Racism and Anti-racist Resistance in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained

Abstract

In my thesis I compare the depiction of racism and anti-racist resistance in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained. First, I look at Tarantino's history in the filmmaking industry and his unique style of film direction, for example, how he uses genre convention breaking elements to tell serious themed stories in a digestible way. After this, I cover the movies' background in history and in the cinema industry. Then I analyze both films separately, taking a look at the depiction of racism, characters, themes and symbols. I continue with a comparative analysis, where I put several aspects of the movies side by side, marking differences and similarities between them. For example, how the protagonists reclaim their agency or the idea of the "white helper". Finally, I finish my thesis with a conclusion where I summarize my thoughts and what I found about the depiction of racism and Anti-racist Resistance in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.