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"Inglourious
Basterds" (2009)
Rod Taylor plays Winston Churchill in this WWII film -- directed by Quentin
Tarantino --scheduled to be released in the United States on Aug. 21, 2009.
The movie was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Here's what
London's
Daily Mail newspaper had to say about Rod's scene (which is
described further down this page).
- There's a fab
sequence involving the Brits with Michael Fassbender as a frightfully
proper English officer (who in peace time was a film critic) who meets
with Mike Myers as a top British general and Rod Taylor as Winston
Churchill. They're frightfully upper class and Tarantino has a lot of
laughs setting this scene up.
Upon the movie's premiere in Melbourne, Rod received a wonderful mention in an article titled
"For once, Quentin Tarantino's not an inglourious basterd" from the
Aug. 3 edition of the The Australian newspaper:
- The film includes an unlikely cameo by Australian screen legend
Rod Taylor as Winston Churchill. "He's a real hero of mine so it was
really great to work with him," [Director Quentin] Tarantino said.
"He hasn't been working that much in the last six years, so what was
really cool is he's still Rod Taylor and still the great guy he is.
"We'd finish our day shooting in Germany and I'd go into his
dressing room with a couple of VBs [Victoria Bitters] and we'd drink
them and have a good time."
Rod's role is a "cameo," but it's a cool tribute for him to be chosen. The
film is written and directed by renowned Rod Taylor enthusiast Quentin
Tarantino. Rod filmed his part in Berlin in the autumn of 2008. Brad Pitt
headlines the ensemble cast.
Here's a synopsis of the sure-to-be-gritty film:
- Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna
Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand
of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and
flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of
a cinema. [Taking over from a character named Madame Mimieux.]
Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of
Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their
enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover
agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the
leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where
Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.
The
Quentin Tarantino Archives also says the movie "is partly a homage to ...
"men on a mission" World War II movies like The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles
Dare, The Dirty Dozen and Five For Hell.
Tarantino has long been a fan of one of Rod's past "man on a mission" films
-- Dark of the Sun. The Oscar-winning director
has screened that film during his annual film festival in Austin, Texas.
ROD'S SCENE
Rod-as-Churchill appears
almost midway through the film. The scene also includes General Ed Fenech,
played by Mike Myers, and Lt. Archie Hicox, a handsome young British soldier,
played by Michael Fassbender.
Hicox enters a room and salutes the general. The stage directions in the
script say:
- In the back of the room, sitting behind a piano, smoking his
ever-present cigar, is the unmistakable bulk of Winston Churchill. Hickox's
eyes go to the formidable bulldog behind the piano, who's scrutinizing him
behind his cigar. However the man behind the cigar makes no gesture, and the
General makes no acknowledgment of the 300-pound gorilla in the room. Which
Lt. Hicox knows enough to mean, if Churchill isn't introduced, he ain't
there.
Hicox has been called upon because he has run undercover commando operations
in Germany and German-occupied territories. He's also a film expert, and the
upcoming mission requires knowledge of the German film industry under the Third
Reich. Hicox says Goebbels considers the films he's making to be the beginning
of a new era in German cinema.
Then there's sudden bellowing from the back of the room ... Churchill demands to
know how Goebbels is doing. "Compared to say, Louis B. Mayer... how's he doing?"
Hickox explains how Goebbels is doing. Then, with a puff of cigar smoke,
Churchill says, "Brief him."
The general then describes "Operation Kino," including the role of "The Basterds,"
led by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and a German actress working for England.
In the back of the room, the bulldog barks, "Extraordinary woman."
The scene closes with the "three British bulldogs" laughing.
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Click for larger view
DVD RELEASE:
On Dec. 15, 2009, "Inglourious Basterds" was released in
three different formats:
A one-disc DVD package includes extended and alternate scenes, the "Nation’s
Pride" film-within-a-film, and the domestic and international trailers.
However, Rod Taylor fans will want to get the two-disc DVD or the two-disc Blu-ray
package. Both include all of the above plus a conversation with actor Rod
Taylor and a featurette called "Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitters – the Australian
Beer." They are wonderful!
In fact, you can view them here:
Video clip of the two interviews
You'll be able to see some behind-the-scenes footage that shows
some unused footage. Upon seeing the movie Rod had lamented, "What ever happened to all
of Winnie's dialogue? (Show biz!!)" At least we can see a little more here,
and listen to the joy in Rod's voice at his experience making the film.
LINKS
IMDb:
Full cast and credits.
Palm Beach Post article/interview about Rod
Official film site, with trailer
Another trailer, with a glimpse
of Rod
Wikipedia page
Facebook page
Twitter
The Quentin Tarantino Archives
First Look: The film's historical characters, including
Rod-as-Churchill
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AWARDS
Among the winners at the 16th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
on Jan. 23 were the cast of "Inglourious Basterds" -- including Rod Taylor.
The "Basterds" won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a
Motion Picture, beating competitors "Nine," "Precious," "An Education" and "The
Hurt Locker."
Here's the winning ensemble cast and the characters they played:
DANIEL BRÜHL / Fredrick Zoller
AUGUST DIEHL / Major Hellstrom
JULIE DREYFUS / Francesca Mondino
MICHAEL FASSBENDER / Lt. Archie Hicox
SYLVESTER GROTH / Joseph Goebbels
JACKY IDO / Marcel
DIANE KRUGER / Bridget Von Hammersmark
MÉLANIE LAURENT / Shosanna
DENIS MENOCHET / Perrier LaPedite
MIKE MYERS / General Ed French
BRAD PITT / Lt. Aldo Raine
ELI ROTH / Sgt. Donny Donowitz
TIL SCHWEIGER / Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz
ROD TAYLOR / Winston Churchill
CHRISTOPH WALTZ / Col. Hans Landa
MARTIN WUTTKE / Hitler
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