It’s one of cinema’s greatest mysteries: Where did the mark on Brad Pitt’s neck in Inglourious Basterds come from?

In cinema, some directors take pride in unraveling all the mysteries, illuminating all the gray areas, answering all the questions, and ensuring that the audience goes home with all the answers. And others, sometimes have fun, leave a little suspense, keep a few secrets and entrust their audience to fill in some gaps left voluntarily in the script.

What’s in Tom Hanks’ last FedEx package at the end of the world? Who, Childs or MacReady, is really the creature in the final sequence of The Thing? What exactly is in Marcellus Wallace’s mysterious briefcase?

Or, in Quentin Tarantino’s filmography, where does the scar Aldo Raine’s character wears on his neck in Inglourious Basterds come from?

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on whether you like your fantasy theory and development), Tarantino belongs to the second category of filmmakers: those who prefer fans to figure out the little details for themselves.

“It depends on you!”

“Whether the audience knows it or not, I know the characters’ past and I want the actors to know it too. But the audience shouldn’t.”– explained the director on the channel Outstanding scenariosBefore discussing the character of Inglourious Basterds.

“For example, Brad Pitt’s character, Aldo Raine, has a rope mark around his neck. But I never wanted to explain what happened. You just have to figure it out for yourself! It’s up to you to provide it. On the origin of this scar.”

“I like that idea”

As he makes clear in the rest of his explanation, if Tarantino likes to let these little secrets into his films, it’s to offer the audience a more immersive experience and allow them to participate in the creative process. From the movie:

“I like the idea that if you think about where this rope scar came from, and someone else thinks about it, and someone else does the same thing, three different people will come up with three different reasons for this scar. It’s three different movies that you’ve seen, and I like that idea.”

What do you think of Quentin Tarantino’s approach? So where do you think Aldo Raine’s scar comes from?

(Re)discover all the hidden details in ‘Inglourious Basterds’…