When Severin Films first released Enzo G. Castellari’s anti-hero World War II epic The Inglorious Bastards on DVD last year, they enabled many EuroCult film connoisseurs to at long last scratch another title off of their “Been Waiting A Small Eternity For This To Show Up On Home Video” list. At that point in time, some guy by the name of Quentin Tarantino was working hard on his homage to it and other anti-hero World War II classics from the same genre.
And now, as Tarantino’s new film is making its mark with moviegoers everywhere, it seems like the perfect time for Severin to warrant a double-dip of the film, just to remind the general public that his Inglourious Basterds — like every other movie he has made — derives its inspiration from an earlier source.
And what better way to get us to double-dip than with a Blu-ray (the very first Blu-ray that Severin has unleashed upon us, incidentally)?
I can think of no better way, personally. And, while Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds bears no resemblance to Castellari’s The Inglorious Bastards other than its illiterate take on the title, the EuroCult spirit of both films is unmistakably there. But enough about Tarantino’s flick — you can read about that from one of our other illustrious writers. Let’s talk about Castellari’s film.
Spawned from the likes of The Dirty Dozen and several gajillion other European-made war flicks, The Inglorious Bastards tells the tale of a condemned group of soldiers, each sentenced to death for desertion, murder, or theft. En route to what is to be their final destination, they escape from their captors. Their goal is simple: escape to the Swiss border and get the hell out of the damn war. But, of course, things are never that easy, especially when your troop of misfits is led by B-movie greats Bo Svenson (Walking Tall) and Fred “The Hammer” Williamson.
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