Paul Thomas Anderson explains the “magnificence” of Quentin Tarantino movie ‘The Hateful Eight’
For a long time now, the landscape of contemporary American cinema has been heavily influenced by the works of both Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson. Through masterpieces like Pulp Fiction and Boogie Nights, both auteurs completely redefined the frameworks of American filmmaking during the 1990s and haven’t stopped since. That’s exactly why they have developed a deep bond of mutual respect for each other’s approach to the craft.
Previously, Tarantino has described Anderson as a “friendly competitor” who keeps him on his toes. While the Reservoir Dogs director has often cited the influence of his predecessors, such as Howard Hawks and Sergio Leone, Tarantino has often used his platform to acknowledge the incredible works of his contemporaries like Wong Kar-wai and Bong Joon-ho as well as Anderson, whose works Tarantino has repeatedly championed.
While praising There Will Be Blood, Tarantino once said: “I think There Will Be Blood is definitely one of the best movies made in this last decade, and I couldn’t be prouder of saying that. Paul is one of my best friends, and I would say he’s probably the current filmmaking artist out [there] right now whom I consider to be the most friendly competitor. I am glad to be making movies in the same time as Paul.”
Anderson has always returned the kind words, speaking favourably about almost all of Tarantino’s cinematic projects. However, one particular film truly impressed Anderson, who was completely moved by its visual power. During a conversation with Tarantino about filming on 70mm, Anderson opened up about how The Hateful Eight completely blew him away. In addition, the Punch-Drunk Love director showered praise upon Samuel L. Jackson.
Anderson gushed: “The best special effect you can have is a great actor. Samuel L. Jackson is a better special effect than any fucking special effect. Jennifer Jason Leigh beats a spaceship any day. She’s a special effect of her own. Somewhere along the line, it became that you go along and shoot vistas with large format film, and there’s plenty of vistas in Quentin’s film.”
Although he acknowledged the majesty of the hauntingly beautiful landscapes in the film, Anderson insisted that the indoor scenes were the reason behind its greatness. The director added: “But it’s an interior film, and that’s ok. When you see those performances, when you see the staging Quentin’s able to do in this claustrophobic room, it feels epic to me. It’s pretty interior, but it’s epic…There’s a magnificence in seeing it.”
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