Five things to remember from QT8, the documentary about Quentin Tarantino

This portrait by Tara Wood returns to Arte, but under a new title: Quentin Tarantino the Bloody Genius.

Armored with stars, this evocation of the first eight films of Quentin Tarantino is rebroadcast this Friday evening on Arte, from 10:45 p.m. Designed in 2020 by Tara Wood, and initially offered in France on OCS, this documentary is also offered in replay on Arte.TV. But be careful, it exists under two names: QT8 Or Quentin Tarantino the Bloody Genius.

After a documentary dedicated to Richard Linklater released in 2014, director Tara Wood does it again with QT8 which, as its name suggests, is devoted to the first eight films of Quentin Tarantino – and therefore stops just before Once upon a time… in Hollywood.

Tarantino himself did not participate in this retrospective docu in his honor, but gave his blessing to Tara Wood, which undoubtedly explains the impressive collection of his friends and collaborators paraded here: Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen, Zoë Bell, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Jamie Foxx… They came, they are (almost) all there, even if a few very big fish are missing (Travolta, Thurman, Pitt, Keitel, among others). others). This all-star cast does not do QT8 a great documentary for all that: not fun in form (a series of extracts from films and “talking heads”), too hagiographic, too short (even if longer than the portraits usually broadcast on the channel, nearly 1h40 instead of around fifty minutes), the film surveys the career of the author of pulp Fiction and will not provide any decisive information or analysis for hardcore fans. But it still provides a lot of pleasure (the people who talk here are all entertainers high-flying) and allows, in passing, to glean some first-hand anecdotes. Like for example these:

Harvey Weinstein inspired the character of Kurt Russell in The Bastard Eight

Kurt Russell's main inspiration for his portrayal of bounty hunter John Ruth in The Bastard Eight was John Wayne – Russell makes a tasty parody of “Duke” in the film. But QT8 tells us that bastard number 1 – who, remember, spends a large part of the film cruelly beating up Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) – was partly modeled on Harvey Weinstein, Tarantino's historical partner and distributor of the film. To which Michael Madsen (who, throughout the documentary, demonstrates that he really does not hold Weinstein in his heart) retorts: “I think John Ruth is a much nicer guy than Harvey Weinstein… If Kurt Russell plays Harvey in this movie, then he plays the good side of Harvey!“

Tarantino's best film according to Samuel L. Jackson is Jackie Brown

Samuel L. Jackson is the record holder for the number of appearances in Tarantino's films. He is the only actor in the world who can be said to speak “QT” fluently. And his favorite Tarantino film is therefore Jackie Brownin which he brilliantly played Ordell Robbie, a smooth-talking arms dealer and fan of Kangol berets: “People said: it's not pulp Fiction. No, in fact, it is not pulp Fictionit's fucking Jackie Brown ! The pace is different, the characters are different… Of all his films, it's the best in my eyes. Because of its cinematic beauty and softness…“A man of taste, this Sam Jackson.

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The actors of Reservoir Dogs wore their own clothes in the movie (and that's why Steve Buscemi is in jeans)

A word from Michael Madsen: “Since there wasn't a big costume budget on Reservoir DogsQuentin told us to come on set with black suits. Black suits and white shirts. They gave us ties, but that's about it. If you look closely at the film, you see that Steve Buscemi is wearing black jeans! Not even suit pants, black jeans. And my suit? The jacket and pants do not match. They come from two different costumes. When I watch the film again, that's the only thing I think about: my pants were too tight! And I didn't have black shoes. Everyone had to wear black shoes. Luckily I had black cowboy boots…” Boots in which his character hides the razor with which he will cut off this unfortunate cop's ear… The rest is history.

There were lots of people on the Carolco yacht at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival 1992: Quentin Tarantino arrives on the Croisette as a total unknown. A midnight screening of Reservoir Dogs later, that's it, he is a star, courted by journalists from all over the world, challenged by people in the street. It was then that he received a phone call from Mario Kassar, boss of the Carolco production company (responsible for some of the most exciting films of the 80s and 90s), who made him understand that he has clearly just changed its status in the eyes of the industry. Tarantino is invited for a drink on the Carolco boat, which anchors in the bay of Cannes, in the company of Kassar's guests. There guest list ? Oliver Stone, James Cameron, Renny Harlin, Paul Verhoeven. A dazzling snapshot of US cinema from the early 90s – Stone has just shot The DoorsCameron Terminator 2Harlin prepares Cliffhanger and Verhoeven raises the temperature in Cannes with Basic Instinct. Tarantino arrives on the yacht and impresses the audience with his supercharged delivery and his delirious cinephilia. The executive producer of Reservoir DogsRichard Gladstein, tells the anecdote as if Tarantino had just arrived at the top of Olympus. To penetrate the holy of holies. A bit like Rick Dalton at the end of Once upon a time… in HollywoodYes.

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Jamie Foxx likes to make fun (gently) of Spike Lee

From Jackie BrownSpike Lee criticizes Tarantino for his immoderate use of the “n-word”. And the debate became even more heated at the time of the release of Django Unchainedwhose dialogues are peppered with the word taboo. Which obviously makes Django laugh a lot himselfJamie Foxx, who “respects Spike Lee”, but still enjoys caricaturing him as a grumpy grandpa, who hates people stepping on his toes.

QT8: Tarantino in eight filmsby Tara Wood. Trailer:

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