A look back at Quentin Tarantino’s seventh feature film and the mysterious scar that Aldo Raine wears around his neck. But is there really an official explanation for the presence of this mark?
In cinema, some directors make it a point of honor to elucidate all the mysteries, to illuminate all the gray areas, to answer all the questions, and ensure that the audience goes home with all the answers. Others, on the other hand, sometimes have fun leaving a little doubt, keeping a few secrets, and entrusting their spectators with the task of filling in certain gaps voluntarily left by the scenario.
What’s in Tom Hanks’ last FedEx package at the end of The World? Who, Childs or MacReady, is really the creature in the final sequence of The Thing? What exactly is in Marcellus Wallace’s mysterious briefcase?
Or, to stay in Quentin Tarantino’s filmography, where does the scar that Aldo Raine’s character wears around his neck in Inglourious Basterds come from?
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on whether you like to theorize and cultivate your imagination), Tarantino falls into the second category of filmmaker: those who prefer to let their fans figure out small details themselves.
“It’s up to you !”
“Whether the audience knows it or not, I know the characters’ pasts, and I want the actors to know it too. But the audience doesn’t need to know.”explained the director on the channel Outstanding Screenplaysbefore discussing the protagonist of Inglourious Basterds.
“For example, Brad Pitt’s character, Aldo Raine, has a trace of rope around his neck. But I never wanted to explain what happened. You just have to find out for yourself! That depends on you to provide [cette information] on the origin of this scar.”
Universal Pictures
“I like this idea”
As he specifies in the rest of his explanation, if Tarantino likes to let these little mysteries hover in his films, it is in order to offer his spectator an even more immersive experience, and allow him to participate in the creative process. from the movie:
“I like the idea that if you think about where that rope trace came from, and someone else thinks about it too, and someone else does the same thing, three different people are going to come up with three different reasons for that scar. Those are three different movies you’ve seen. And I like that idea.”
What do you think of this approach on the part of Quentin Tarantino? And so, where do you think Aldo Raine’s scar comes from?
(Re)discover all the hidden details in “Inglourious Basterds”…