What is the title of the opening chapter of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds?
Answer
Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France
The opening chapter of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds is titled “Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France.”
The chapter introduces dairy farmer Perrier LaPadite and SS colonel Hans Landa during the German occupation of France. Its long conversation gradually reveals that LaPadite is hiding Jewish fugitives beneath his floorboards, setting the film’s alternate-history conflict in motion.
The title deliberately resembles the opening of a fairy tale. That framing reflects the film’s blend of wartime drama, revenge fantasy, and revisionist history. The chapter is followed by “Inglourious Basterds,” which introduces Aldo Raine and his unit of Jewish-American soldiers.
The phrase should not be confused with the movie’s full title or with the title of Tarantino’s later film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The chapter heading is specific to the first section of Inglourious Basterds and emphasizes its French setting.