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Quentin Tarantino Is ‘Very Proud’ Of ‘Inglourious Basterds’ DVD
It was a Sunday morning in late August and Quentin Tarantino was hunkered down in his Hollywood Hills home, trying to shut out the world. His chillingly bloody Nazi revenge epic “Inglourious Basterds” had opened two days earlier and the writer/director was following his normal ritual of not hearing his film’s total weekend box-office haul until Monday. Then his doorbell rang.
Star Eli Roth and producer Pilar Savone were standing outside holding bottles of champagne and wearing T-shirts that stated the film’s weekend estimate: over $37 million, the 46-year-old director’s biggest opening ever.
“I never knew I’d make a movie that would do that well on an opening weekend, so that was pretty groovy,” Tarantino told MTV News.
Months later, Tarantino’s “Basterds” arrives on DVD on December 15, which is ó only coincidently, so it seems ó the fifth day of Hanukkah. It’s nonetheless apt that this tale of Brad Pitt and his band of revenge-seeking Jewish soldiers comes out on this day of lights. While Tarantino tweaks World War II history throughout the film ó and then veers off into gloriously satisfying fictional territory at its conclusion ó the version on the DVD is the exact same as the one moviegoers caught back in August.
“There won’t be an extended version,” he said. “I’m very proud of the fact that my director’s cut has been seen in 3,000 theaters. I wasn’t not going to do my best and say, ‘Wait for the DVD, then you’ll know what I really meant!’ I want that playing in the theaters.”
Among commentary tracks and bonus clips, what’s also fresh on the disc is the full, black-and-white version of “Nation’s Pride,” the Nazi propaganda film within “Basterds” that plays a key role in propelling the narrative forward. There’s also a faux “making of” documentary about the production of “Pride,” starring Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.
“Joseph Goebbels talks about how this was a passion project for him,” Tarantino laughed.
The upcoming DVD release is likely only the beginning of renewed talk about “Basterds.” From Christoph Waltz’s performance as a crazily evil Nazi to Tarantino himself, awards-season chatter has surrounded the film since its debut in Cannes earlier this year. Tarantino welcomes such talk, but it’s an awards show later in 2010 that has him truly pumped.
“I’m looking forward to Christoph Waltz winning Best Villain at the MTV Movie Awards!” he laughed.