Inglourious Basterds (5 page)

He sees the Iron Cross hanging from the German Sgt’s right pocket.

The Jew taps the German’s medal with the end of his bat.

You get that for killing jews?

Bravery.

Donny gives him a “oh yeah, we’ll see about that,” look.

The Bear Jew raises the bat up high over his shoulder and brings it down hard against the side of Rachtman’s head.

Donny beats Werner TO DEATH WITH THE BAT, to the cheers of the basterds.

PVT. BUTZ

watches. Hirschberg says to him:

About now, I’d be shittin’ my pants, if I was you.

Aldo points a finger at Butzs and crooks it toward him.

A crying, visibly shaken Butz sits down in front of Aldo.

You wanna live?

Yes, sir.

Point out on this map the German position.

His arm shoots out like a rocket and points out the positions.

This area here.

How many?

Maybe twelve.

What kind of artillery?

They have a machine gun dug in here pointing north.

BACK TO HITLER

How did you survive this ordeal?

WE SEE Pvt. Butz in the Führer’s room for the first time. He wears a Nazi cap, which is unusual in the presence of the Führer,
but he seems okay with it.

They let me go.

FROM HERE ON WE GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN ALDO AND HITLER.

Now, when you report what happened here, you can’t tell ’em you told us what you told us. They’ll shoot ya. But they’re gonna
wanna know, why you so special, we let you live? So tell ’em we let ya live so you could spread the word through the ranks
what’s gonna happen to every Nazi we find.

You are not to tell anybody anything! Not one word of detail! Your outfit was ambushed, and you got away. Not one more word.

Yes, mein Führer.

Pause.

Did they mark you like they did the other survivors?

Yes, mein Führer.

Remove your hat and show me.

Now say we let ya go, and say you survive the war? When you get back home, what ’cha gonna do?

I will hug my mother like I’ve never hugged her before.

Well, ain’t that a real nice boy. Are you going to take off your uniform?

Not only shall I remove it, but I intend to burn it!

The young German is telling Aldo what he thinks Aldo wants to hear. But the last answer didn’t go down as well as he thought
it would, as is evident by the frown on Aldo’s face.

Yeah, that’s what we thought. We don’t like that. You see, we like our Nazis in uniforms. That way, you can spot ’em just
like that.

(snaps his fingers)

But you take off that uniform, ain’t nobody gonna know you was a Nazi. And that don’t sit well with us.

Aldo removes a LARGE KNIFE from a sheath on his belt.

So I’m gonna give ya a little somethin’ you can’t take off.

BACK TO HITLER

Pvt. Butz removes his combat helmet. Hair hangs in his face. He moves it aside, and WE SEE a SWASTIKA has been HAND-CARVED
INTO HIS FOREHEAD.

BACK TO BASTERDS

BUTZ’S POV

on ground, looking up at them. Aldo has just carved the swastika, and he’s holding the bloody knife. All the Basterds crowd
around to admire his handiwork.

You know, Lieutenant, you’re getting pretty good at that.

You know how you get to Carnegie Hall, don’t cha? Practice.

FADE TO BLACK

OVER BLACK

CHAPTER TITLE APPEARS:

INT—CINEMA AUDITORIUM—NIGHT

We’re in the auditorium of a cinema in Paris. However, the CAMERA is pointed in the direction of the audience, not the screen.
We start CLOSE on the projector beam emanating from the little glass window in the back of the theater.

The CAMERA continues to DOLLY back, making the shot wider and wider, bringing in more and more the German-occupied citizens
of Paris, who stare at the OFFSCREEN silver screen in the dark.

We can hear the OFFSCREEN SOUNDTRACK of a Goebbels-produced German omm-pa-pa musical movie being projected.

The shot continues to pull farther and farther back, and the German dialogue continues to fill the auditorium…

UNTIL…

The DOLY SHOT LANDS on a CLOSEUP of Shosanna, watching the movie.

A SUBTITLE APPEARS:

TWO WEEKS AFTER THE MASSACRE

OF SHOSANNA’S FAMILY”

We hear the sound of the German musical’s climax.

The lights go up in the auditorium.

Shosanna, dressed in a NURSE’S UNIFORM she swiped from somewhere, remains seated, as the rest of the PATRONS gather their
coats and file out.

EXT—LITTLE CINEMA (PARIS)—NIGHT

Patrons exit under the cinema marquee, as someone from inside SHUTS OFF the marquee’s lights.

The MARQUEE READS in French:

“GERMAN NIGHT BRIDGET VON HAMMERSMARK in MADCAP IN MEXICO.”

EXT—PROJECTION BOOTH (LITTLE CINEMA)

A French black man, who we will learn later is named MARCEL, is the cinema’s projectionist. We see him for a moment, taking
the film reels off the projector and placing them on rewinds.

INT—AUDITORIUM

CU SHOSANNA

Still sitting in her seat. Except for her, the auditorium is empty.

The owner of the cinema, an attractive-looking French woman, who we will later know as MADAME MIMIEUX, appears in one of the
cinema’s opera-box balconies.

Looking down from her porch at the young girl, sitting in the empty cinema.

The DIALOGUE will be spoken in FRENCH and SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH.

So, young woman, since it’s beyond obvious we’re closed for the evening, I must assume you want something. What can I do for
you?

May I sleep here tonight?

So I gather you’re not a nurse?

No.

But you’re a bright little thing. That’s a clever disguise. Where is your family?

Murdered.

So you’re a war orphan?

We were from Nancy. The Boches found us—

—Is this a sad story?

Oui.

Sad stories bore me. These days everyone in Paris has one. I haven’t bored you with mine. Don’t bore me with yours.

You can run the machines?

What machines?

Using her hands to pantomime the rotating film reels on a projector, she says:

The machines that show the film.

The projectors? Yes, I own a cinema. Of course I can operate them.

I know, I saw you.

FLASH ON:

CU SHOSANNA

eyes creeping up the stairway in the projection booth, watching…

MADAME MIMIEUX

expertly working the projectors…

BACK TO SHOSANNA

Teach me. Teach me to run the machines that show the film. It’s only you and the negro. I know you could use some help.

I know at least six people who’ve been put up against a wall and machine-gunned for sheltering enemies of the state. I have
no intention of being unlucky number seven. How long have you been in Paris?

A week and a few days.

How have you survived the curfew without capture?

I sleep on rooftops.

Again, I’m forced to admit, clever girl. How is it?

Cold.

(laughs)

I can imagine.

Respectfully, no you can’t.

Pause.

Fair enough.

Thinks…

So you can’t operate a 35mm film projector. You want me to teach you, in order to work here, in order to use my cinema as
a hole to hide in. Is that correct?

Oui.

What’s your name?

Shosanna.

I’m Madame Mimieux. You may call me Madame. This is a cinema. Not a home for wayward war orphans.

Having said that, what you say is true. If you were truly exceptional, I could find use for you. So, Shosanna, are you truly
exceptional?

Oui, Madame.

I will be the judge of that.

DISSOLVE TO

TITLE CARD:

Which shows a lovely PENCIL SKETCH of the CITY OF PARIS, complete with Eiffel Tower.

ABOVE IT READS:

“1944 PARIS”

THEN…

The CAMERA PULLS BACK, and we see we’re not looking at a TITLE CARD at all, but a CALENDER stuck on the wall of the little
cinema’s projection booth. Before we leave it, WE SEE the month is JUNE…

The CAMERA finds the THREE-YEARS-OLDER SHOSANNA working as the PROJECTIONIST. It would appear that Shosanna passed Madame
Mimieux’s exceptional test.

A lyrical, Morricone-like tune PLAYS on the SOUNDTRACK. This will be “Shosanna’s Theme.”

A little bell begins RINGING on one of the projectors, alerting Shosanna its time for a REEL CHANGE.

Shosanna stands at the projector, watching the old German film she’s projecting, waiting for the FIRST REEL CHANGE MARK…

SILVER SCREEN

of the little cinema. Onscreen LENI RIEFENSTAHL lies horizontal as an icicle drips on her head in the old German film “The
White Hell of Pitz Palu.” The FIRST REEL CHANGE MARK POPS ON in the upper-right-hand corner of the FRAME (that tells the projectionist
to get ready).

As the FILM REEL on the FIRST PROJECTOR rolls out, Shosanna stands ready, waiting by the SECOND PROJECTOR…

WHEN…

SILVER SCREEN

the SECOND REEL CHANGE MARK POPS ON in the same place (that’s the one).

SHOSANNA

THROWS the lever on the SECOND PROJECTOR, switching the film from projector 1 to projector 2, executing a perfect REEL CHANGE.

As “Shosanna’s Theme” plays on the soundtrack, we watch, via MONTAGE, her go through her daily chores: carry heavy film cans
up the stairs, empty the rat traps, etc, etc… .

EXT—CINEMA—NIGHT

The MARQUEE READS in French:

“GERMAN NIGHT LENI RIEFENSTAHL in PABST’S WHITE HELL OF PITZ PALU”

Shosanna emerges from the cinema carrying two buckets of LETTERS (for the marquee) and a tall ladder. Her chore here, obviously,
is to change the show on the marquee.

The LITERARY NARRATOR comes on the soundtrack in ENGLISH:

To operate a cinema in Paris during the occupation, one had two choices. Either you could show new German propaganda films,
produced under the watchful eye of Joseph Goebbels. Or… you could have a German night in your weekly schedule and show allowed
German classic films.

Their German night was Thursday.

Shosanna, by herself, perched up high on the ladder, changing the letters on the marquee.

A YOUNG GERMAN SOLDIER (about the same age as Shosanna) walks out of the cinema. He sees the ladder with the young French
girl on top and walks over.

They speak FRENCH, SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH:

What starts tomorrow?

Shosanna looks down, seeing the young German soldier smiling up at her from below.

A Max Linder festival.

Ummm, I always preferred Linder to Chaplin. Except Linder never made a film as good as “The Kid.” The chase climax of “The
Kid,” superb.

Shosanna continues working, not adding to the conversation.

I suppose now you could use an M, an A, and an X?

No need, I can manage.

Don’t be ridiculous. It’s my pleasure.

He hands the French damsel the letters spelling MAX.

Merci.

I adore your cinema very much.

Merci.

She busies herself with the marquee letters…

Is it yours?

Do I own it?

Oui.

Oui.

How does a young girl such as yourself own a cinema?

Due to his uniform and Shosanna’s situation, his efforts at trying to make small talk strike the young Jewess in hiding as
a Gestapo interrogation.

My aunt left it to me.

Lucky girl.

Shosanna makes no reply back.

Merci for hosting a German night.

I don’t have a choice, but you’re welcome.

Do you choose the German films yourself?

Oui.

Then my merci stands. I love the Riefenstahl mountain films, especially “Pitz Palu.” It’s nice to see a French girl who’s
an admirer of Riefenstahl.

“Admire” would not be the adjective I would use to describe my feelings toward Fräulein Riefenstahl.

But you do admire the director Pabst, don’t you? That’s why you included his name on the marquee.

She climbs down from the ladder and faces the German private.