Annotated Catalogue
Subject of study- Quentin Tarantino.
Focus of study- Does the specific style of violence make Tarantino an auteur.
Resources- 3x films, 3x books, 3x websites, 2x interviews, 2x documentary. Rejected items.
Films:
Item 1
Django Unchained (2012): I chose this film as it is relevant to my question as it contains a high level of violent scenes in this film, this film is a pre-civil war revenge fantasy, which includes a high level of violence and racism. In the film the main character, Django, is purchased by a bounty hunter, Dr. Schultz who sets Django free. In return for Django to slaughter a number of slave owners. The film contains graphic depictions of abuse on slave owners. Some of the violence includes severe whipping, eaten by dogs and forced to fight to the death which some feel is over the top and un needed. The brutality and language is necessary to create an honest portrayal of American history as Tarantino claims the film is not as bad as real history. This is a common style that Tarantino uses to create an atmosphere and reality into
Item 2
Kill Bill Vol. 1(2003): I chose this film as it is relevant to my question as Kill Bill contains a lot of violence throughout. Starting with the main character 'The Bride' who is set to have a baby with Bill, who was the leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, in which she was apart of as well. She decided to leave the life of a killer and moved to find love in Texas where she met a man. On the day of the wedding the groom was shot down by a jealous Bill. In where she fell into a coma only awaking four years later to fond out her baby had gone and she had remembered what happened. Which sparked her revenge on Bill and the squad. Where she seeks revenge by killing the five people in the squad leaving Bill till last. the film contains a lot of bloodthirsty violence including the slicing up of goons, plucking out of eyeballs and cutting the top of someones head. This backs up my question as this violence is common in Tarantino's films as the violence used in Django Unchained is similar to Kill Bill as they both contain bloodthirsty violence. As his style is more visual unlike just being shot or stabbed, his violence is unique like the plucking of someones eyeball, or in Django the eating off by dogs.
Item 3
Hateful Eight (2015): This film is relevant as it contains a lot of Tarantino's style of violence which is unique to him. The film is set after the Civil War and starts with a stagecoach with John Ruth, a bounty hunter, on board heading towards the town of Red rock, with his prisoner Daisy Domergue who is wanted for murder. On their way they pick up Major Marquis Warren and Chris Mannix, fellow bounty hunters. Where a blizzard forces them to take cover at Minnie's Haberdashery where there are suspicious characters there which Civil war enmities recur. It is here that the eight travellers learn that they will not make it to their destinations. During this film there is 49 acts of brutal violence including shootings, stabbings, a hanging, torture, force gay oral sex and incidents where woman are shot or beaten.
Books:
Item 4
Quentin Tarantino - Interviews - p.124 - 128.
Item 5
Tarantino A to Zed 1996 - Alan Barnes & Marcus Hearn - p.159 - 160.
Item 6
Tarantino - Jim Smith - 2005.
Websites:
Item 7
BBC.co.uk - Quentin Tarantino - The Hateful Eight violence 'Necessary'.
This is relevant to my question as it shows that people are noticing Tarantino for his violence and some people think it is over the top and don't agree with the use of violence. But Tarantino defends himself against this by explaining why the use of violence is necessary. Harvey Weinstein calls the amount of violence 'stupidity'. But Tarantino defends himself as he does this on purpose. He wants to send shockwaves through the audience and make them feel sympathy for the main character, Daisy. Without the amount of violence the message would not be sent out to the viewers so it is important to create an atmosphere this way which creates the scenes. But it shows that a lot of people do not care about opinions of others as it was the highest grossing film in the USA.
Item 8
bgr.com - Quentin Tarantino's movies have become more violent overtime.
This is relevant to my question as on here there is a table which states Tarantino's films and the amount of deaths and swear words used within the full movie. The table shows that through out time, the number of deaths have dramatically increased in his movies. From just 4 in Jackie Brown which increased in all of his films, with Kill Bill: Vol. 1 having 63 deaths in the film. This shows his use of violence and that it has increased as he continues to use a lot of violence. This table also shows the amount of swear words have decreased which shows his budget for films have increased as violence costs more than the use of swear words as impacting the audience on a low budget can be done by the use of swear words. But impacting the audience with a high budget is done by dramatic deaths. Reservoir Dogs was made for around $2 million and contained 421 swears and 10 deaths but Kill Bill: Vol. 1 cost around $30 million and contained a lot less swears at 57 and a lot more deaths, than reservoir dogs, at 63. This shows violence has been increased because of his higher budget films as when his budgets where small he used more swear words to jolt audiences.
Item 9
thewrap.com- Quentin Tarantino lets loose on race, violence and Hateful Eight.
Interviews:
Item 10
deadline.com - Samuel Jackson on Django Unchained.
Item 11
Quentin Tarantino - Chanel 4 News - "Im shutting your butt down".
Documentary:
Item 12
21 Years: Quentin Tarantino (2016).
Item 13
BBC documentary Quentin Tarantino Hollywoods Boy Wonder (1994).
Rejected Items:
Item 14
theguardian.com- Quentin Tarantino wants to go further with his anti-police violence protest.
Item 15
Jackie Brown (1997): I put this film into my rejected items as even tho violence and death is used it is used less with only 4 deaths and a small amount of visual violence or blood. All the violence in this film is shooting so there is no use of violence that relates to Tarantino's style.
