by Gloria Daniels-Moss
Many people forget the many aspects of filmmaking, and one of the most important is the writer behind the screenplay. Quentin Tarantino, who has made quite a name for himself as a director (and who isn’t afraid of some bullets and bloodshed), is also the man behind such phenomenal narratives. Here for Tarantino Day, we are going to take a closer look at some of the top films from his collection and indeed delve into the all important process of how this man puts pen to paper.
Many people forget the many aspects of filmmaking, and one of the most important is the writer behind the screenplay. Quentin Tarantino, who has made quite a name for himself as a director (and who isn’t afraid of some bullets and bloodshed), is also the man behind such phenomenal narratives. Here for Tarantino Day, we are going to take a closer look at some of the top films from his collection and indeed delve into the all important process of how this man puts pen to paper.
It’s certainly hard to pick a film to kick this one off, but looking closely it has to be the 1992 cult hit Reservoir Dogs. After the two fairly unknown comedies (1983's Love Birds in Bondage and 1987's My Best Friend’s Birthday), Reservoir Dogs very much marks the start of this man’s talent in both directing and writing. The fact that this feature isn’t a two-hour epic and still gets a powerful narrative across just shows how well thought out the script was. A lot of people are put off by Tarantino’s work purely because it is so dialogue heavy – and to an extent it is. Although this man gives you interesting dialogue that goes hand-in-hand with impeccable action sequences. The entire pace and flow of this film goes the exact speed you want it to and ends with a very satisfying resolution (it’s no wonder the man wrote True Romance just a year later in 1993). Not only is the script and direction on point, the cast are the cherry on the cake. We have the likes of Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn and Steve Buscemi all giving it their all.
Just two years later the man gave us yet another cult classic - Pulp Fiction. What makes Pulp Fiction is the script. It’s smart, it’s sexy and its crazy – what's not to like? Arguably still the film Tarantino is best known for, this is a very clever and accomplished piece of writing. Playing with time has always been an effective technique when engaging any audience and here such a technique works seamlessly alongside the various storylines and subplots that are layered up here. To pull off such a complex project is certainly a feat and deserved the Oscar, amongst the other Best Writing awards it subsequently bagged). Not only did the man give us Pulp Fiction, he also had the driving force behind the outright beautifully bizarre Natural Born Killers, that was then turned into a screenplay by David Veloz, Richard Butowski and director Oliver Stone. Two amazing films in one year – This man is unstoppable.
Just two years later the man gave us yet another cult classic - Pulp Fiction. What makes Pulp Fiction is the script. It’s smart, it’s sexy and its crazy – what's not to like? Arguably still the film Tarantino is best known for, this is a very clever and accomplished piece of writing. Playing with time has always been an effective technique when engaging any audience and here such a technique works seamlessly alongside the various storylines and subplots that are layered up here. To pull off such a complex project is certainly a feat and deserved the Oscar, amongst the other Best Writing awards it subsequently bagged). Not only did the man give us Pulp Fiction, he also had the driving force behind the outright beautifully bizarre Natural Born Killers, that was then turned into a screenplay by David Veloz, Richard Butowski and director Oliver Stone. Two amazing films in one year – This man is unstoppable.
Then... Vampires. Everyone loves a good vamp and apparently so does Tarantino. In 1996, we are given the Gecko brothers, Seth (George Clooney) and Richard (Tarantino himself), who get themselves caught up in a bar that is overpopulated with blood-sucking vampires. This film has it all: action, crime, comedy and fangs. Apart from being an entertainment feature, at the heart of this screenplay is a powerful message about family and, strangely, one gets a sense that fighting a room full of vampires brings you closer together – scary thought! From Dusk Till Dawn became equally as popular as his previous work, and Netflix has recently just made a series based on the original screenplay. A great example of yet another skill in different genres this man can get to grips with and produce another thrilling feature.
Moving onto more recent work now and at the top of the list has to be Kill Bill (Vol. 1 in 2003, Vol. 2 in 2004). Both volumes present a fantastic take on the original idea, and yes, this is a long feature, but it needs to be. The character development, the back story, the flipping between timelines (again), is worthy of the time and only enhances the film's outcome. Like all of his work, this has a very stylistic flare and brutal fight sequences. Uma Thurman teams up with Tarantino once again and brings the words of "The Bride" alive onscreen with utter grace – even when she is slicing through peoples skulls! With a killer soundtrack and fight scenes that make you want to go out and buy a sword, Kill Bill is a perfect example of just how much this man can both surprise you and impress you with how his writing skills have adapted over the years – and who wouldn’t want a Pussy Wagon?
Moving onto more recent work now and at the top of the list has to be Kill Bill (Vol. 1 in 2003, Vol. 2 in 2004). Both volumes present a fantastic take on the original idea, and yes, this is a long feature, but it needs to be. The character development, the back story, the flipping between timelines (again), is worthy of the time and only enhances the film's outcome. Like all of his work, this has a very stylistic flare and brutal fight sequences. Uma Thurman teams up with Tarantino once again and brings the words of "The Bride" alive onscreen with utter grace – even when she is slicing through peoples skulls! With a killer soundtrack and fight scenes that make you want to go out and buy a sword, Kill Bill is a perfect example of just how much this man can both surprise you and impress you with how his writing skills have adapted over the years – and who wouldn’t want a Pussy Wagon?
So, how does a man who has produced so many great films, not to mention 2012's Django Unchained (also a winner of Best Original Screenplay)? As he stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter during the release of Django, “When writing, it is about the page – It’s not about the movie, it’s not about cinema or anything, it’s about the literature of me putting my pen to paper and writing a good page.” He then goes on to describe that by adding his artistic contributions, the script should be good enough just to publish and not actually go ahead and make the production, saying “I wanna love that script so much and a call myself a winner.” He says that people will read what he has already written and think that the screenplay speaks for itself and therefore doesn’t need the restrictions of turning it into a feature. A very interesting way of looking at things, but a perfectly good explanation for reasons why his work is so in-depth and everything is calculated in certain ways.
So many films; so little time.
What film will you be watching to celebrate this man’s work?
So many films; so little time.
What film will you be watching to celebrate this man’s work?
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