Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” have one mission – to wreack havoc on the Third Reich, any way they can. And, boy, do they wreak havoc! Quentin Tarantino style. Using pulp and propaganda in equal measures writer/director Tarantino weaves together the fabric of WWII from the oppressed to the oppressor, the famous and the infamous, with that tongue-in-cheek he’s so famous for, writes Dixie Bonham.

When the production details for Inglourious Basterds were settled, the next question became would Tarantino also capture the images himself, or would he rely on a cinematographer to shoot the film?

“The project fascinated me,” says cinematographer Robert Richardson ASC, who had forged a relationship with Tarantino while shooting Kill Bill. It seemed fortuitous. Tarantino and Richardson met at the same restaurant where they had discussed Kill Bill. Over a few drinks, a meal, and after swapping stories, they got down to business and discussed the project.

“It’s at times playful, at times brutal, at times wildly humorous,” Richardson learned.” The film weaves a series of narratives toward one outrageous and fantastic conclusion in which Quentin turns cinema into weapon – not figuratively but literally. ‘This is revenge and there is nothing sweet about it,’ was his take.”

The two then headed for the dollar-a-head cinema to see Navajo Joe, “Which, perhaps, gives you a small insight into Inglourious,” Richardson laughs. Obviously, the teaming was going to work again, and Richardson settled in to prepare for the Tarantino experience of shooting.

Strictly chemical

“Quentin’s intention was to do a strictly chemical film,” explains Richardson. “No digital intermediate. This approach was crucial to his perspective on the filmmaking process, little to no reliance upon new technology. Four-perf, dailies, edit on flatbed, cut negative, IP/IN, release prints. In camera was his preference and order, from photography and processing to final print, as well as to how the various departments, whether visual effects (helmed by John Dykstra) or special effects were required to view their work.

“Even the final explosion in the theatre was to be real. No CG images at all. The various scalping or gun wounds were all to be done in camera. That’s the charm and one reason for the success of style that Quentin employed with this film.”

As is the Robert Richardson style, he took on the natural double duty of cinematography and operating. “I have developed my eye as a cinematographer through the craft of operating,” he reasons. “The eyepiece magnifies that which is being captured. When I am not operating, I am often anxious, uncertain, restless, sometimes irritable. When I am in the position of working with Steadicam or remote cameras, I fly with a broken wing. Frustration becomes my constant shadow. Eventually, I work through the issues but not without great effort. Operating allows me to enter the zone, for lack of a better word. When the camera rolls and I am peering through the glass, I find the world around becomes silent. It’s a transcendent state.”

So, Richardson began prep, testing lenses – Panavision vs. Arriflex. He decided to go with the Panavision G, E and C anamorphics plus Primo lenses. “In short, I found the aberrations less discernible and the matching between lenses in respect to colour finer. The degree of testing was severe,” he adds. “Gregor Tavenner, my first assistant, spent substantial time balancing the sets – for exterior, for interior, distortion, etc.

“Furthermore, tests were conducted in 65mm,” Richardson explains. “The reason for 65mm was initially to provide Quentin with a strong shift in clarity/resolution and colour for the final chapter of the film. Unfortunately, in the end, the 65mm did not prove to be the potent ally I had hoped to find.

“Times have changed dramatically. The digital world has supplanted the chemical. Work in the chemical field is slowly eroding. The craft is being taken to the shadows of time. Not only are there few labs that understand the characteristics of 65mm, but there are but a few labs that can produce quality black and white.”

The fact saddens Richardson. Something he could go on and on about. Sometimes, he feels, technology is changing too rapidly and artistry is being sacrificed.

It was Tarantino’s desire to shoot what the two called “The French Section” of the movie, a film within a film, in black and white. So, Richardson set about testing various stocks. However, he came up against a wall.

“The results were mediocre, when they came back from the lab we were using in Germany,” he explains. “The reason was complicated. But, bottom line, the lab could not provide proper baths for development and printing for black and white. The results were often shallow. The blacks were vague. The whites dirty.

“We attempted another lab in France but the results there were equally disappointing for much the same reason,” he adds. “Lab tests in California provided better results. But not enough to convince Quentin to stay film in his resolution of black and white for this chapter.

“The film within the film (final chapter) on the screen proved a far greater success. Quentin had moved on and decided it was best for the film to be shot in colour.”

Influences

Each “chapter” had its own look. The opening, for example, was to carry a “once upon a time in the west” ambience in the style of Sergio Corbucci (Django), Castellari (Keoma, Go Kill Everybody and Come Back Alone), Petroni (Death Rides a Horse) and most widely known, Sergio Leone (The Good, The Bad and the Ugly).

“It’s a WWII film with a spaghetti western countenance,” he says. “Despite the fact that we moved from Black and White to colour in the final ‘chapter’, the intention was to reference the French New Wave, much akin to Reservoir Dogs. Quentin wanted a more natural feel to this section. Practical locations like the café where we shot in Paris. Relaxed Rohmeresq style (A Summers Tale). Less the Godard world. Long conversations throughout the film.

“For the final chapter, Quentin would have loved to have turned the hands of the clock back, to return to the days of glorious Technicolor (Red Shoes, Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Heaven Can Wait), awash in richly saturated color. Which is the reason we began tests with 65mm. Financially unaffordable, as well as the issue of reduction to 35mm.

“So, Quentin turned to David and Sandy Wasco, who designed the set of the theatre with the most saturated colors.”

Tarantino’s main concept for the sets was to make them as realistic as possible – in some cases, very low ceilings and few windows. “For example, the tavern, or locations that felt ‘realistic’ and not fantastic,” Richardson explains. “Maxims was another example.”

This tied Richardson’s hands when it came to trying to get the sets to be “camera-friendly.” It became a little more of a challenge to create and maintain a “look” in these sets or locations.

“Quentin, being a cameraman, knows the difficulties and had some sympathy but, in truth, his objective was to place the words on the screen with the very best of deliveries. All else falls behind this goal. Quentin’s razor sharp dialogue requires sacrifice, and within this film, my blood has stained many a set!”

Finishing

As far as finishing the picture, “It started at the beginning,” says Richardson. “Initially, Inglourious was slated for Cannes. This placed a great deal of pressure upon Quentin to complete both principal photography and post in an extraordinarily short period of time.

“Post with editor Sally Menke was to be about 11 weeks,” he explains. “As a result of the short post, it became progressively apparent to producer Lawrence Bender and those who are in post that the film could not be completed in a traditional manner.

“Quentin also came to this realisation near the end of principal photography. He shared this with me and when he did he asked that I not stop shooting the film in the manner I had – which meant that I would not shoot with the knowledge that a DI would be in the future. So, I continued in the same manner I had up to that time, protecting the image as if I could not do any post work on it.

“As a result, when it came to grade the picture with Yvan Lucas at e-Film, there was substantially less to accomplish. The image tended to be more evenly balanced then if I had chosen to wait to ‘fix’ it in the DI suite. I spent approximately 12 days at e-Film. Most days were eight to ten hours. Some fewer. Yvan had gone through the majority of reels prior to my arrival and balanced them to the work print.

“On that note, I should add that the work print was not even, as most are not, and he would find the best of that print and then ground the digital image to those images chosen. When I arrived, I went through the film with him. Quentin would then come in and we would make notes as he viewed the output. He would exit to whatever else had to be accomplished, which at that time, was a tidal wave of issues – the mix, editing, VFX, titles, etc. We would alter the digital image as he requested. He would return, make further notes, etc…. until he was content – and we rendered the film Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino style.”