Film Opening Deconstruction - 'Inglourious Basterds'

This opening starts with a black screen which then appears the logo of 'Universal Pictures' at around 10 seconds, however at this point there is no sound, which is unusual since we are so used to the drums and trumpets of it's usual theme tune. The 'Universal Pictures' logo is also not our normal expectations, since it is an older version, this perhaps is Tarantino informing us that the film is not set in the modern day and hence it already presents the time in which the film is set; thus conforming to film conventions of which we would expect from a film opening.

At around 15 seconds, 'Weinstein Company' logo then appears with still no sound. This then transitions to 'Universal Pictures and Weinstein Company Presents' at around 20 seconds and at this point the music, that seems very French-like, begins.




'A Band Apart' and 'A Zehnte Bablesberg Film GBMH Production' which again fade to black, for five seconds and the director: Quentin Tarantino, appears on screen at about 35 seconds.





There is a crescendo in the music and the main title of the film is displayed.  It becomes perhaps clear to us here that the context of the film is WWII and even the typeface signifies a sense of mischief since it is not written in a neat fashion.

The first of the main actors is then given the entire screen at 45 seconds, and the rest of the main characters are shown until about 1.05 minutes.

Interestingly they display 'Melanie Laurent as Shoshana' whereas they did not express the character names of the other actors, perhaps this is because she is often mistaken.



Next, their is a change in typeface to a white, round-shape letters to display the co-stars who in share the screen with their fellow actors, since they do not play such a main role.

At 1:30 minutes there is again a change in typeface to display 'Guest Starring', these are perhaps worthy of some notability since they are shown one at a time.





There is a fade to black at this point for about 30 seconds, the music ending in this time. We then get some visuals at 2 minutes. The scene open with an establishing shot/wide shot of idyllic, rural France - you can tell it is rural France when you have mise en scene which includes cows. There is also the sound of chopping wood, which after no sound make us focus on it more; this sounds is diegetic, although it is enhanced in editing.

At 2:08 minutes there is a tilt up to a low angle of Monsieur La Petit chopping wood, this shot creates a feeling of empowerment for him, although this feeling of empowerment perhaps shifts later on. There is a cut to  a mid-shot of his daughter, who we already can deduce that she does not have much power as she is level with the audience in a mid-shot, there is also a rumble in the music and 'fur elise' music which build tension and hence enigma*. This shot cut to a medium close-up which in urn enables Tarantino to re-focus the camera on to the approaching figures. The guitar strums in the 'fur elise' music connote Spanish bull fighting and the fact that the girl pull back the sheet to reveal the ambiguous men approaching, could signify these men as being the violent bull, who were willing to charge at the girl behind the sheet.

At around 2:30 minutes we hear 'papa' followed by a shot of, now we know, papa, interestingly still in a low angle shot, this may be because he still does not know of what lay ahead and hence still has authority and power. There is then a close up of the daughters, which cuts to a three-up and medium close-up as the daughters respond to their father's commands of telling them to go into the house at 2.40 minutes.

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