one way, for one person's benefit (Landa's.) In my fic universe, I introduce an original character - a Jewish American spy, motivated by a strong sense of justice - who immediately throws a wrench in the Landa Machine when Hans develops a weakness for her.

He tries to have her on his preferred terms…and fails. The only way he can have her is to behave in ways that jeopardize his power, status, and personal safety, thus compromising his primary motivation. This is why the Hans Landa Machine starts to unravel: he finally wants something he can only have by putting himself second.

Love is interesting that way. Does Hans go out of his way, sacrifice his own power and status, and endanger himself, out of true love for Sylvia, or out of his selfish need to have what he wants? It's a good question, and one that she continues to ask throughout.

(Also Christoph Waltz is very hot in the movie and there's something about power and danger and etc etc etc. But really, there's no better way to crack a character like Landa open than with a love story, imo.)

What I think is true of Landa both in canon and in my AU:

Hans' primary loyalty is to Hans. He joins the SS because it's an opportunity for him. In the movie, he joins Operation Kino last minute because he sees which way the wind is blowing and determines he could benefit from switching sides. He's always gotten whatever he wanted, and the means never mattered. Until Sylvia, of course.

He doesn't really subscribe to the Nazi party's ideology. As a true opportunist, he makes whatever decision will ultimately benefit himself most. In VW, Sylvia's Jewishness is neither here nor there to him. Inconvenient for sure but having her is just one more thing he can get away with.

Hans sees himself as superior to others, and all evidence supports him in this.

Hans hates lying, or anyone else bending the rules besides himself. I think this is why he strangles Bridget in the movie - because her lies are pathetic and insulting to him. And he freaks out at Aldo for shooting the other German soldier because it wasn't part of the deal they agreed on. (VW spoiler) In Velvet Waltz, he similarly freaks out at Aldo during the prison liberation when he realizes Stiglitz is killing everyone in the building, not just the witnesses. Which is typical Basterds m.o. but not specifically part of their arrangement. [Aldo is a great foil for Hans because they're so diametrically opposite.] Hans doesn't necessarily hold himself to those same standards, lol.

Hans helped the Basterds and has a relationship with a Jewish woman. Does that mean he's 'good' now?

Great question. Honestly, THE question. I don't believe in moral absolutes myself so I keep this complicated throughout my fic.

What does it mean to be "good"? Is it enough to do good deeds that benefit others, even if you ultimately benefit as well?

(VW spoilers) There's no "switch flip" in my story, and I don't think Hans catches what's happening to him until it's too late, but there is a moment, when he's called to a house very clearly sheltering Jews, and can't bring himself to pull the trigger. He doesn't fully understand why he can't do it and feels nauseated as he goes downstairs to lie to his men. But he knows he can't do it and go home to Sylvia. I think that's the moment he really knows he's cooked, lol.

He's also very aware that by Sylvia's standards, he's a monster and will never be fully worthy of her. He tries to shield her from the details of his past for as long as possible.

(Stranger spoilers) I won't go into detail here because I haven't posted all of these chapters yet, but in Stranger, a character shows up from Hans' past who observed him from his SS days through his 'hero' turn and life with Sylvia and sees no conflict between those actions. To him, it all squares with the Hans Landa he knew from the beginning: selfish and opportunistic.

Is Hans even capable of goodness? I went into this fic with the presumption that somewhere, locked away, is a softer, more human Hans (which I'm sure Tarantino would disagree with.) How that part of him operates in conjunction with the rest is what makes him so damn interesting to me.

And what about that scar?

In the movie, Hans seems to be getting away with his crimes without an ounce of remorse. Because we have no access to his inner life here, it's satisfying to see him given the scar to ensure he's haunted by what he's done.

(VW spoilers) In Velvet Waltz, where he's been cracked open and tormented by his memories, I decided the much more insidious punishment was for him to be branded a hero. To carry the sickening knowledge of all he's done while honored and celebrated for decades. The dissonance between fact and fiction would be unbearable for him.

(mild Stranger spoilers) I left the door open for a sequel at the end of Velvet Waltz because I knew there was more to dig into, and that Hans' past would never be resolved. More crucially, that his marriage to Sylvia was still underpinned by the ugly truth neither one could fully acknowledge: the many, many innocent people he had killed. In Stranger, I'm utilizing a real event, Operation Paperclip - in which the US government quietly invited Nazi scientists to help the US develop weapons against the USSR - to force Hans to confront his past on a deeper level. Which of course brings all of that internal dissonance roaring back to the surface.

Please feel free to leave questions in the comments, and I'll answer as many as I can. And if there's interest, I'd love to do a series of these about all the characters, including my OCs. So feel free to ask about them as well!

[4ndj4]

(Plz)

[cinemagal]

QUENTIN TARANTINO RANKED: 8th - Django Unchained (2012)

[tougotstrangeld]

ERM WHAT THE FLIP!!!!!!

[morbidvisiions]

[outofthefuckinblue]

The duality of man