City Research Online

Abstract

This article appears in the Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media edited by Carol Vernallis, Amy Herzog, and John Richardson. This essay explores ways in which mashup principles are applied in Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds, where multiple references do not just emphasize counterpoint or defamiliarization through ironic parallelism, but, more importantly, seek pluralism, the true goal of mashup culture. The film was heavily critiqued for rewriting the ending of World War II and creating an alternate version of the Holocaust. Tarantino’s use of preexisting music by Ennio Morricone, and especially references from the spaghetti western subgenre, allow historical liberties to become a reflection on the metamorphosis of fact into myth and force the audience to confront its own spectatorial position. Inglourious Basterds ultimately problematizes the nature of historical (mis)representation in war movies.

Publication Type:	Book Section
Publisher Keywords:	sound, image, audiovisual media, cinema, video art, music videos, video games, screens, aesthetics, digital media
Subjects:	M Music and Books on Music P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
Departments:	School of Communication & Creativity > Performing Arts > Music

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