Tarantino: I Would Have Died for Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs -- Jackie Brown, Not So Much
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
Apparently John Waters mis-cast Cecil B. Demented when he put Stephen Dorff in lead role. It seems that Quentin Tarantino is the real guerilla filmmaker, or at least, he was willing to be. Reports say that the director recently told Culture magazine: "I would have died for Reservoir Dogs and I would have died getting a shot for Pulp Fiction." I can just see Quentin running around with crazy hair, getting cinematic shots while dodging gunshots. While he holds those films close to his heart, the same can't be said for Jackie Brown: "I don't know if I would have died for Jackie Brown and that scared me a little." I think we're all right there with you, Quentin. However, if you want, you can try to rationalize this as something other than the fact that it wasn't as good: "I think the reason was that it was based on a novel, it wasn't an original thing born from me." The director goes on to talk about the curse of aging. He's quoted as saying: "Directors don't get better as they get older. They get worse and they get out of touch." I'm a bit surprised that he's saying this. Following his previous comments, which don't include Kill Bill or his upcoming Death Proof, does that mean he doesn't like them as much because he feels older and out of touch? Is this the end of Tarantino? Has he forgotten that he is pushing 50? To top that off, he also stated: "There is this weird thing with movie-making where you king of figure out how to do it. You're pulled along by experience. By the second one you know a hell of a lot more than you did on the first one." Methinks Tarantino is getting a little confused, especially since he followed it up with: "I don't want to be a professional. I like holding on to my amateur status." Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tarantino stopped being an amateur long ago.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-07-2007 @ 1:04PM
soudoftheground said...
in before the "original thing born from me" tirade begins.
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3-07-2007 @ 1:04PM
Rich Drees said...
So Tarantino will love his biological children more than ones he adopts?
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3-07-2007 @ 1:03PM
Rich Drees said...
So Tarantino will love his biological children more than ones he adopts?
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3-07-2007 @ 1:21PM
Gio said...
Good point Monika. It seems Quentin is right about RD and PF. They're both his best films. I guess he took more chances since they came from him.
In the other hand, Jackye Brown left me wishing to cut someone's ear off, and hungry for a quoter pounder with cheese- in other words nervous and hungry.
Maybe it's a coincidence but when QT appears in his films they tend to be more popular. Yes he's a bad actor but even "From Dusk till Dawn" (by Rodriguez) made tons of money compared to "Brown" and 'Bill"
About his age: It's bullshit!
Clint Eastwood,Hitchock, Wells, Lean, Curtiz created masterpieces only after 50.
All QT needs is a good story. He has the fans and the funds. I only hope Jules, I mean Samuel Jackson is on his next project.
Pulp Fiction fun facts:
1)John Travolta's character, "Vincent Vega", is the brother of "Vic Vega", aka "Mr. Blonde" from Reservoir Dogs.
2)The word "f**k" is used 281 times.
3)Uma originally turned down the role of Mia. QT was so desperate to have her, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.
4)The shot of Travolta plunging the syringe into Uma's chest was filmed by having him pull the needle out, then running the film backwards.
THANKS for reading.
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3-07-2007 @ 3:58PM
modage said...
those quotes are taken directly from the episode of Iconoclasts he did with Fiona Apple last year on the Sundance Channel. more quotes here
http://www.cigarettesandredvines.com/main.php?id=N18
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3-07-2007 @ 4:02PM
modage said...
on making films...
QT: There's a weird aspect about moviemaking, and I don't know if Paul ever brought it up, but it is this weird kinda thing where its like you do kinda figure out how to do it. You're just kinda pulled along thought the experience. There's no way you can predict everything that's going and you're just kinda pulled through the experience. And the second one you know a hell of a lot more than you did the first one, but then there's still you're being pulled along at least twenty five percent. But when it came down to the third one now I kinda got it. And that was scary to me. I don't want to be a professional. I'm not in the Directors Guild. I don't want to be in the Directors Guild. I wont be in the Directors Guild. I like holding onto my amateur status. I wanted to be a professional in all the right ways but I didn't want it to ever be a job. And I even questioned "Would I die for Jackie Brown?" I would've died for Reservoir Dogs. I would've died getting a shot for Pulp Fiction. And I don't know if I would've died, I would've thrown myself in that kind of harms way for Jackie Brown and that scared me a little bit. I think the reason why was the fact that it was based on a novel. So it wasn't an original thing, it wasn't an original seed born from me. And I loved it and I like the idea of adapting a novel from time to time but that one once removed aspect.
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3-07-2007 @ 4:12PM
Jette said...
We watched "Jackie Brown" again last weekend and I think it's Tarantino's best film. I think the adaptation of another writer's material might actually have helped in terms of overall structure. (Also, Pam Grier is wonderful.)
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3-07-2007 @ 4:24PM
Brandon said...
I really wish people would stop penalizing Jackie Brown because it's not Pulp Fiction 2. That was unfair then & it is unfair now.
Jackie Brown is an excellent film that deserves a second look. Sure it was adapted from a novel, but so what. There are enough special touches in the film from Tarintino to make it his own.
Sam Jackson alone is worth checking this movie out for. He plays one of the screens best & coldest villians in a long time. He was robbed of an Oscar for this movie.
Watch this movie again. Watch it with open eyes & ears. And don't watch it hoping for severed ears or talks about cheeseburgers. You are just going to be let down. If you want to watch that, then just watch Pulp Fiction again. Don't talk too loudly anyway. You may end up convincing someone to remake Pulp Fiction & that would be horrible.
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3-07-2007 @ 5:46PM
marty said...
Tarantino's comments are ironic because Jackie Brown is his BEST film, by far! It's the film that brilliantly combines all of Tarantino's trademarks but told in a great story with great characters. It's a masterpiece!
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3-07-2007 @ 6:48PM
Gio said...
Sorry mister JETTE, BRANDON and MARTY, I will stop penalizing Jackie Brown. You're right it's a good story, great cast and one of my fav director. So what's my problem?
Nothing.It just didn't grab me.
I went to see it only once, as oposse to 'Dogs' and 'Fiction' which I saw so many times, and ate so much popcorn until I got explosive diarrhea.
Anyway...
Today, to show my new appreciation for this underrated film I'm going to order it from Blockbuster video, alone with Willie Wonca, and Showgirls.
About someone else doing a remake on my 2 fav QT films? I can't stop him, and I wont see it. Unless they call it "Fiction Dogs"
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