Quentin Tarantino

the man and his movies

Monday, December 17, 2007

Focus Essay


What the public may perceive of celebrities can often be completely contradictory to what the person is truly like. With Quentin Tarantino comes a lot of confusion and many assumptions. Based on his movies, many people presume that he is a strange, disturbed man who grew up in an unsettling environment, but that is not true. Also, his material is often thought to be incredibly original, when in fact only the main ideas come from Quentin’s mind. Therefore, what the public think of this multitalented man are often severely warped versions of the truth.

Peculiar, unstable, and nerdy are words that often describe Quentin. People see his movies, and inevitably notice all the sick and twisted scenes that these movies consist of. Instantly, many people are disgusted and develop an aversion for Quentin and his movies. In their minds, he is the epitome of messed up people, and they assume that he had a messed up childhood to match his personality. Quentin himself implies hillbilly upbringings. Those who admire this man’s work, or know him personally know this is not the case. In reality, Quentin’s mother Connie raised Quentin Jerome Tarantino normally in an upper middle class society. His real father, Tony Tarantino left Connie and Quentin and so did the next two men who became Quentin’s stepfathers. Quentin never quite had a father figure, and this idea is prevalent in his movies. The beginnings of his affinity for movies originated when Quentin was young. He would often see movies, some that children his age should not have seen. It was no surprise that he aimed to become a famous director/actor. He was unique and creative as a child, and this imaginative spark grew as Quentin got older. Quentin often appears at somewhat important events dressed in jeans and a dirty t-shirt. Though he is seemingly a slob, he simply figures that people come to see his work, not him. When the name Quentin Tarantino was not yet widely known, people who saw his films then met the man himself all shared the same reaction. They did not expect what they saw. Quentin appeared to be too happy and seemingly naïve to have written such vulgar movies. Quentin Tarantino definitely does not fit under the labels he is so often given.

The originality of Quentin’s masterpieces is often questionable. While his unique filming styles and main storylines are all thought of by him, parts of dialogues taken from other films and even his friends can be found in his films. Some actions are taken from other films and his friends as well, however he never truly gives them credit. For example, Roger Avary wrote a whole third of Pulp Fiction, but Quentin modified it and made it his, without acknowledging Roger. Things that Quentin’s friends say in their everyday lives often show up in Quentin’s movies (also without acknowledgement), and some of them get sore about Quentin’s “first come first serve” perspective. Not only does Quentin use the material of others, he even “steals” his own material. A scene from a film he and Craig Hamman made in his amateur years called My Best Friend’s Birthday closely resembles a scene in Pulp Fiction, where Uma Thurman inhales heroin, thinking it’s cocaine. In a sense, it’s like quilt work. Quentin takes bits of material that, on their own wouldn’t look interesting, and puts them together in such a way that the end result is a unique, attention-grabbing masterpiece.

Most celebrities seem insecure about all the rumours that circulate through magazines and the television. Quentin Tarantino prefers to laugh at rumours, and actually find it quite interesting to hear what people think about him. Though the public may see Quentin as a troubled mind with an odd persona, he truly is just unique and goes for the shock factor. In addition, he may seem to have fresh ideas, but in actuality, a considerable amount of his work is similar to movies or people he took the ideas off of.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Destiny and Epilogue

Destiny
  • took a year off after Four Rooms
  • did much work during this "year off"
  • Banned from computer chat lines of America Online b/c he's so famous
  • was hurt when referred to as Jughead at the Golden Globes

Epilogue

  • Finally gave credit to Roger Avary b/c things were heating up in press
  • (Just stuff about awards now, and Quentin's reactions to awards and such)

Four Rooms

  • Never appears as what people expect him to look like
  • a "Film Geek"
  • Q went on a date with Allison Anders (met at Sundance)
  • both had father figure problems
  • Q was truly a romantic
  • "talks about movies during make out sessions"
  • (the rest of it is just about the movie, and the process of making it)
The Cathryn Thing
  • Cathryn James was Q's manager
  • let Cat go b/c he felt a director didnt need a contract
  • Cat felt really betrayed
  • Cat claims she payed Q's rent, but Q says she never ever gave him money!
  • other people have said that too, Q refuses to say its true whether it is or not
  • Like most people who meet Quentin, though Cat is used by him, she still adores him

The Craig Thing

  • Craig Hamann is Q's former acting class partner who got him his first manager, and screenplay (best friend's birthday)
  • wrote something with Craig, but wont release it because it has Craig's name on it, and wont release it to Craig
  • Too loyal to Quentin

The Violence Thing

  • Q believes that violence is one of the most fun things to watch
  • many people believe this condones violence, but others beg to differ

The Gay Thing

  • On the internet, there have been rumors that Quentin is secretly homosexual
  • Q finds it funny, and is able to joke about it

The Language Thing

  • Use of the N word is always in movies
  • some speculate he is freeing these words from the straitjacket of "political correctness" while others see it as racism
  • Q sees this topic as boring, and has little to say about it

Pulp Fiction

  • Has an affinity for feet, and Uma has the best feet in the business
  • didn't dress well to a lunch (in honour of movie), decided people were there for movie, not him
  • has an infectous quality, makes you sort of want to be like him when you're with him

Reservoir Dogs (the movie)

  • Didn't want the actors to see the dailies
  • at the Sundance screening, it was a disaster because Q had made the film in wide screen, but the projectionist didn't have some materials, so it came out blurry and bled onto the curtains, Q was freaking out, walking down the aisles and saying "stop! i cant take this"
  • no overnight success for Q, even after Reservoir Dogs was successful
  • made movie for himself, and everyone is invited (said Q)
  • Leaves it to audience to interpret movie meanings and title meanings
  • got to travel, something he never had enough money to do as a child
  • His theory on Madonna's "Like a Virgin" (in the movie) was something he truly believed to be true, and he finally got to meet Madonna
  • She sent him a copy of her album, and said "to Quentin-- its about love, not [what you thought it was"

Quentin Controversies:

The Roger Thing

  • Worked together at Video Archives, first as rivals then as friends
  • were as thick as thieves
  • Roger gave Q something he'd written called The Open Road, which turned into True Romance and NBK
  • A full third of Pulp Fiction consists of a screenplay written by Roger, but Q's version was better
  • Though it isn't a crime, Q is less than gracious about sharing credit
  • Complains about Oliver Stone taking his stuff, but takes Rogers stuff and gives him no credit really
  • Was an only child, can be selfish/self-absorbed
  • Q's riffs echo the Video Archives atmosphere

Reservoir Dogs (the background)

  • This was his first film that actually got produced, and it was directed by him rather than just written
  • Q was scared that if something he wrote (but did not direct) got produced, it would make him seem like a writer trying to become a director
  • Harvey Keitel called about the script, and wanted to act in the movie
  • this would add some attraction/interest to the film
  • Harvey took the boys out to the Russian tea room, which was a new experience for Q since he had very simple roots
  • There is a first time for everything: at the Sundance lab, Q came in with two scenes he wanted to shoot, but discarded one and decided to write a whole new scene then are there b/c the movie needed it
  • there is a contrast between Q as a person and the material he makes
  • not inward looking
  • in Q's perspective, he's "all over his stuff [(material)]."
  • after someone reads some of his script he feels embarrassed because he feels he's told too many of his secrets
  • Says material is dark, but he can be so happy because of where he is now, and where he came from
  • biggest demons have to do with boyhood masculine pride (shows in movies)
  • used to get in many fights and such

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

From Dusk Till Dawn and Past Midnight

  • worked with Robert Kurtzman on this horror film
  • In one scene, a Vietnamese boy's father (who adopted him) turns on him, the same way Curt turned on Q when he was younger (by leaving)
  • Sundance Festival: Kurtzman couldn't get anyone to use his movie b/c he was a new director, gave to Robert Rodriguez

Past Midnight

  • Got a salesman job at the Imperial (foreign films)
  • Q was perfect for job, had already worked in a mom-and-pop video store, could act, liked the material being sold and could do impersonations
  • the Coffee Thing- Q says he associates coffee with work; going to make a cup of coffee is a good way to get out of doing any
  • the Father Figure Thing - there is a character who is pining for an absent dad
  • a foot massage was changed to a back rub b/c though Q favoured the foot massage, the director disagreed
  • Q was naive and kid like
  • Just as Q was on the brink of fame, his longtime girlfriend, Grace Lovelace dumped him