2023-05-26 10:48:44
Like a local boy returning home after becoming a star, Quentin Tarantino received a rock star welcome at Cannes. Practically “born” at the Festival, where he presented his first film, Reservoir Dogsin 1992, and won the Palme d’Or in 1994 for his second, Pulp Fictionthe American director came to the Quinzaine des cinéastes to talk about his latest book, cinema speculations (1), and present a surprise film.
“So, do you have an idea? »he asked the audience of excited fans… who had already guessed: Legitimate Violence. Directed by John Flynn in 1977, this feature film depicts an American soldier, returned to Texas after several years of captivity in Vietnam, who seeks revenge on the killers of his wife and son.
« If you like it, let go! »had recommended Quentin Tarantino to the room, in which he also settled to review what is one of his bedside films. “When I saw him at 14, he made me want to do film criticism. I also called all the John Flynns in the Los Angeles directory before finding him to interview him. »
Cynical, Tarantino?
Legitimate Violence is a controversial work. One of its screenwriters, Paul Schrader, author of Taxi Driver (1976), even called it “fascist movie”. “He wanted to show that his characters, racist scumbags from Texas, had gone completely nuts during the war. However, these aspects have been erased by John Flynn. But it’s still a damn good revenge movie. » The director of Kill Bill likes violent films for their ” cinegeny », « like others love musicals for other reasons.
Cynical, Tarantino? No, the one who also writes his screenplays seeks first of all to put the violence back into context, taking a stand in the debate on the « cancel culture ». «As Inspector Harryde Don Siegel (1971), Legitimate Violence reflects the opinion of the silent majority frightened by the hippies and protest movements against the Vietnam War. Likewise, The Fort Apache Massacre, by John Ford (1948), is a whites for whites film where Henry Fonda who plays a genocidal soldier is absolved at the end. But rather than censoring it, it should be studied as revealing of its time. »
However, the sexagenarian cannot bear to see animals killed, “a horse, a dog, even an insect”. Who would’ve believed that ? Quentin Tarantino wouldn’t hurt a fly.
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