Colonel Hans Landa is my favorite character in I.B. because he always demands your attention, and because he is one of the most complex characters in the film. There are many similarities between the scenes he is in. For one, the musical underscore is always minimal if present at all. While this element is present throughout the film, it is particularly effective with his character because it creates suspense. In the first scene of the movie, the absence of a soundtrack creates the mood of imminent doom: somehow, you just know something bad is going to happen.
Secondly, he is always the dominant element of the shot. For example, when he shows up during Shoshanna's forced lunch with Goebbels and Zoller, he is the only one standing up on his arrival, forebodingly dominating over Shoshanna in both the sense of their uncomfortable history and his intimidating physical presence. Immediately after he arrives, the rest of the lunchers leave, raising the tension level between, essentially, the victim and his prey.
The shot density is also very sparse when Landa is involved. Even in the premier setting, Tarantino's angles make Col. Landa the focus, with few distractions. When he is speaking with Aldo and his companions, Landa is always in the shot, and when he is responding to something Bridgette von Hammersmark or one of the others has said, there is no over-the-shoulder angle, he is always the center.
Col. Hans Landa is arguably the most intriguing character in the movie, and Tarantino makes sure you think so by making him the focal point of every scene he is in. He is always in his Nazi uniform, always the dominant feature, and always accompanied by little or no music. The audience can't help but always be wondering what he's going to do next, what he knows, and what he doesn't know. I love this movie, and I particularly love this character!
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