Why did Aldo Raine have that scar?
In Inglourious Basterds First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) had a scar that made it look as though someone had tried to cut his throat. Is there any reason mentioned for that scar (in the movie that I missed, or in interviews with Tarantino etc.)?
I kept expecting someone to ask about it, and get some background story.
Scar across throat
Scar continuing up behind left ear
Best Answer
He survived a lynching
That is not just speculation, that is in the script:
CHAPTER TWO
"INGLORIOUS BASTERDS"
FADE UP
EXT - SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND - DAY
A bunch of SOLDIERS are lined up at attention.
LIEUTENANT ALDO.RAINE, a hillbilly from the mountains of
Tennessee, walks down the line. He recruits the men, the
Germans will later call; "The Basterds". Lt.Aldo has one
defining physical characteristic, a ROPE BURN around his
neck. As if once upon a time,. he survived a LYNCHING.
The scar will never once be mentioned.LT.ALDO
My name is Lt.Aldo Raine, and I'm
puttin together a special team.
That may be because he is part American Indian
At 1:20, he says
Now I am the direct descendent of the mountain man, Jim Bridger.
That means I got a little Injun‡ in me.
An implication of this might be that an attempt to lynch him was made out of racist motivations, but that is speculation.
‡ Injun: Indian, or Native American.
Pictures about "Why did Aldo Raine have that scar?"
the origin of Aldo Raine's scar (NSFW)
More answers regarding why did Aldo Raine have that scar?
Answer 2
It is neither explained in the movie nor outside. There are no interviews available from cast or crew, there are just assumptions and user theories. One can be found on IMDb:
It is never explained in the movie, as it was Tarantino's intention to leave it unknown. Several theories have come up about it, one such being that it resulted from his punishment for being a bootlegger in the Southern United States. There is a rumor that Tarantino said in an interview that Raine was lynched by the KKK for defending African Americans in the South. It is also been suggested that someone slit or tried to slit his throat but didn't go as deeply as intended or that Aldo fought them off quickly enough, although the scar does not look like that caused by a knife, and the screenplay refers to it as a 'rope burn'.
Answer 3
On IMDb it is said that
The reason for the scar on Aldo Raine's neck is not mentioned in the film. The script hints that Raine survived a lynching, a common punishment in the 1920s and 1930s.
And furthermore, that it is a reference to the character Judge Roy Bean from the movie The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ann H, Klaus Nielsen, Yan Krukov, Yan Krukov