Take 1: Non-Verbal Communication - The Café Scene

Exploring Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds utilizes the power of character design to help entice the audience, add dimension to the characters, and exhibit creative storytelling. The scene that will be analyzed is near the beginning of the film, characters Fredrick and Shosanna’s second encounter with each other. This analysis will dissect the anatomy of the scene by examining the non-verbal communication elements that give depth to the two characters and help the audience further understand their relationship.

The scene opens with Shosanna sitting in a booth at a café. Her body language is closed; hunched over reading a book, hat covering her eyes, and smoking a cigarette intimately. Fredrick is seen through the window, he sees her in the café and waves joyfully with a grin on his face, before entering to see her. Shosanna does not move and makes no attempt to stand up or show enthusiasm for his encounter, as she frowns and lets out an annoyed vocal characterizer breath.

As Fredrick begins to respond, another German soldier in the café recognizes the famed war sniper. The two soldiers converse in front of Shosanna, but there is a language change from French to German. Quentin Tarantino made an artistic decision to not have subtitles accompany this conversation; this is deliberate. He does this because the audience, like Shosanna, does not speak German. They are viewing the interaction the way Shosanna is, and like her are aware of the interaction that is taking place between the two soldiers, language is no significance. It is not imperative to understand what they are both saying, as through the brief conversation, the audience continues to learn more about Fredrick Zoller’s character. Without verbal cues, the audience, as well as Shosanna, are forced to become hyperaware of the body language the two men exude. The soldier, clearly amazed and star-struck by Zoller, is introducing himself enthusiastically.

Ready...Set...Action!

This particular scene in the film is not the goriest nor the most suspenseful scene that has become a signature of director Quentin Tarantino, but one that explores the intricacies of human interactions that Tarantino depicts in his films. The two pivotal characters lay the foundation for the climax of the film, and their own fates. Shosanna Dreyfus is the true heart and soul of Inglourious Basterds, her tenacity, her strength, and her scorn, propel the story forward, and determine the vengeful death of the hundreds of Nazis attending the premiere of Stolz der Nation at her cinema. It is her relationship with the famed German war hero, Fredrick Zoller, that is intriguing and provides an interesting subplot. Fredrick Zoller and Shosanna Dreyfus, played by Daniel Brühl and Mélanie Laurent respectively, are opposites on screen. Zoller, a war sniper, is shy and coy in the presence of Shosanna, his behaviour, unlike anything one would presume a soldier to be. Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish woman disguised as a Frenchwoman, has contempt and hatred toward the Germans that killed her family. The nuanced behaviours of both Brühl and Laurent are done through subtleties, and what their characters do not say in words, the actors speak in volumes through their non-verbal communication, captivating the audience, and telling its own story of the pair.

Fredrick’s intentions are entirely clear in this scene, as they are displayed in his mannerisms when he initiates conversation with Shosanna. As he walks up to her table, he continuously runs his hand through his hair, indicating that being in her presence makes him nervous, the touching of his hair acting as his adaptor. He maintains eye contact with her with every word he speaks, but Shosanna makes little attempt to meet his gaze of affection, continuing to look down at her book. She demonstrates gaze aversion while speaking to him, showing her lack of interest, as Fredrick wears his heart on his sleeve. It is only when she delivers her last line asking him to “search elsewhere for a French girlfriend”, a line meant to offend, does she look up at him to show dominance.

Shosanna is immediately intrigued by the interaction between the two, her eyes now watching the two men entirely. What she cannot understand through their German language, she is taking in through their body language. She analyzes Fredrick Zoller, the man she easily ignored just moments earlier, a man she thought she had calculated. When the soldier bids Zoller farewell, Fredrick returns his gaze to Shosanna and gives a simple shrug with his arms in the air, as if to say “no big deal”.  Shosanna looking up at Fredrick, asks “who are you?”, to which he coyly responds instead of giving a straight answer. His continued playfulness shows that he would rather casually converse with Shosanna than discuss and explain his time in the war. It is clear he enjoys the power imbalance that is shifting, yet is pleased that she does not know of his war efforts. His behaviour begins to relax, no longer stiff or reverting back to his adaptor.

It is then at that moment, another soldier and his girlfriend, recognize Fredrick Zoller and ask for an autograph. The soldier’s girlfriend looks to Shosanna enviously and says in French how “lucky you are to have captured the heart of such a brave war hero”, this is when Fredrick interjects and corrects her by saying “Mademoiselle is not my girlfriend”, but not before giving Shosanna a flirtatious smile, as if to say he would not object to such relationship. Shosanna now has set her book down and paused from her cigarette, giving her full attention to the trio. The soldier and his girlfriend bid Zoller farewell. Fredrick returns to Shosanna, with raised eyebrows and a shake of his head, underplaying yet another admirer’s encounter, a hint of embarrassment on his face. Shosanna then says, “so you are a war hero?”, while raising her eyebrows and smirking, showing that she is impressed, although feigned or genuine remains ambiguous.  

This is emphasized by the noticeable difference in rank as the soldier that approaches Zoller, is clearly his superior. This military hierarchal contrast was purposeful and intensifies the audience’s perception of the soldier’s feeling of respect for Colonel Zoller. When he reaches to shake his hand, Zoller offers his hand formally and the soldier eagerly clasps it with not one, but both of his hands, cradling Zoller’s in his own. His eyes are wide, his pitch is high in tone, and his grin cannot be contained. He struggles to stifle the excited giggle that escapes him, displaying his disbelief in meeting Zoller coupled with his admiration. This role reversal in behaviour between the two, and the lack of composure from the soldier, depicts the extent to which Zoller’s past war achievements have on those that know of him. Even those that outrank him on a military basis cannot help, but be awe-struck in his presence; their composure is an afterthought or not a thought at all. Throughout this encounter, Zoller responds cordially and stiffly when dealing with his fame, his posture is straight and he keeps his words to a minimum. This scene clearly showing he is uncomfortable with this attention, as he laughs nervously and draws sharp intakes of breath.

The creative vision that Quentin Tarantino brings to the screen, combined with the performance of Daniel Brühl and Mélanie Laurent, make for an enticing spectacle that has already been revered as a classic among films. It is through Tarantino’s script and the non-verbal communication in the film that the story is able to divulge such raw emotion to the audience. To each other, the characters can only say so much, but to the audience, their mannerisms impart another level of storytelling. The beautiful moments in the film, prove to be the stolen glances, the subtle smiles, and the nervous ticks. They achieve added layers to the story, peeling back the humanity that the characters possess, and the captivating sequences between Shosanna and Zoller are a dichotomy from the rest of the film that is boisterous and wild. It is within Tarantino’s attention to detail and not through his wholly view, that the audience is able to see the true mastery of his filmmaking and the complexity of his characters.

Coming Soon...

Take 2: Creating a Villain - Colonel Hans Landa

Watch the full scene above

Most German soldiers are somebody's son.

Fredrick:

Fredrick:

Shoshanna:

Shoshanna:

Who are you?

I thought I was just a uniform.

You're not just a German soldier. Are you somebody's son?