Tell me more ×
Movies & TV Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for movie and tv enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite

In the first part of the movie he kills her family and she escapes. He is known as the Jew Hunter and never lets any Jews escape him. Later when he meets her under her assumed name Emmanuelle he makes references that suggests that he does recognize her. However the conversation could also have meant nothing. If he did actually recognize her I find it very strange that he didn't do anything about her.

share|improve this question
If you are talking about their first meeting in the hotel, I could not remember that Coln ever talked about the story to Shoshana(Emmanuel)! Please help me remember! – Mistu4u Dec 31 '12 at 18:04
@Mistu4u That's just it he didn't specifically mention the story. He made what could be veiled allusions to it. " You must have the cream." Her family was shot while hiding in a dairy farmer's house. There were other things he mentioned I forget what they were specifically, but it leaves the impression that he knows who she is. – Kevin Howell Dec 31 '12 at 18:09

1 Answer

up vote 7 down vote accepted

I believe it depends on the viewer whether to take it as an indication to the accident or not. When we as viewers of the movie see the whole conversation happening in every moment we feel the fear of revelation of Shoshana's original identity to the Colonel, given we are already been introduced with his cunning and cold but cruel behavior. We feel such because the whole story is shown from the start how she survives from the unnecessary chasing of the Colonel(from her point of view). So when after a long time Shoshana meets with him, we as well as her, feel fear to see the executioner of her family and if he might recognize her! So maybe the Colonel did not identify her(chances is 99%). But we(Shoshana and us) automatically feel fear. His ordering milk for her or the last sentences by him:

I did have something else to ask you. 
But right now, for the life of me, I cant remember what it is. 
Oh well, must not have been important.

pushes us in the wrong direction out of this fear. As long as the conversation went on, we hold our breath with her and when he leaves, we loose it! So I think the conversation was nothing regarding him identifying her. He was just trying to dig into her individuality as a quality security officer(Though bad in nature, we cant ignore his responsibility to his work!). But the fear of blowing her cover makes us make out unnecessary meaning and that is how a winning script is!

share|improve this answer
Personally, I think he knew who she was. However, by that point he was already making his plan to betray Hitler and make a deal for himself to end the war, so either his letting her go was because he figured she would be taking her revenge herself, or (more likely) he let her go because she was the one person who managed to get away from him, and he let her go out of respect for her remaking her life as she did (remember, for all the atrocities Landa does in the film, he considers himself a 'detective' doing his job rather than someone who wants to see all Jews killed). – Barry Hammer Jan 2 at 11:03
@BarryHammer Your comment is different enough that you really should have given it as an answer. – Kevin Howell Jan 17 at 16:55

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.