Friday
31Oct2008
Samuel L. Jackson, Maggie Cheung Become 'Basterds'
Friday, October 31, 2008 at 2:12PM
We kind of had a feeling one of these casting moves for
Inglourious Basterds would come to pass, but
the other is a big surprise to me.
Samuel L. Jackson will play the narrator,
according to
The Playlist, which he was rumored for a couple months ago. Because
Sam can't say no, it seems, once we heard he was interested in the new
Tarantino
flick, this deal was kind of sewn up.
I'm not saying QT should do the expected thing, just that he shouldn't always do the truly unexpected thing because nobody expects it. It's artifice, and it's making us more aware that we're watching something constructed rather than allowing us to suspend our disbelief.
I made a very similar point earlier today about the accents in Valkyrie; all the Germans are speaking with English accents, except for Tom Cruise. More than a few people will hate that. Maybe Cheung will be great, but it's certainly another head-scratcher in this cast.
Basterds is still filming (obviously, since they're still casting the damn thing), and as far as I know, it's still headed for Cannes in May.
Reader Comments (2)
well, considering maggie cheung speaks perfect english, had a french husband and can actually act (quite well, i might add) i don't see the decision as being at all controversial. she even learned french for a film she did with husband tho' i have no idea how fluent she is. there are asian people in france. that live there, work there, hell, some are even born there. oddly, enough , much like in america there are asian emigres in france who speak french with an asian accent. she's not like michelle yeoh, for example, who speaks english well but has a pronounced accent. point being, there are asian people in france who speak french (or just enough to get by); i think you'd be hard pressed to find native germans who speak with english accents.
I never said it was controversial, just that it's part of a pattern Tarantino is following on this film where the casting choices catch you by surprise. Nearly all of them have more of a "huh" factor than a "wow" factor. And he's mixing a lot of pieces together that just feel forced.
The point about Valkyrie isn't that there are English accents in Germany - because for decades, that has been the standard accent in English-language films that take place in non-English-speaking locales, whether it's Nazi Germany, ancient Greece, or outer space. The point is that we have a cast full of the default accents and one guy speaking with an American accent. Or two; Dylan Baker has a supporting role, as well.
It's just the sort of thing your brain picks up on while you're watching a movie: This doesn't fit. And as that relates to Basterds, Tarantino has made a lot of casting moves that may or may not be bad but they're certainly the long way around.