Auteur: Quentin Tarantino by Amber S. Palmer - (9th Post

Auteur: Quentin Tarantino by Amber S. Palmer

Quentin Tarantino is defined as one of the most deceptively creative directors of his generation. This is a man who never stepped foot in film school, nor did he ever take time to learn the demanding three act structure but yet his films have reconstructed the face of film through a perspective that takes filmmaking to another level. These are a few of Tarantino’s groundbreaking films: Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, and From Dusk Till’ Dawn. In each of these films Tarantino created a world that is riddled with violence, impulsiveness, dark humor, fetishes, excessive profanity, and demented people. Some can say that Tarantino’s mind is along the lines of a pervert but maybe it’s him telling the stories of people who really fall into the category of human disgrace?

Tarantino’s smash hit, “Pulp Fiction”, was a crime drama told from the perspective of mobsters, thieves, and players. Basically a reflection of most people in the world and he engages the audience with clever, rich dialogue that claws on pop culture references and cinematic allusions. Tarantino named the illustrious film after hard-boiled detective crime novels and pulp magazines in the mid-20th century. He tells the stories not in a chronological way but in a way for the audience to understand the story. In Tarantino’s manner, the story doesn’t actually exist but it is given life through the dialogue in between random moments of action. His unconventional way of storytelling is illustrated as he introduces every sequence of his story with an introduction. For example, “The Gold Watch”, the name captures one’s attention because the curiosity of the gold watch captivates the viewer. Tarantino relies on using the technique as telling his films as if it was a novel. Tarantino’s highly styled writing and grandeur introductions to each sequence of his film are portrayed in his debut film.

“Reservoir Dogs”, details the story of the before and after of events of a jewelry heist going terribly wrong. The core of this film is primarily is the excessive violence that pumps in the blood of many of the characters. As Tarantino reveals more and more of the story, one by one characters begin drop like flies and one of the men proves to be a cop. The whole story revolves around the thieves hiding out in a warehouse and the end result is all of them dying. Tarantino accentuates not giving the typical happy ending or the most satisfying ending, which makes his films distinctive. Tarantino gives a coarse reality of when you break the law, you’re bound to pay. His films interpret an indirect moral message by showing the audience the consequences of negative actions. Another film that shows extreme repercussions is when the old saying goes; “Guilty by Association” is all about the company you keep.

“Jackie Brown”, is based on the novel “Rum Punch” by Elmore Leonard. Even though Tarantino made drastic changes to the story and characters, he still told a riveting story of a middle aged flight attendant (Jackie Brown) who’s asked to take down an arms smuggler, his girlfriend, and his ex-con bank robber friend. As true to form the film bleeds excessive profanity and brutal violence but most of it is off-screen. Tarantino paid homage to Blaxploitation films in Jackie Brown through the soundtrack and the main character being Pam Grier, a famous actress in Blaxploitation films. Tarantino leaves most things in his films ambiguous, just like it being unknown if Jackie really saw Ordell’s gun? Cliffhanger? You’d have to see the movie to see why Tarantino isn’t only prominent because of his unorthodox style of writing. The last but not least film of Tarantino’s concept of his overindulgence for violence, leaks into a little tale of vampires in the desert.

“From Dusk ‘Till Dawn”, this film was directed by Robert Rodriguez and Tarantino wrote it. Tarantino portrays one of the characters as a fugitive bank robber, along with his brother, Seth, played by George Clooney. Unsurprisingly, Tarantino’s character is a homicidal delusional, psychopath and in the opening scene Seth and Richie (Tarantino) holds up a liquor store, killing a clerk, cop, and an innocent bystander. After fleeing they kidnap a RV with a pastor, who questions his faith and his two teenagers. They kidnap them in order to cross the Mexican Border and they then arrive at a strip club dubbed affectionately, “Titty Twister”. Upon going in the bar it is revealed that everyone in the bar is vampires the only people left to live is Seth and the pastor’s daughter, Kate. Tarantino tells very simple stories yet the stories are riddled with tragedy, death, and insanity. Perhaps Tarantino believes some people share all these hidden travesties and the only way to convey a story is through extreme measures? No matter what is the reason behind the man beyond humanity’s madness lies an artist pouring his heart on a canvas of harsh realities and sadistic psyches.