When analysing a postmodern we can categorize postmodern elements into ‘macro’ and ‘micro’ features of a text. ‘Macro’ refers to an observation about the text which is in relation to something outside the film itself. For example, a representation of society or a text being intertextual. ‘Micro’ refers to a postmodern element that is just within the film itself, for example hyperreality or playfulness. ‘Inglorious Barsterds’, a film Quentin Tarantino is considered to be postmodern, which is shown through many different factor – it has both Micro and Macro features of postmodernism. A micro level of postmodernism in ‘Inglorious Barsterds’ is through the hyperreality that we are presented with. One scene which hyperreal is the scene when the character of the woman who owns the cinema is looking out of a window, looking down at a crowd of people and there is some very powerful non-digetic music playing. The style of the scene is shot very much like a music video, and an audience would straight away recognise this, it is also very different from the way the rest of the film is filmed. It is hyperreal as the way it is filmed is not in anyway realistic interpretation of the scene and situation, Tarantino using a media reality (a music video) to present the scene, it does not represent reality. This is a micro element as there are no influences or references from the outside world.
A macro level of postmodernism would be valueless and meaningless nature of the film. It is a film about the Fist World War and it could be argued that the film is very insensitive and here is no meaning behind the film, reflecting the postmodern theory that as a result of capitalism all text is meaningless and valueless. This is a macro level of postmodernism as it has influences from the outside world bringing the postmodern features. Inglorious basterds shows through many different areas of the film. It creates comic situations and characters out of a very dark and sensitive part of history. For example the character of Hitler and other German figures and made to be sort of charactertures of the real person. This also creates a very meaningless and shallow perception of the Second World War, it creates a very basic ‘badies’ and ‘goodies’ idea. This illustrates postmodern ideas, it shows how the film is created to please an audience, a western audience, Tarantino is creates this valueless insight to the war because that is what an audience wants to see. There is no want for value to the film, the audience wants to see Brad Pitt defeating the Nazis.
