Brad Pitt takes no prisoners in Quentin Tarantino’s high-octane WWII revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds. As war rages in Europe, a Nazi-scalping squad of American soldiers, known to their enemy as “The Basterds,” is on a daring mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich.
For in-depth thoughts on Inglourious Basterds, please see my colleague Tia Fabi’s previous op-ed on it here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Inglourious Basterds offers a subtle uptick in quality over the already-impressive accompanying Blu-Ray, most notably in its gains in fine detail and well-defined textures. The film was finished to a 2K digital intermediate and has been upscaled to 4K. While many may incorrectly argue that there are no benefits to putting a 2K master on a 4K disc, the reality is that Universal did not have a film negative they could easily scan in 4K and completely rebuilding the raw materials in 4K along with the visual effects work would have been astronomically expensive. What we have here should be comparable to the theatrical experience.
The new disc offers some small improvements in the black levels so that some of the darker scenes on the Blu-Ray present more clearly in 4K. This new presentation is not a night and day difference from the Blu-Ray, so don’t expect this one to knock your pants off. Elements such as the tension-filled tavern scene taking place in varying degrees of shadow are more vivid and finely delineated. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. The highlights in the film are more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. With the upgrade to 4K also comes the added benefit of better compression, as this film is allowed more room to breathe on the disc.
Skin tones appear a touch more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores. There are so many stunning pops in color in the production design that appear with greater vibrancy than before thanks to this presentation. The increased range of the color spectrum helps bring more nuance to the visual palette of the film. Important details like fiery explosions look incredible and quite vivid here. The transfer reveals an increase in the depth of field in the varied locations that we visit throughout the journey. You can more clearly make out textures within the theater lobby and similar such elements. There does not appear any noise reduction or black crush that we detected at any point. If you have not had any complaints with the Blu-Ray up until this point, you may not find the upgrade to 4K a monumental leap, but those who have not owned the film previously should go ahead and pick up this version.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 lossless track recycled from the previous Blu-Ray that packs one hell of a punch. This disc perfectly brings the story to life with a depth and clarity of sound that is staggering. As the Basterds move throughout their mission, the sounds of the environment flow out of your side and rear speakers. Each sound is precisely placed with perfect spatial awareness. The track engages all of the channels with panning effects and sounds of gunfire that really makes you feel like you are in the thick of the fight. Every kinetic sequence features some impeccable sound design that comes through flawlessly. The implementation of environmental effects such as crowd chatter and silverware against plates come through in a natural way. There is an substantial amount of activity in the low-end when the scenes suddenly shift towards violence. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting muddied by the score or any sound effects. The impeccable music utilized in the film comes through with a pleasing fidelity. Universal knocked it out of the park with this track, so those with a good surround sound setup should have a blast with this one.
Special Features
- Extended & Alternate Scenes: Three scenes totaling nearly twelve minutes of unused material included an extended lunch with Goebbels, an extended card game and an alternate version of the Nation’s Pride opening. Some of these scenes include the opening camera slate and direction from off screen from Tarantino.
- Roundtable Discussion with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and Elvis Mitchell: A 31-minute piece in which Mitchell gets Pitt and Tarantino to discuss the process of working together on set, the energy that comes from making decision on the fly, developing backstory that never makes it to the screen, playing with history to subvert typical audience response and more.
- The New York Times Talks: A 68-minute interview with Quentin Tarantino in which he discusses the reception of the film in Germany, figuring out the approach to take with the story, drawing on films from the past to inform his new creation, the trepidation of certain performers to commit to playing a Nazi and more. This is a really in-depth piece that serves as a nice addition to the set.
- Nation’s Pride – Full Feature: The six-minute film-within-the-film is provided here in full directed by Eli Roth which serves as an amusing bit of self-righteous fun. While previously available in standard definition on the Blu-Ray, the 4K disc offers this in HD.
- The Making Of Nation’s Pride: A four-minute in-character making-of featurette in which Director Alois von Eichberg (Eli Roth), Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment & Propaganda Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth), actress/mistress Francesca Mondino (Julie Dreyfus), and actor/war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl) take you through the journey of bringing this film to life.
- The Original Inglorious Bastards: An eight-minute piece which pays respects to Enzo G. Castellari’s Inglorious Bastards while showcasing how Tarantino worked talent from that film into his new one.
- A Conversation with Rod Taylor: A seven-minute interview with legendary actor Rod Taylor in which he discusses his connection with Tarantino and getting involved with the film.
- Rod Taylor On Victoria Bitter: Another three-minute piece with Taylor in which he relays a story about Australian beer.
- Quentin Tarantino’s Camera Angel: A three-minute montage of an amusing clapperboard girl slating scenes.
- Hi Sallys: A two-minute collection of greetings to Tarantino’s longtime collaborator editor Sally Menke.
- Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell: An eleven-minute piece in which Mitchell explores the background posters featured throughout the film with important insights into each one.
- Inglourious Basterds Poster Gallery: A series of still images from the marketing of the film.
- Trailers: The disc includes a Teaser (1:45), Domestic Trailer (2:23), International Trailer (2:08) and Japanese Trailer (1:17).
Final Thoughts
Inglourious Basterds is one of the best films to come out of the 2000s, and is one of the very best to come from the mind of Quentin Tarantino. Every single element of this masterpiece is perfectly executed from the casting to the pacing, the dialogue and all of the craft elements. Every single time you watch it, it gets a little bit better. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that does not offer a monumental upgrade in the A/V department, but does offer some nice, subtle improvements on the video side of things that fans should appreciate. All of the legacy special features have been ported over (some in better quality), along with a substantial new New York Times piece. While those who already own the Blu-Ray may have to weigh how important small improvements are to them, those who have never owned the film should consider this disc a must-purchase. Highly Recommended
Inglourious Basterds will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital on October 12, 2021.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.