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In pursuit of catharsis: "Inglourious Basterds" and the stereotype of Jews in the Polish culture

Polish culture Jews Tarantino, Quentin "Inglourious Basterds"

The purpose of the article is to show how common Polish stereotypes of Jews are reflected, shattered or transformed into others in the portrayal of Jewish characters in Quentin Tarantino’s movie Inglourious Basterds. Janusz Wróblewski, a journalist from Polityka, claimed that the movie is the most impudent evocation of the Second World War. Despite the fact that it is a fictional motion picture, Q. Tarantino comes to terms with one’s past. It means that Jews finally took revenge on Germans. The movie consists of five parts showing the images of Jews. The Jewish character is depicted in a negative, neutral or positive light. These views coexist in Inglourious Basterds just like various stereotypes of Jews do in the Polish culture. Comparative analysis of the movie’s images and stereotypical representations shows that only some of them are coincident. It is important that they are not the same. The popularity of the movie among Polish spectators, for example on the biggest and most popular movie service Filmweb, indicates that they have accepted director’s vision. The fiction created by Q. Tarantino convinced people, but answering a question concerning purging emotional tension connected with the perception of Jews remains a personal issue.

Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego

ISSN 0239-6661 ISSN 2300-7249

PAd P 101182 II

Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis, ISSN 0239-6661, No 3549, Studia nad Autorytaryzmem i Totalitaryzmem. 2013, 35, nr 4, s. 41-54

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