For those who have seen any of the Quentin Tarantino films, the man does not shy away from vulgar language and a ton of violence. However, while being interviewed at Cannes, the director stated there is one line he would not cross.
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Tarantino’s filmmaking career is shorter than most directors like Martin Scorsese, Steven Speilberg, and Christopher Nolan, but his work is at the same excellent level as all listed directors. He began his directing career in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs, making him an instant staple. He would follow that up with Pulp Fiction in 1994, landing him a Best Screenplay Academy Award.
The film is arguably one of the top most influential films of all time and helped to birth an entirely new take on the noir genre of filmmaking. One thing that Quentin Tarantino never shies away from is being as brutally honest and forthcoming in the adult themes that his films have displayed.
For instance, Django Unchained (2012) was heavily about slavery in America and included some of the most violent moments in his films. Towards the end of the film, the gunfight saw many characters practically exploding in a flurry of blood explosion from being shot.
Though Tarantino has a penchant for showcasing some of the most violent films known to man, he refuses to have anything to do with animals or insects dying in his films.
Quentin Tarantino Refuses to Kill Animals
During the hour-long sitdown at Cannes, Quentin Tarantino offered his reasoning for not wanting to kill animals on screen. While some might think he is honorable, his response is slightly more confusing. According to Tarantino:
“I have a big thing about killing animals in movies. That’s a bridge I can’t cross. Insects too. Unless I’m paying to see some bizzarro documentary, I’m not paying to see real death. Part of the way that this all works is that it’s all just make believe. That’s why I can stand the violent scenes, cause we’re all just f****** around”
Honestly, his response allows the audience to learn more about why he has chosen to display violence so willingly. The above gunfight that we mentioned in Django Unchained is a perfect example of his directorial style taking the hilarious route, as the explosions of blood would never happen in that manner.
Though his response appears to indicate that he has no interest in killing animals for humane reasons, he goes deeper:
“Some animal, some dog, some llama, some fly, some rat, doesn’t give a fuck about your movie. I’d kill a million rats, but I don’t necessarily want to kill one in a movie or see one killed in a movie, because I’m not paying to see real death.”
Quentin Tarantino would have no issues killing a million rats as long as it’s not done so in his movies. We can be happy that he is taking the moral high ground in not lowering himself to showcase animal cruelty in his films but that he might fly off the handle one day and take out a million rats.
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Tarantino’s films certainly do not need animal violence on top of the already inventive ways he displays death. His response is supporting animals, which we certainly agree with, and we hope he never kills a rat—let alone a million of them.
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