Started By
Message

Question about the opening scene in Inglorious Basterds..

Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:59 pm
Posted by Tic44
Neville
Member since May 2015
1821 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:59 pm
Watched last night again and I would like your opinions on if you think Landa killed LaPadite and his girls after he lied to him about harboring Jews.

Posted by boxcarbarney
Above all things, be a man
Member since Jul 2007
25377 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:03 pm to
I don't believe he did.
Posted by TT9
Global warming
Member since Sep 2008
89973 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:06 pm to
Landa being an evil, jew hating Nazi, I'd say they probably wiped the family out for hiding Jews from them.

Doubt he kept his word.
Posted by VinegarStrokes
Georgia
Member since Oct 2015
14040 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:09 pm to
quote:

Landa being an evil, jew hating Nazi, I'd say they probably wiped the family out for hiding Jews from them.

Doubt he kept his word.


I'm not sure this characterization is accurate. He's an evil heartless SOB yes...but I think he was more focused on getting that job done than he was killing anything and everything in his path. he would have taken out Brad Pitt's character at the end otherwise. I think he did the job until it didn't make sense for him anymore, then he tried to cut a deal.

All that to say...I don't think he kills the family.
Posted by nosaj
Member since Sep 2010
2611 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:10 pm to
I always assumed he let them live.

Landa was evil, but by his own admission he took his role very much as a "job" and the job was done, albeit except for Shoshanna.

I always wondered if he recognized her in the restaurant later on.

Such a damn good movie.
Posted by TT9
Global warming
Member since Sep 2008
89973 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:12 pm to
No wrong answers here because they left it up to us to figure out. But I can see what you're saying.
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
40365 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:12 pm to
I've always imagined that he let them live.

I get that he's very sadistic and could easily have killed them but I also see him as someone that you might could take him on his word. If you're on his side.
Posted by slinger1317
Northshore
Member since Sep 2005
6793 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:18 pm to
Walz playing Landa and Robert Duval playing Gus McCrae are the two best examples of an actor playing a role with perfection
Posted by TT9
Global warming
Member since Sep 2008
89973 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:21 pm to
You can throw in Call for Tommy Lee Jones while you're at it.
Posted by Tridentds
Sugar Land
Member since Aug 2011
23241 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:22 pm to
Nope.
Posted by parrotdr
Cesspool of Rationalization
Member since Oct 2003
7698 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:26 pm to
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
40365 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:31 pm to
quote:

I always wondered if he recognized her in the restaurant later on.


I've heard people wonder about this but I think this one is pretty clear he didn't. That's part of the suspense/tension of the scene but I don't think he lets things go on nearly as long as they do with her if he did. Definitely never would have allowed Hitler to enter into her theatre.

quote:

Such a damn good movie.


For sure.
Posted by nosaj
Member since Sep 2010
2611 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:39 pm to
quote:

Definitely never would have allowed Hitler to enter into her theatre.


I don't necessarily agree with this, he clearly had no love or true allegiance for the Third Reich.

He clearly liked playing the game and tormenting people, so I could see him viewing himself as the cat playing with it's food with regards to Shoshanna as well. Him drinking the milk in that scene is what has always stuck with me.
Posted by Tigris
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Member since Jul 2005
13037 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:54 pm to
quote:

Him drinking the milk in that scene is what has always stuck with me.


I've wondered if that is a nod to Anton Chigurh and his drinking milk scene 2 years before in No Country. Not exactly the same but it says something similar about the two and I can see Tarantino putting it in for that reason.
Posted by SCLSUMuddogs
Baton Rouge
Member since Feb 2010
7955 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:56 pm to
He gets incensed at Aldo for killing his phone operator after making a deal for both of their lives. I'd lean toward them letting the LaPadite's survive.
Posted by Purple Spoon
Hoth
Member since Feb 2005
20077 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 2:09 pm to
I think he enjoyed the reputation he had and I think he let them live to share how savagely the killed the jews. He was happy that the farmer had heard of him.

I don't think he loved the Nazis, I think he enjoyed the thrill of the chase. That's why he was almost excited when Shosanna got away. He didn't even try to shoot her or have his men shoot at her because he wanted to continue looking.
Posted by DanglingFury
Living the dream
Member since Dec 2007
20465 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 2:11 pm to
I’ve always thought Landa let them live because it would’ve been a worse punishment to make LaPadite clean up the bodies than to do anything else to him and his family.
Posted by Sam Quint
Member since Sep 2022
7997 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 2:15 pm to
German military officers had a very strong sense of tradition and honor that dated way back. obviously this "honor" got very twisted and perverted once the racial stuff from the Nazis was introduced to it, but it still hung on, in a way, throughout the second world war. it's the same reason that the war fought in the west was much less nasty than the war in the east.

LaPadite was caught lying, but he also sort of "came clean", he was adhering to his own moral standards (and Landa would have respected that), and he wasnt of a lesser racial stock (Jewish, slav, etc). I think Landa would have probably spared him.

that's my hot take based on applying history to a fairy tale.
Posted by OMLandshark
Member since Apr 2009
119977 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 2:22 pm to
quote:

you think Landa killed LaPadite and his girls after he lied to him about harboring Jews.


No, I think Landa kept his word. If Landa was going to do that to him anyway, why would LaPadite give them up? Landa is clearly threatening his entire family during the scene, but as vicious of a reputation as Landa has, you could make a deal with him.
Posted by OMLandshark
Member since Apr 2009
119977 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 2:26 pm to
quote:

Landa being an evil, jew hating Nazi, I'd say they probably wiped the family out for hiding Jews from them.


I don’t know how much of a believer in the Nazi ideology Landa actually is. Landa is partially based on Reinhard Heydrich, who Landa himself mentions in this scene. Heydrich himself didn’t really believe in Nazism and was more just a depraved sadist who Hitler let go nuts on the people of Europe to spread fear.

But Landa is the type of person who enjoys the hunt more than the kill. He likes seeing people squirm and being powerless to stop him. I do think that Landa is telling LaPatite the truth that he likes the nickname the Jew Hunter and is lying to the Basterds that he reviles it.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 4Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram