Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds

By Simcha Weinstein, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer

Alternative history is a genre with a long pedigree, especially in the realm of science fiction. After all, who can resist wondering, “What if…?”

The epic saga of the Second World War, with its action, tragedy and larger than life heroes has inspired many alternative histories. Now acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) has joined the long list of filmmakers who can’t resist making their own World War II fantasy-action flick.

Tarantino’s latest release is Inglourious Basterds (the misspellings are intentional). Inspired by a schlocky 1970s Italian “macaroni combat” action picture of the same name, the movie is Tarantino’s homage to the “misfits on a mission” movies of old, like The Dirty Dozen.

This time around, the heroes are a Jewish-American revenge squad raising havoc throughout German-occupied France, who not only kill but scalp their Nazi targets.

Melanie Laurent as Shoshana Dreyfus in Inglourious Basterds

In a parallel story line, a beautiful young Jewish woman whose family was slaughtered by the SS somehow takes over the Paris cinema where Goebbels’ latest propaganda film will debut, with Hitler himself in attendance.

She plans to trap the audience of high-ranking Nazis inside and burn the building to the ground. “My name is Shoshanna Dreyfus,” she announces at one point in the film. “And this is the face of Jewish vengeance.”

At the press conference following the film’s debut, one journalist asks if Inglourious Basterds was a “Jewish revenge fantasy.” Eli Roth, director of the Hostel horror movies and now playing one of Tarantino’s “Basterds,” said the notion of Jews getting even with Hitler was “kosher porn. It’s something I dreamed since I was a kid.”

In the movie, Roth gets to live out his childhood fantasy: he plays the baseball bat-swinging “Bear Jew,” who some of the film’s Nazis believe is really a vengeful golem.

Certainly, I’m not advocating vigilante justice or suggesting that anybody scalp their enemies in real life. The point is: the whole concept of the film challenges stereotypes.

After all, moviegoers are more accustomed to seeing wimpy American Jewish males on the big screen.

Inglourious Basterds opens Aug. 21, and the unabashedly Jewish characters are a major selling and plot point.

Today’s generation likes its Jewish heroes tough, an attitude captured in the comedy Knocked Up, in which Seth Rogen’s Jewish character praises the controversial Steven Spielberg drama, Munich.

“Every movie with Jews, we’re the ones getting killed,” he enthuses to his friends. “Munich flips that on its ear!”

Closer to home, I know two young Jewish boxers who defy all the nebbish stereotypes and challenge mainstream perceptions of Jewish manhood. Dmitriy Salita is an undefeated junior welterweight boxer who also happens to be an Orthodox Jew, as is Yuri Foreman, who will be competing for the light middleweight championship this fall.

We can’t all be boxers, but we do need to embrace and honor physical courage as a worthy aspect of Jewish masculinity.

Too often, we demean physical prowess in favor of the mental variety, but in our world today — with Iran flexing its nuclear muscles and enemies plotting to bomb synagogues in our very own neighborhoods — the Jewish people should learn to celebrate the “tough Jew.” Maybe movies like Tarantino’s will play a part in changing our attitudes for the better.

Simcha Weinstein is the author of Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century.