All Of Quentin Tarantino's Movies Have Been Attempts To Recreate One Influential Moment From 1972
Quentin Tarantino has achieved a level of notoriety that few in cinema history have ever reached. Through groundbreaking films like "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction," Tarantino has not only crafted some of the world's most acclaimed independent movies, but his influence has become the stuff of legend. Tarantino led the charge in the '90s independent movement that saw the birth of such standout directors as Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, and Kevin Smith, and his grip on pop culture has yet to wane. Whether he's pushing his stylistic skills to the next level with the "Kill Bill" saga, rewriting history with "Inglorious Basterds," or flipping genres with "Django Unchained," a new Tarantino release is always a major event. Such was the case with his most recent film, 2019's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," which grossed over $370 million worldwide and won two Academy Awards, proving the director's enduring appeal even 30 years later.
Along with being one of Hollywood's most beloved directors, Tarantino might be its biggest cinephile. The director himself makes no secret of his love of all forms of pop culture art, especially those of the cinematic variety. His own work contains countless movie references that have opened up a whole new generation to both classic and cult works of the past. It turns out that the Oscar winner's transparent reverence for cinema is far from just a simple means of throwing in references, but rather an attempt to recreate a very specific moment from his own life.
Tarantino's movies have been made to recreate a childhood memory
November 2022 saw the release of Quentin Tarantino's first non-fiction book, "Cinematic Speculation," a deep dive into some of the most impactful films of Tarantino's youthful years in the '70s. Among these memories is one the director recalls when he watched a double bill in 1972 of the films "Black Gunn" and "The Bus is Coming." While watching the latter film, the unimpressed audience began hurtling profanities at the screen, which astounded the young Tarantino, who even joined in on the madness. "And frankly, I've never been the same," Tarantino writes. He goes on to state how he has attempted to recapture this wild moment with each of his films.
It's no secret that Tarantino holds the moviegoing experience in high regard. While sitting down on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Tarantino described why people should go to the cinema, saying, "When a movie comes out that you're interested enough to see, and it makes you leave your house and buy a ticket, and you could do anything in the world you want that night, but you decided to go see a film ... and you go to see it ... and you have an experience with a bunch of strangers. And at that moment, once the movie gets going ... you become a collective ... when you have a good experience, those are the things that stay in your mind ... for the rest of your life."