Whether an in-joke among movie fans or broad references, directorQuentin Tarantinohas cemented his reputation over the past 30-plus years by being a walking repository of cinema history. He’s arguably more knowledgeable than many film professors. And while these asides may allude to mainstream movies, his creative reinterpretations of other films' ideas often come with a wink and a nod to film geeks, requiring citations for those casual movie-watchers.
To call him a cinephile is an understatement. But in the eyes of one of the medium’s greatest creators, Tarantino is “detestable.” His harshest critic wasn’t even around to see his first film. Orson Welles predicted, or rather warned against, Tarantino’s style of movie-making.Near the end of his life, Welles observed that younger directors were “marinated” in movies to their detriment. He accurately anticipated the ascent of pop-culture-quoting meta-movies that rely on having an audience that has consumed thousands of films. Was he right to moan?
The Film Geek With an Encyclopedic Memory
From the onset, the brash director has attracted as much acclaim as derision. He enjoys violence and obscene language, taking pride in reviving the defunct shlocky grindhouse genre. In aninterview with ABC News, friend Robert Rodriguez remarked that he became Tarantino’s unwitting protégé. “He has a theater in his house,” Rodriguez recalled. “He’s just been showing me double, triple features of movies that either he grew up watching or that he’s discovered over the years.”
Whether it’s the title ofOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood(alluding to films of Sergio Leone), the plot ofReservoir Dogs(an uncredited adaption of Hong Kong movieCity on Fire), to the glowing briefcase inPulp Fiction(a blatant reuse of the radioactive Macguffin fromKiss Me Deadly),avid movie fans will experience many a déjà vu moment viewing a Tarantino flick.
That’s the point.While a lot of other directors wish to conceal and take credit forthese borrowed elements, Tarantino is all about the nod of recognition(ironically,Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodbirthed the “Pointing Rick Dalton Meme” when a social media user gets a director’s clever joke). He wants you to notice them. He’s nudging you, smirking, willing to spend whole press interviews passionately discussing B-movie flops instead of promoting his movies, or devoting minutes of valuable screentime explaining the nuances of UFA studiosas he did inInglorious Basterds— itself a reference to a low-budget knockoff ofThe Dirty Dozen. The dude loves movies.
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“I Don’t Want to See Another Goddamn Homage in Anybody’s Movie!”
However, he’s found himself at odds with many great directors, none more prominent than the long-deceased Orson Welles.Welles’ dislike of homages was no secret, at one point denouncing people who watched too many movies in an appearance at the1982 Cinémathèque Française in Paris, saying “I don’t want to see another goddamn homage in anybody’s movie!” It’s hard to say why, but this was shortly after the release of Martin Scorsese’sRaging Bull. It’s possible that he was still agitated by the reuse of dialogue fromOn the Waterfront, as if Scorsese was riding coattails or exploiting nostalgia, De Niro playing a Brando character for the second time, and winning another Oscar for his trouble:
" The more virgin our eyes are, the more we have to say. The most detestable habit in all modern cinema is the homage."
All the more perceptive as he accurately predicted the rise and popularity ofThe Simpsons, South Park,The Sopranos, andFamily Guy, which are predicated onexcessive pop-culture-referencing.But no one seems to fit his example better than Tarantino, who draws on and restages plots, scenes, characters, and soundtracks from other movies. Lending credence to Welles' speculation that those obsessed with pop culture would overdose on their own pedantic self-indulgence. Welles, for lack of a better explanation, thought homages were vapid and lazy, whichFamily Guywas later accused of.
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Divided Opinion Among Directors
Echoing Welles, director Harmony Korine stated that the “video brat” was dangerously preoccupied with other movies and copying other artists. “Quentin Tarantino seems to be too concerned with other films. I mean, about appropriating other movies, like in a blender. I think it’s like really funny at the time I’m seeing it, but then, I don’t know, there’s a void there. Some of the references are flat; just pop culture,“he told Rogert Ebertin 2012. “You can be inspired by other movies but not be derivative.”
However, that is hardly the consensus among filmmakers.John Carpenter praised him for his unique mix of melodrama and black comedy, saying that a good director crafts stories that embed in your brain long after the movie is over. By that metric, Tarantino definitely excels.
Spats between directorsare exceedingly common, and it’s impossible to find any popular artist without haters. As fun as it is to see legends in a cat fight, there is no one correct way to make a movie. How does Tarantino feel about imitators borrowing his style and shots? Based on his reaction at aCannes Film Festival press event, he’s chill about the whole thing, judging it “a great testament” to his artistry.
Though, after all the ideas and gimmicks he’s recycled, he’s hardly in any position to take offense.Once idiosyncratic, the homage is now a well-worn strategy in modern directors' playbooks. Probably a good thing Welles didn’t live long enough to see the upstart win an Oscar and Palm d’Or. Welles' life was stressful enough and he had more than enough enemies.
