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Sublimation of Aggression: Christoph Waltz Reflects on His Inglourious Basterds Role for 15th Anniversary
15 years after Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, Oscar winner Christoph Waltz discusses Colonel Hans Landa and the iconic strudel scene, exploring themes of sublimated aggression.
Quentin Tarantino’s iconic gem Inglorious Basterds is still one of the best war dramas ever made in the history of cinema, even after 15 years of its theatrical release. From the compelling storytelling to the evergreen characters of the critically acclaimed movies of all time, Inglorious Basterds went on to register eight Academy Award nominations and German actor Christoph Waltz even earned an Oscar for his terrific performance as Colonel Hans Landa.
During an interview with reputed media outlet Slash Film in 2009, Christoph Waltz and Quentin Tarantino spoke about the character of the iconic Nazi colonel Hans Landa and a particular scene where he ends up attacking a strudel. While talking about the character of Hans Landa, the Django Unchained star confessed that Landa was way too passive-aggressive when it came to dealing with people around him. Waltz said-
“Landa is very passive aggressive when it comes to dealing with people and is often very violent. But my favorite scene is the one where you attack a strudel. You go after that dish with such flourish and violence. What are your thoughts on that scene and what is being expressed in it?”
The Oscar-winning actor mentioned that Hans’ energy had to be invested somewhere. While talking about the strudel scene, he further added:
“In a way, it's a sublimation of aggression. But honestly, I didn’t see it that way. My approach was more about taking the scene as it was written and working with it. I didn't try to add my own interpretation. Quentin’s script is so well-crafted that it’s more important to understand it deeply rather than thinking about what extra layers you can add. Throughout all the scenes, I wasn't engaging in method acting or any abstract techniques."
Christoph Waltz believed that Colonel Hans Landa was one of the most intelligent characters in Inglorious Basterds. Landa was realistic and looked beyond the different layers of reality. The 67-year-old actor felt that the character of Hans Landa was so ego-driven and most of the time he was unaffected by the swastikas and the Nazi ideology. Waltz believed that Landa used to wear the colonel uniform but was simply unbothered by everything around him.
The multilingual and sophisticated colonel remains one of the most complex yet intriguing antagonists in the history of cinema. The plot of Inglorious Basterds revolves around two storylines, the first one being, a group of Jewish-American soldiers, led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt), form a guerrilla unit known as "The Basterds." Their mission is to spread fear among the Nazis by brutally killing and scalping them. The Basterds gain notoriety for their ruthless tactics and leave behind a trail of dead Nazis, making them a significant threat to the German forces.
The second angle is based on Shosanna’s revenge. Shosanna Dreyfus (played by Mélanie Laurent), a young Jewish woman, witnesses the massacre of her family by SS Colonel Hans Landa (played by Christoph Waltz). She escapes and later assumes a new identity, becoming the owner of a cinema in Paris. She sees an opportunity for revenge. She devises a plan to burn down the cinema during the event, killing the top Nazi officials who will be attending.
These two storylines converge at the film's climax, where the Basterds, along with a British spy (played by Michael Fassbender) and a German film star (played by Diane Kruger), hatch their own plan to assassinate the Nazi leaders during the same film premiere. Unbeknownst to them, Shosanna is also preparing her act of vengeance.
The film culminates in a chaotic and explosive showdown at the theater, leading to a dramatic conclusion that alters the course of history.
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