The first monologue Quentin Tarantino ever wrote
The 1990s was a significant decade for cinema, with independent filmmaking particularly thriving. One of the best-known names to emerge from this period was Quentin Tarantino, who carved out a wholly unique and singular style by pulling from high and low cultural references. In turn, he created his own cinematic amalgamation of B-movie pulp with distinctively modern techniques.
Tarantino’s love for old movies is never hidden away, and he often pays direct homage to his favourites within his own work. These influences come together to inform Tarantino’s unique style, which is defined by excessive, often highly aestheticised violence, non-linear narratives, techniques such as snappy editing and close-up shots, alongside quotable, humorous dialogue.
The director’s use of dialogue has often been praised for its sheer brilliance. He has the ability to write in a way that is witty, shocking and acerbic, often sprinkling in some niche references. Sometimes he refers back to old films, such as Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive, from which he borrowed the line “My name’s Buck and I’m here to fuck,” for Kill Bill.
Discussing his approach to penning dialogue, Tarantino once explained that when he starts writing, it’s like the “conversation catches fire amongst the characters, and then they take it and run with it, and then I’m almost like a court reporter jotting it all down”.
From there, “Whatever comes out is what comes out. Now, inside of that, there is a rhythm to it. There is a musicality to it. There is a bit of rhyme that happens between some of the words and some of the phrases”. It’s this “musicality” that makes Tarantino’s approach to speech so intoxicating and enjoyable. When he writes monologues, he is similarly able to capture this dynamic rhythm. The director once picked out his favourite monologue he’s ever written, selecting the opening speech given by Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds.
However, Tarantino didn’t realise his writing talents straight away. It wasn’t until he took an acting class when he was younger – before he had made a film – that he realised he might actually have a skill for writing. On the El Rey Network, he explained that “I never really took it seriously until a member of the class [said] ’Quentin, you’re really good. You’re as good as Paddy Chayefsky.’” The director was shocked, asking his classmate, “What do you mean I’m as good as Paddy Chayefsky?”
They replied: “Well, you know, we did that scene in class from Marty, and you just wrote it down. You gave me this handwritten scene from Marty. You included this entire monologue about a fountain. Well, I actually have the original Paddy Chayefsky script, and there was no monologue about a fountain in there. That was entirely added by you.”
Tarantino continued to recall how his classmate told him, “You added an entire monologue, and it was just as good as the Paddy Chayefsky stuff.”
He added: “Someone saying something like that to you actually got me to start taking it seriously. That maybe I did have a talent for that.”
From there, Tarantino began to make his own scripts, and he has since become one of the biggest filmmakers in modern cinema, with movies such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds proving his legendary status.
Never Miss A Take
The Far Out Quentin Tarantino Newsletter
All the latest Quentin Tarantino content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.