Several days ago I presented clips from some reviewers about Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Inglourious Basterds. I’m not a violent person, and I have always avoided it whenever possible. But, when necessary and forced, I’m not one to back down. The film may be, as some have said, Jewish fantasy porn, as only Tarantino can take it so over the top. Still, there is an underlying harsh reality to be faced: Sometimes it is better to take off the other guy’s top than he yours.
One of the characters in the film, the “Bear Jew”, is played by Eli Roth. That character’s baseball bat to the heads of Nazis is unsettling to some. I offer you my personal take.
An old friend just attended the wedding of Eli Roth's younger brother. I wrote my friend:
Do me a favor, really. Shake Eli's hand and say thanks to the "Bear Jew" from another Brooklyn Jew, me. He did it Brooklyn style, the way I grew up. Some may have f**ked with me, but none came away unhurt, and never did again.
My old friend sent me this email:
Bruce,
I read your email to Eli and his parents- they all loved it and
that led to the handshake pictured here.
My old friend emailed me some of the film making anecdotes he picked up at the wedding. Here’s one:
The other thing Eli mentioned was that Tarantino hired a few Jews to play the roles, but Eli cautioned him that these were not "tough" Jews, that they were like the kids he knew in Hebrew school growing up, delicate, fastidious, soft; one of them had to do a scene using a rifle and he kept stopping to clean his hands because he didn't like getting dirty, even for a role. So Tarantino finally fired them and got some other guys to play the roles--but Eli remained Tarantino's main man.
