MovieChat Forums > Inglourious Basterds (2009) Discussion > Fredrick Zoller personality 180°

Fredrick Zoller personality 180°

posted 8 years ago by kittensymphony
11 replies | jump to latest

I was disappointed by the 180° change in Fredrick's personality at the endif the movie. It seemed like a ploy to make the audience more sympathetic to him dying.

Up until this point he had been a nice young man who was interested in this girl he met, bonding over a shared passion. He was proud of his exploits but not too much so -- he was a young guy who had become a celebrity, so of course he would be a bit cocky. But he genuinely seemed like a nice guy. A bit pushy at times, but never in an aggressive manner.

(YES I know he was a German soldier and he was on the wrong side, but had he not been forced into the war he would've been a nice guy to bring home to your parents.)

Then in his final scene, he suddenly becomes a huge overblown jerk, could-be rapist, basically the worst kind of guy. I feel like this personality change was added just so that the audience wouldn't be too sad about him dying. The thing is, the audience could've handled a nice German dying, too. It would make the movie better, in fact, to show that even though not every German soldier was a horrible person deep down, they still needed to be punished for their complicity in the war.

Anyone else feel this way?

[–] Sarahnjames-197-448587 8 years ago

I took him as someone who because frustrated and over reacted.
Didn't think he was going to rape her though.

[–] Nedithvm 8 years ago

So, this is a guy was chummy with psychos who made him a hero because he killed 250 men in three days... and he was a good guy. The fact he tried to force himself to Shoshana... then you have a problem.

Some soldiers are indeed forced. Zoller didn't look like one. I think, the ending simply meant to imply he was always this kind of man: he wanted to be seen as a hero by everybody and got mad when he didn't have his way.

[–] thektroll 8 years ago

Correct. This wasn't a forced move to make you not feel bad it was:

1. To add to the suspense of not trusting or knowing what this guy will do.

2. It's realistic honestly. Tarantino doesn't follow clichés, he makes things somehow pretty realistic. This guy played the rich hero who is the perfect package, but we see his TRUE COLORS when he's pushed and doesn't get his way. Fact is, nearly every male is an *beep* to some extent, some more than others, so to pretend he's this perfect charming nice guy hero was more so a face, and not realistic.

Honestly it's pretty brilliant how he portrays these characters sometimes to be so spot on of real people's psychs.

Now Hans Landa choking Van Hammersmark, I thought was forced. THAT didn't seem to fit his personality as much. He never loses his cool but then out of no where..

[–] Egobot 8 years ago

Au contraire, I think it's exactly something he would do.

Landa seems to always be in control, especially over other people. When he strangled her it seemed entirely within his nature. This time he had full control over this woman's life, free of audience and free to express his savagery any way he saw fit.

[–] scannerdarkly (1275) a year ago

I'll add more to this. Hans Landa knew that since he was about to do something that will end the war and make him an american ally/asylum seeker with his mansion on nantucket island...he only had one more chance to do something evil that he could get away with, he wanted to kill one more person since he wouldnt likely get another chance. He enjoyed being evil. When he tells Aldo Raine "Jew Hunter!? I took no pleasure in hunting jews, I was just good at it. Thats why I did it". He is lying. He enjoyed hunting people, hurting people, and killing people. The fact they were jewish and seen as inferior by the nazis was of no real consequence to him. He just enjoyed being able to hurt people and get away with it.

Otherwise, since he was siding with the Americans plot in his favor, there was no need to kill Bridget Von Hammersmark.

[–] ExTechOp (2756) a year ago

Otherwise, since he was siding with the Americans plot in his favor, there was no need to kill Bridget Von Hammersmark.

Disagree. Whole I agree with everything else you say, especially the part about killing her because he could and because he enjoyed the sense of power it gave him to kill her ... there WAS a need to kill her, or at least a motive.

It was to ensure that he and he alone got the credit for the whole operation. Bridget Von Hammersmark might have been induced to go along with his version, but it's safer for Landa to just kill her and emerge as the only "good" German on the winning side.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] tinamarie1988 (1) a year ago

No. He did not do a 180 personality change, it was evident all along. It's far easier for women to see and I'm strongly feeling you're a man. He was never kind and respectful to her, just only through his nice guy facade. If he respected her or cared about her feelings at all he would have left her alone like she clearly told him to. The restaurant scene she tells him she doesn't even want to be his friend shows him animosity and storms out. What does he do next? Sends a Gestapo officer to force her into a car and bring her against her will to where he is. Then has the audacity to say I'm glad you accepted my invitation. That's why she asks incredulously "invitation?!" He told the German director to change to her venue without even asking her first, and he should have already known she hated German film through BOTH of their first two meetings. He's forcing her into something he should and would know she wouldn't want if he paid any attention and only does it so she would in his words "owe him" for what "he did for her." That's classic "nice guy" behavior- do something for a girl then when rebukes his advances he becomes angry and says she owes him sex for what he did on his own without her asking for it in the first place.
To sum it up, he pursues her and she flat out tells him to leave her alone and she doesn't want anything to do with him even friendship. He then immediately forces her by German Gestapo to come to him like she never told him those things, forcing her to host a NAZI PROPAGANDA FILM after she's made it clear she hates German movies and despises Nazis. He tried to force her into a sexual relationship she didn't want by "doing something for her" that she also didn't want and was forced into and uses that as a demand for sex when she again tells him no. So he did NOT do a 180 change. His true colors that were hidden behind FAKE kindness and respect, that have been there all along, come out.

[–] ExTechOp (2756) a year ago

Well said!

He acts like a "nice guy" but he's actually coercive and pushy, forcing "favors" onto her that she neither asked for nor wanted.

Typical "incel" behavior, actually. Those losers who act like "nice guys" as if being a "nice guy" entitles them to a woman's affection, rather than simply being an acceptable baseline.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8578) a year ago

No, he was putting on an act.
But really, what are you even talking about?
He was a character in a fantasy movie, serviving a purpose in the plot.