Following on from last week’s blog celebrating the work of Tony Scott, I came across an interesting interview with Quentin Tarantino who attended a double screening of Scott’s True Romance and Domino at the LA Film School in Hollywood last week.
Following on from last week’s blog celebrating the work of Tony Scott, I came across an interesting interview with Quentin Tarantino who attended a double screening of Scott’s True Romance and Domino at the LA Film School in Hollywood last week.
Scott was both a friend and a mentor to Tarantino, and the guy Tarantino turned to when he experienced his first big film flop in 2007, Grindhouse. Scott reassured Tarantino he’d get over it, and reminded him how lucky he was to be able to make films the way he wanted to make them. Tarantino remembers Scott telling him, “Maybe people don’t show up. But you’re able to do the work you want to.”
This might have been how Scott felt when he directed Tarantino’s True Romance – one of the few films he made not under the guidance of a big blockbuster type producer such as Jerry Bruckheimer with whom he normally worked. Tarantino reveals that after meeting Scott on the set of The Last Boy Scout, Scott asked to read his scripts. Immediately he wanted to make Reservoir Dogs but Tarantino was already planning on directing that film himself, so Scott decided to do True Romance instead.
Throughout the interview Tarantino discusses the script changes in True Romance (which were written by Roger Avary), and is open about what aspects of the film are his (the autobiographical characters and cynicism) and what was Scott’s (changes to the script and fate of his leading character). He also addresses the critics who felt Scott made Tarantino’s film too glossy, too pretty and vivid claiming, “That’s what makes it work so well, and the casting and performances he got”.
He also talks about how unfairly he believes Scott’s career has been judged.
"He's like Douglas Sirk, he never got respect, was too commercial, people put him down. Now they teach classes about him." He also says that Scott’s working relationship with Denzel Washington was "one of the best actor-director combinations of our time."
Q&A host Jeff Goldsmith interviewed Tarantino and Domino writer Richard Kelly and the full conversation should be available on iTunes shortly. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-q-a-with-jeff-goldsmith/id426840843).
Also this week, Sam Neil announced how excited he was the Tropfest Documentary festival was coming to New Zealand in January 2013. “The Worlds Largest Short Film Festival” began in Sydney roughly 20 years ago and now takes place around the world in North America, India, South East Asia, China and France.
The main event takes place on Sunday 27 January at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth. It’s a free event, which is excellent, and will feature what will no doubt be an incredible variation of short films made by New Zealanders. There’s no restriction on genre – just in case you still think you can whip something up before the November 30 deadline – you can enter a documentary, drama or animation if you fancy.
And just before you think of entering your brilliant V48 Hour Film Festival creation, the only restriction for entering Tropfest is that your film must not have screened in public before.
For more information go to http://www.tropfest.co.nz.