Being one of the most recognizable directors in modern western cinema, Tarantino has gathered critical and commercial success from the very beginning of his career, earned two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA awards, also the Palme d’Or.
Characterized by nonlinear storylines, dark humour, extreme, but aesthetically well-created violence, ensemble casts, perfect soundtracks and unforgettable dialogue, Tarantino’s films are widely considered to be works of genius.
He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on 27th of March in 1963, but he grew up in Los Angeles. In January of 1992, his first movie – “Reservoir Dogs”, a crime thriller written and directed by him, appeared at the Sundance Film Festival. The film collected critical acclaim and the director became a legend immediately. Empire Magazine hailed “Reservoir Dogs” as the “Greatest Independent Film of All Time”.
Two years later, in 1994 he followed up with “Pulp Fiction”, a crime comedy, which was a major success among critics and audiences and won him numerous awards. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Palme D’Or Award. At the 1995 Academy Awards, it was nominated for best picture, best director and best original screenplay awards. Tarantino and writing partner Roger Avary came away with the award only for best original screenplay.
In 1995, Tarantino directed one fourth of the anthology “Four Rooms”. His next film was “From Dusk Till Dawn” in 1996, a vampire-crime story which he wrote and co-starred with George Clooney. He then paid homage to the blaxploitation films of the 1970s with “Jackie Brown” in 1997.
Since then, Tarantino has helmed several critically and financially successful films, including “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” (2003), “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” (2004), “Inglourious Basterds” (2009), “Django Unchained” (2012), “The Hateful Eight” (2015) and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019).
In 2005, he was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Filmmaker and historian Peter Bogdanovich has called him “the single most influential director of his generation”. In December 2015, Tarantino received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry.
Here are some geek facts about him and his films:
- Over 450 gallons (approx. 1700 litres) of fake blood were used in the two “Kill Bill” films.
- The iconic dance scene featuring Uma Thurman and John Travolta at Jack Rabbit Slim’s is matching up almost every movement of a dancing scene by Federico Fellini’s “8½”.
- He regularly drives around his hometown of Malibu in the ‘Pussy Wagon’ from Kill Bill.
- The suit bought in “Jackie Brown” is the same as the one worn by Mia Wallace in “Pulp Fiction”.
- He famously dislikes brand placements in films and creates imaginary brands to replace them in his own. These include the infamous Kahuna Burger, as well as Red Apple Cigarettes, G.O. Juice, Jack Rabbit Slims and Teriyaki Donuts.
- Tarantino was offered the job of directing “Men in Black”, but decided to turn it down.
- After watching “Reservoir Dogs”, Madonna, who was the subject of the opening dialogue, sent Tarantino a copy of her Erotica album with the message “To Quentin. It’s not about dick, it’s about love. Madonna.”
Sources: IMDb, Useless Daily
