Inglourious Basterds
Page 3
The S.S. colonel closes the window.
EXT—DAIRY FARM—DAY
The Nazi town car DRIVES away.
EXT—NAZI TOWN CAR (MOVING)—DAY
Col. Hans Landa sits in the backseat of the convertible that’s speeding away from the French farmhouse.
Landa speaks to his driver in GERMAN, SUBTITLE IN ENGLISH:
COL. LANDA
Herrman, I sense a question on your lips? Out with it?
DRIVER
Why did you allow an enemy of the state to escape?
COL. LANDA
Oh, I don’t think the state is in too much danger, do you?
DRIVER
I suppose not.
COL. LANDA
I’m glad you see it my way. Besides, not putting a bullet in the back of a fifteen-year-old girl and allowing her to escape are not necessarily the same thing. She’s a young girl, no food, no shelter, no shoes, who’s just witnessed the massacre of her entire family.
She may not survive the night. And after word spreads about what happened today, it’s highly unlikely she will find any willing farmers to extend her aid.
If I had to guess her fate, I’d say she’ll probably be turned in by some neighbor. Or she’ll be spotted by some German soldier. Or we’ll find her body in the woods, dead from starvation or exposure. Or, perhaps… she’ll survive. She will elude capture. She will escape to America. She will move to New York City, where she will be elected President of the United States.
The S.S. colonel chuckles at his little funny.
FADE UP
CHAPTER TITLE APPEARS:
CHAPTER TWO
“INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS”
FADE UP
EXT—SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND—DAY
A bunch of SOLDIERS are lined up at attention.
LIEUTENANT ALDO RAINE, a hillbilly from the mountains of Tennessee, walks down the line. He recruits the men the Germans will later call “The Basterds.” Lt. Aldo has one defining physical characteristic, a ROPE BURN around his neck—as if, once upon a time, he survived a LYNCHING. The scar will never once be mentioned.
LT. ALDO
My name is Lt. Aldo Raine, and I’m puttin’ together a special team. And I need me eight soldiers. Eight—Jewish—American—soldiers. Now y’all might of heard rumors about the armada happening soon. Well, we’ll be leavin’ a little earlier. We’re gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we’re in enemy territory, as a bushwackin’, guerrilla army, we’re gonna be doin’ one thing, and one thing only—Killin’ Nazis.
The members of the National Socialist Party have conquered Europe through murder, torture, intimidation, and terror. And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do to them. Now I don’t know ’bout y’all? But I sure as hell didn’t come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half Sicily, and then jump out of a fuckin’ air-o-plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity. Nazi ain’t got no humanity. They’re the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin’, mass-murderin’ maniac, and they need to be destroyed.
That’s why any and every son-of-a-bitch we find wearin’ a Nazi uniform, they’re gonna die.
LT. ALDO
(CON’T)
We will be cruel to the Germans, and through our cruelty, they will know who we are. They will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, and disfigured bodies of their brothers we leave behind us. And the Germans will not be able to help themselves from imagining the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, and our bootheels, and the edge of our knives.
And the Germans will be sickened by us. And the Germans will talk about us. And the Germans will fear us.
And when the Germans close their eyes at night and their subconscious tortures them for the evil they’ve done, it will be thoughts of us that it tortures them with.
He stops pacing and looks at everybody.
LT. ALDO
Sound good?
They all say:
ALL
Yes, sir!
LT. ALDO
That’s what I like to hear. But I got a word of warning to all would-be warriors. When you join my command, you take on debit. A debit you owe me, personally. Every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps.
And all y’all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis… or you will die trying.
CUT TO
EXT—MOUNTAIN TOP CHALET—DAY
A huge chalet on a misty mountaintop in Bavaria.
A SUBTITLE APPEARS:
“BAVARIA BERCHTESGADEN (HITLER’S PRIVATE LAIR)”
INT—BERCHTESGADEN—DAY
In a huge room, ADOLF HITLER pounds on a big table with his fist as he rants at TWO GERMAN GENERALS.
They speak GERMAN SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH:
HITLER
How much more of these Jew swine must I endure? They butcher my men like they were fish bait! This pack of filthy degenerates are doing what the Russian army didn’t and Patton’s army couldn’t—turning soldiers of the Third Reich into superstitious old women!
GERMAN GENERAL
Just the cowards among them, mein Führer.
Hitler pounds furiously on the desk with his fist.
HITLER
No, no, no, no, no, no! I have heard the rumors myself! Soldiers of the Third Reich, who have brought the world to their knees, now pecking and clucking like chickens. Do you know the latest rumor they’ve conjured up, in their fear-induced delirium? The one that beats my boys with a bat. The one they call “the Bear Jew”… is a golem.
An avenging Jew angel, conjured up by a vengeful rabbi, to smite the Aryans!
GENERAL
Mein Führer, this is just soldiers’ gossip. No one really believes the Bear Jew is a golem.
HITLER
Why not? They seem to be able to elude capture like an apparition.
They seem to be able to appear and disappear at will.
HITLER
(CON’T)
You want to prove they’re flesh and blood? Then BRING THEM TO ME! I will hang them naked, by their heels, from the Eiffel Tower! And then throw their bodies in the sewers, for the rats of Paris to feast!
The Führer sits down at the table to compose himself and wipe his greasy black hair out of his face.
HITLER
(disgusted)
The Bear Jew.
He hits the button on the intercom on his desk.
HITLER
Kliest!
KLIEST’S VOICE comes out of the intercom:
KLIEST’S VOICE (OS)
Yes, mein Führer.
HITLER
I have an order I want relayed to all German soldiers stationed in France. The Jew degenerate known as the Bear Jew henceforth is never to be referred to as the Bear Jew again. We will cease to aid the Americans any longer in their attempt to undermine the German soldier’s psyche. Did you get that, Kliest?
KLIEST’S VOICE (OS)
Yes, mein Führer. Do you still wish to see Private Butz?
HITLER
Who and what is a private Butz?
KLEIST’S VOICE (OS)
He’s the soldier you wanted to see personally. His squad was ambushed by Lt. Raine’s Jews. He was its only survivor.
HITLER
Indeed I do want to see him. Thank you for reminding me. Send him in.
CUT TO
EXT—FRENCH WOODS—DAY
CU FACE OF DEAD GERMAN SOLDIER
His head lies on the ground, horizontal. A HAND reaches into the FRAME, KNOCKS aside the dead German patriot’s helmet, and grabs a handful of the cadaver’s blond hair. A LARGE KNIFE ENTERS THE FRAME and begins SLICING ALONG THE HAIRLINE.
This process is called SCALPING.
After SLICING is complete, the SCALP easily peels off, like a banana skin.
GERMAN PRISONERS PVT. BUTZ AND SGT. RACHTMAN
on their knees, hand behind th
eir heads.
Pvt. Butz NARRATES the scene in GERMAN SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH:
PVT. BUTZ (VO)
Werner and I were the only ones left alive after the ambush. While one man guarded us, the rest removed the hair. All the Basterds wore German scalps tied to their belts.
CU SCALPS
hanging from belts.
PVT. BUTZ (VO)
They not only took valuables…
WE SEE QUICK CUTS OF
rings, weapons, an iron cross, and somebody digging out a gold tooth with a knife, being removed from dead Germans.
PVT. BUTZ (VO)
… They also took their identification papers…
CU IDENTIFICATION PAPERS
taken from the inside pocket of a dead German’s uniform.
BASTERD PFC. UTIVICH
flips through the I.D. papers till he gets to the page that contains the German soldier’s name, statistics, and photo.
PFC. UTIVICH
Sigfried Muller.
PVT. BUTZ (VO)
… They then removed their boots…
CU GERMAN COMBAT BOOTS
laces untied… boots pulled off…
SOCKS
removed, revealing dead bare feet…
BASTERDS
tossing the boots off a hill.
PVT. BUTZ (VO)
Throwing them away from the bodies…
DEAD GERMANS
scalps removed from their heads, pink bare feet…
PVT. BUTZ (VO)
The Basterds took their lives, their hair, their valuables, their identity, and finally their dignity in death.
True that. The sight of the dead soldiers with bare feet does rob the tableau of a certain dignity that is normally felt in battlefield shots.
BACK TO HITLER
HITLER
The dogs!
He fights his frustration, then…
HITLER
Continue.
BACK TO THE BASTERDS
Aldo screams to the Basterd who’s guarding the two German prisoners.
LT. ALDO
Hey, Hirschberg, send that kraut sarge over.
BASTERD PFC. HIRSCHBERG
KICKS Sgt. Rachtman in the back.
PFC. HIRSCHBERG
You! Go!
Sgt. Rachtman is a little slow to respond. So Hirschberg grabs him by the hair, YANKS him to his feet, and KICKS him in the ass, sending him on his way.
Most of the Basterds sit in a circle, Indian style, with Aldo in the middle.
As Sgt. Rachtman walks toward this circle of Basterds, An OFFSCREEN LITERARY NARRATOR (not Pvt. Butz) speaks over the SOUNDTRACK in ENGLISH:
NARRATOR (VO)
Sergeant Werner Rachtman has seen many interrogations since Germany decided it should rule Europe. But this is the first time he’s ever been on the wrong end of the exchange.
It’s always been his belief that only a weakling in mind, body, and spirit complies with the enemy under threat of consequence. As Werner watched men cry like women, pleadingly offer their knowledge, in exchange for their worthless lives, he made a vow to himself.
If his role is to die in this conflict, when they put him under the earth, his dignity would be buried with him. For in the other world, the gods only respect the ones they test first.
Well, Sergeant, this is your test. And the gods are watching.
The captured German sergeant enters the circle of Basterds, stands straight before the sitting southern lieutenant, and salutes his captor.
SGT. RACHTMAN
(ENGLISH)
Sgt. Werner Rachtman.
Aldo returns the salute, looking at up him.
LT. ALDO
Lt. Aldo Raine. Pleased to meet cha. You know what sit down means, Werner?
SGT. RACHTMAN
Yes.
LT. ALDO
Then sit down.
The German sergeant does.
LT. ALDO
How’s your English, Werner? Cause if need be, we gotta couple fellas can translate.
Aldo points at one of the Basterds in the circle, CPL. WILHELM WICKI.
LT. ALDO
Wicki there, an Austrian Jew, got the fuck outta Salzberg while the gettin’ was good. Became American, got drafted, and came back to give y’all what for.
Then Aldo points to another Basterd. A big, scary-looking Basterd, in a German sergeant’s uniform, named SGT. HUGO STIGLITZ.
LT. ALDO
And another one over there you might be familiar with, Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz. Heard of ’em?
The two German sergeants look at each other.
SGT. RACHTMAN
Everybody in the German army’s heard of Hugo Stiglitz.
The Basterds laugh, and a couple pat Hugo on the back.
The NARRATOR comes back on the SOUNDTRACK.
NARRATOR (VO)
The reason for Hugo Stiglitz’s celebrity among German soldiers is simple.
WE SEE A PHOTO OF HUGO on the front page of the Nazi version of Stars and Stripes (the military newspaper).
NARRATOR (VO)
As a German enlisted man, he killed thirteen Gestapo officers, mostly majors.
WE SEE THE MILITARY PHOTOS OF ALL THIRTEEN GESTAPO OFFICERS.
NARRATOR (VO)
Instead of putting him up against a wall, the High Command decided to send him back to Berlin, to be made an example of.
Hugo in chains, being put in a lone troop truck, part of a prison convoy, en route to Berlin.
NARRATOR (VO)
Needless to say, once the Basterds heard about him, he never got there.
EXT—FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE—DAY
The Basterds AMBUSH the prison convoy, killing everybody.
They walk to the back of the troop truck. Inside, Hugo, in chains, stares back at them.
LT. ALDO
Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz?
Hugo nods.
LT. ALDO
I’m Lt. Aldo Raine, and these are the Basterds. Ever heard of us?
Hugo nods his head, yes.
LT. ALDO
We just wanna say, we’re a big fan of your work. When it comes to killin’ Nazis, I think you show great talent, and I pride myself on havin’ an eye for that kind of talent. But your status as a Nazi killer is still amateur. We all came here to see if you wanna go pro?
BACK TO THE BASTERD CIRCLE.
LT. ALDO
Now Werner, I’m gonna assume you know who we are?
SGT. RACHTMAN
Aldo the Apache.
The circle of Basterds giggle.
LT. ADLO
Well, Werner, if you heard of us, you probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business. We in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, business is boomin’.
The Basterds laugh.
LT. ALDO
Now that leaves two ways we can play this out. Either kill ya or let ya go. Now whether or not you gonna leave this circle alive depends entirely on you.
Aldo takes out a map of the area and lays it out in front of his prisoner.
LT. ALDO
Up the road a piece, there’s a orchard. ’Sides you, we know there’s another kraut patrol fuckin’ around here somewhere. Now if that patrol were to have any crack shots, that orchard would be a goddamn sniper’s delight. Now if you ever wanna eat a sauerkraut sandwich again, you gotta show me on this map where they are, you gotta tell me how many they are, and you gotta tell me what kinda artillery they carrying with ’em.
SGT. RACHTMAN
You can’t expect me to divulge information that would put German lives in danger.
LT. ALDO
Well, Werner, that’s where you’re wrong. Because that’s exactly what I expect. I need to know about Germans hidin’ in trees. And you need to tell me.
And you need to tell me, right now. Now take your finger and point out on this map where this party’s bein’ held, how many’s comin’, and what they brought to play with.
Werner sits, head held high, back straigh
t, chin up, every inch the German hero facing death.
SGT. WERNER
I respectfully refuse, sir.
Aldo jerks his thumb behind him.
LT. ALDO
You see that ole boy battin’ rocks?
WE RACK-FOCUS to one of the Basterds not in the circle. He’s wearing a wife beater and power-hitting stones with a baseball bat.