J
Jean Emile
Senior Member
France
French France
- May 22, 2009
- #1
Hi everybody !
I wonder why the title of Tarantino’s last film is “Inglorious Basterds” and not “bastards”. Is it an American spelling or is there some other reason ?
Jean Emile
R
Rover_KE
Senior Member
Northwest England - near Blackburn, Lancashire
British English
- May 22, 2009
- #2
It's a completely non-standard spelling.
Tarantino has decided to spell it wrong deliberately for some sort of artistic effect.
You'll have to ask him why.
Rover
I
iconoclast
Senior Member
mexico
english - anglo-irish
- May 22, 2009
- #3
Actually, it's all misspelt as "inglourious basterds". (I saw a news clip on it yesterday, and expectations seem high.)
Last edited:
J
johndot
Senior Member
English - England
- May 22, 2009
- #4
I expect the title has been spelt in that fashion because it demonstrates how, in the film, a few people go through the mangle. Perhaps.
cuchuflete
Senior Member
Maine, EEUU
EEUU-inglés
- May 22, 2009
- #5
Forum Rules are clear about the need to look up words in dictionaries before starting discussion threads. A look at a few AE dictionaries, including WR's own, should provide the answer about whether it is an "American spelling".
panjandrum
Senior Member
Belfast, Ireland
English-Ireland (top end)
- May 23, 2009
- #6
Inglorious Bastards (released in the USA) is a 1978 Italian war movie directed by Enzo G. Castellari, written by Sandro Continenza, Sergio Grieco, Franco Marotta, Romano Migliorini, & Laura Toscano, and starring Bo Svenson, Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson, Michael Pergolani, and Jackie Basehart. It was released in 1977.
Wiki
That title is taken, so a new movie has to use different words.
The title (and partial premise) of the upcoming film are inspired by Italian director Enzo Castellari's 1978 movie Inglorious Bastards, but it is not a remake of that film.
Wiki
Spelling them differently seems to be enough.
J
Jean Emile
Senior Member
France
French France
- May 23, 2009
- #7
Hi !
thank you for your explanations and especially for Panjandrums very detailed one. I hadn’t even noticed that it was “inglourious” instead of “inglorious”. French newspapers, even the specialized ones, write “Inglorious basterds” quite commonly.
By the way I apologize for having infringed the “rules of the forum” by asking if it could be an American spelling. I confess having had a look only in the OED and in the Merriam-Webster before asking. I should have asked : “Is it a Tarantinian spelling ?”
Jean Emile
S
south_paw
New Member
English - American, Californian
- Aug 24, 2009
- #8
panjandrum said:
That title is taken, so a new movie has to use different words.
Spelling them differently seems to be enough.
Good idea except that titles, at least in the US cannot be copy written. There are plenty of film with the same name whose productions have nothing to do with one another. Tarantino is famous for ripping off other films so no doubt he was well aware of the other Inglorious Bastards. There has to be another reason...
JulianStuart
Senior Member
Sonoma County CA
English (UK then US)
- Aug 24, 2009
- #9
"Ungamely euphermisms"
There's a fine line between "ripping off" and "paying homage", whether in titles or in movies themselves 
spatula
Senior Member
London
English - London (Irish ethnicity)
- Aug 24, 2009
- #10
south_paw said:
Good idea except that titles, at least in the US cannot be copy written. There are plenty of film with the same name whose productions have nothing to do with one another. Tarantino is famous for ripping off other films so no doubt he was well aware of the other Inglorious Bastards. There has to be another reason...
This is correct. For example in recent years there have been two high-profile Hollywood films entitled Crash (Paul Haggis 2004 and David Cronenberg 1996). I think south_paw is right, it's probably Tarantino's way of acknowledging another film - but not having seen either I could only speculate as to whether in this case one is relevant to the other.
A
Alxmrphi
Senior Member
NW England
UK English
- Aug 24, 2009
- #11
I just thought it was so he could advertise a swear word.
I see this week or last week something has happened where it can't be advertised anymore, now the film is just called "Inglourious" now, for some reason they've taken out the basterds part, I thought people still thought it was too close to the swear word and complained (backing up my original view of the motive for the name change; glad I read this thread and find out the other information)
So that kind of backed up my view that the mis-spelling was to avoid the swear word.
I know how film titles can be, I read about the long search a film company had to go through to find a family with the surname "Focker" because of its similarity to "Fucker", only when it was confirmed to be a real surname would the allow the film to be titled so.
S
south_paw
New Member
English - American, Californian
- Aug 24, 2009
- #12
JulianStuart said:
There's a fine line between "ripping off" and "paying homage", whether in titles or in movies themselves
Yeah I think that's an entirely different forum regarding if Tarantino pay homage or rips off other films.
Alxmrphi said:
I just thought it was so he could advertise a swear word.
I see this week or last week something has happened where it can't be advertised anymore, now the film is just called "Inglourious" now, for some reason they've taken out the basterds part, I thought people still thought it was too close to the swear word and complained (backing up my original view of the motive for the name change; glad I read this thread and find out the other information)So that kind of backed up my view that the mis-spelling was to avoid the swear word.
I know how film titles can be, I read about the long search a film company had to go through to find a family with the surname "Focker" because of its similarity to "Fucker", only when it was confirmed to be a real surname would the allow the film to be titled so.
Hmm interesting theory...
Funny story when Meet the Fockers came out Universal had a day at Universal Studios Hollywood in which families with the last name "Focker" could come for free. There were hundreds who showed up.
