Congratulations on the movie.
Why did you want to make a movie with slavery as a theme?
Did that just come with making a Western in that period?
I’ve always wanted to explore slavery in a film before.
But I think actually my real reason – I’ve always wanted to explore slavery but I guess
the reason that actually made me put pen to paper was to give black American males a Western
hero.
Give them a cool folkloric hero that could actually be empowering and actually pay back
blood for blood.
And that’s the revenge bit.
Is that essential for making a hero?
Well in this story – well in the case of laying waste to a genocidal white racist class
in the institution of slavery, yes, that would be the reason to do it.
As opposed to just a historical story where this happens and this happens and this happens
and this happens and that happens.
So you can’t be surprised by the controversy that’s come along with it?
Well you can’t - I don’t think you can actually make a movie about slavery in America
that is not going to be controversial.
Are you very disappointed by some of the reactions, Spike Lee especially?
I couldn’t be happier with the reaction to this movie, it’s been fantastic.
Its good publicity I suppose but I mean- No no no it’s creating a nice debate, even
the people who don’t like the film.
I am responsible for people talking about slavery in America in a way that they have
not in thirty years.
But you must care very deeply that this doesn’t become a film that stands out from the rest
of your body of work, as one that is trashed by more people or anything like that.
It’s not trashed by more people.
What you are saying is not correct.
No I’m not saying it is, I’m saying are you concerned?
No no no I’m not talking about the movie right now, you’re talking about, you know,
there is actually a dialogue going on about slavery right now that has not been happening
at all.
It’s a subject people are afraid to talk about and now because of this movie people
aren’t afraid to talk about it.
People are talking about it.
Somebody likes the movie and they write a review on this – especially in a world right
now where you actually have the internet where actually anybody can actually now speak publicly,
which was not the case before.
So now somebody actually writes a review for the movie and they like it.
You read the comment section and some people who don’t like it attack them and say their
saying.
Somebody who doesn’t like the movie writes a blog about it and the people who like the
movie hold them to task in the comment section.
That’s an actual dialogue.
Let me ask you about violence.
You said, everyone knows you make violent movies, you like violent movies.
Why do you like making violent movies?
I don’t know, it’s like asking Judd Apatow why do you like making comedies?
You just get a kick out of it or you just enjoy it or?
It’s a - I think it’s good cinema.
I consider it good cinema.
You sit there in a movie theatre when these cathartic violent scenes happen and I’m
talking about cathartic violent scenes, I’m not talking about…
There’s two types of violence in this movie.
There’s the brutality of the violence in the day put upon the slaves
The rape of the women and the- I don’t think there’s any rape going on
in the movie.
But there’s brutality to the slaves.
That hasn’t been dealt with in America to the extent that I deal with it and I’m showing
you that there was two holocausts in America, this is one of them.
We’ve dealt with the Indian holocaust, the holocaust of the American-Indian in America.
But we haven’t been dealing with the holocaustic aspects, the Auschwitzian aspects of the slave
trade in America.
My movie deals with that.
Then there’s the cathartic violence of Django paying back blood for blood.
And is that why you think people like watching violent movies?
People who are not violent people or twisted people in any way, but why it’s okay to
go into a movie and enjoy the violence?
Yeah, well it’s a movie.
It’s a fantasy.
It’s a fantasy, it’s not real life.
It’s a fantasy, you go and you watch a Kung-Fu movie and one guy takes on a hundred people
in a restaurant.
That’s fun.
But why are you so sure there’s no link between enjoying movie violence and enjoying
real violence?
Well I’m going to tell you why I’m so sure – Do not ask me a question like that.
I’m not biting.
I refuse your question.
Why?
Because I refuse your question and I’m not your slave and you’re not my master.
You can’t make me dance to your tune.
I’m not a monkey.
I can’t make you answer anything I’m just asking you interesting questions.
And I’m saying I refuse.
I was just asking you why, that’s fine.
See Jamie Foxx has said “We can’t turn our back and say that violence in films-“
Well then you should talk to Jamie Foxx about that.
And I think he’s actually here so you can.
I’d love to, but it’s interesting that you have a different view and I’m just trying
to explore that.
And I don’t want to.
Because I’m here to sell my movie.
This is a commercial for the movie make no mistake.
So you don’t want to talk about anything serious?
I don’t want to talk about what you want to talk about.
I don’t want to talk about the implications of violence.
The reason I don’t want to talk about it; because I’ve said everything I’ve had
to say about it.
If anyone cares what I have to say about it, they can google me and they can look for twenty
years what I have to say about it.
I haven’t changed my opinion one iota.
No but you haven’t fleshed it out.
It’s not my job to flesh it out.
No it’s my job to try and ask you to.
And I’m shutting your butt down.
That’s entirely your right.
This is a commercial for my movie.
I know, but it’s my job to try and export some serious themes as well
I invite you to explore some serious themes, but not the themes I’ve already been on
the record for talking about.
But violence is such a big part of all of your movies and it’s an enjoyable part of
your movies for so many people and that’s why I’m talking about this.
It’s a very sensitive time at the moment.
The Vice-President is talking to people in the movie industry today about violence and
response- And you know where I stand on it.
Which is that there is no relationship.
Yes.
But you haven’t said why you think there is no relationship.
It’s none of your damn business what I think about that.
Well, it’s my job to ask you why- And I’m saying no.
And I am shutting you down.
But you have a responsibility as a film maker surely to explain a little bit about what
you’re doing?
No I don’t have any responsibility to you to explain anything I don’t want to.
Not to me, but to your viewers, to you fans.
To people who care about what it is that you’re doing.
They know where I’m coming from.
And I have explained it.
And I have explained even what you’re talking about it, I’m just not giving it to you.
Why?
Because I don’t want to, because I’ve done it already.
I have explained this many times in the last twenty years.
I just refuse to repeat myself over and over again because you want me to.
For you and your show and your ratings.
It’s not about our ratings.
No it is, it’s about you want me to say it for you, for your show, this show right
here right now.
Well look, this is a news program not a film program so we export serious themes, that’s
the difference.
But you want me to do what I’ve already done before and I am refusing.
Fine, that’s your right.
Let me also ask you: You said in a playboy interview recently that you thought movie
directors didn’t get better as they get older.
Are you getting better as you get older or worse?
They don’t get better when they get old.
I think I’m still in the sweet spot.
Well I hope.
That’s up for everyone to decide.
Am I?
I enjoy your movies.
You probably wouldn’t believe that.
I was just wondering what you think is left, you’ve done several big movies.
Let me answer your question about that.
I just feel like filmmaking directors are like boxers.
They have their time.
Hopefully, I’m on the right side of my time.
But at a certain point a boxer loses.
And it’s all about knowing when?
It’s all about knowing when to hang up the gloves or in my case I guess the megaphone.
Quentin Tarantino, thank you very much.
Thank you.