At Cannes ’08, six months before a single frame of footage was shot or even one actor was cast, director Quentin Tarantino insisted that his WWII saga, “Inglourious Basterds,” would premiere at Cannes 2009.
Many scoffed and laugh, maybe even us the loudest and most dismissive, but it appears its the motormouth filmmaker that will laugh last. Variety’s Anne Thompson says Tarantino is currently “rushing production” to have the film completed in time (and many gossip sites chasing Brangelina have noted that Pitt has nearly completed all of his work on the film).
There’s not a lot of new info her report supplies, but she does say the shoot that began in October is almost over and he’s close to getting into the editing room.
“While Tarantino went over-[schedule] and budget on ‘Death Proof,’ fussing and tinkering, this time he’s on track and almost finished with the movie, which began production in Germany in October, and will soon get into the editing room to prep for his Inglourious Cannes [premiere]. Can’t wait.”
‘Basterds’ is broken up into 5 chapters
Chapter One: Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France
Chapter Two: Inglourious Basterds
Chapter Three: German Night in Paris (filmed in “French New Wave Black and White”)
Chapter Four: Operation Kino
Chapter Five: Revenge of the Giant Face
But we were just wondering aloud the other day, if like “Kill Bill,” will this 165 page script (about 50 pages longer than the average script) run long or will some of it have to be excised in the end? 165 pages is ostensibly 2 hours and 45 minutes, but the reality is, what’s onscreen 9 out of 10 times runs longer that what’s on the page. If he shoots everything in the script, it’s easily a 3 and a 1/2 hour movie and maybe that’s fine for Cannes, but it won’t play in summer theaters or for the Weinstein’s. Maybe Tarantino will finally have to learn to kill some of his babies.
Meanwhile, Tarantino Archives has their hands on an exclusive new meta poster for the faux film, “Fraulein Doktor,” starring ‘Basterds’ German actress/British spy, Bridget von Hammersmark (played by Diane Kruger), which TAarchives calls very aptly, “a Tarantinoesque version of Marlene Dietrich.” His production people have really nailed the look and feel of this era.