A seminal classic: The film Quentin Tarantino called “possibly the greatest movie ever”
As one of cinema’s most influential voices, Quentin Tarantino has the extraordinary ability to tilt the balance of popular culture in the direction of his liking, making each and every one of his cinematic releases a mammoth filmmaking event. Not dissimilar from the attraction of Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve or Steven Spielberg, Tarantino creates spectacular, stylish tales, though favours narrative and character over aesthetic wonder. It means that his verdict on some of cinema’s finest films is always welcomed by those cinephiles who follow his every move.
A self-confessed student of cinema, Tarantino often borrows from the history of film, lovingly taking creative licence from Japanese cinema in particular, such as in Toshiya Fujita’s Lady Snowblood, which heavily influenced 2003’s Kill Bill. In a discussion with The Talks, he notes how he absorbs cultural influences to use in his writing, commenting: “[My] head is a sponge. I listen to what everyone says, I watch little idiosyncratic behaviour, people tell me a joke, and I remember it. People tell me an interesting story in their life, and I remember it”.
Known for his ingenious storytelling tactics, pervasive violence, and profane dialogue, Quentin Tarantino is vocal in his cinematic tastes, often discussing his favourite films in various interviews throughout modern journalism. Releasing a list of his 11 favourite films, the collection includes Taxi Driver from Martin Scorsese, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Sergio Leone and Quentin Tarantino’s favourite Steven Spielberg film, Jaws.
Yet, when Quentin Tarantino appeared on Jimmy Kimmel in 2021, the director went one step further than merely calling Spielberg’s movie a personal favourite, stating, “I think Jaws is maybe, possibly the greatest movie ever made.”
While we may not be able to award it such a lauded accolade, it’s hard to ignore the sheer cinematic power of Jaws. Dealing with the deep, dark blue of the unknown, Speilberg’s classic horror-drama stalks the activity of a killer shark causing chaos in the waters of a local beach community. Featuring groundbreaking cinematography that places the viewer within the shark’s gaze, just beneath the break of the water’s surface, Jaws creates an unprecedented tension that screams inevitable bloodshed. Considering the film’s soft PG rating and relative lack of visceral violence, the terror it has created of the deep dark blue for a whole western culture is staggering.
While calling Jaws the greatest, he uses air quotes while referencing the word ‘movie’, pointing to how Spielberg’s film was revolutionary in heralding the era of the blockbuster. Becoming the very film to coin the phrase ‘blockbuster’, in calling it the greatest movie, it’s likely that Tarantino is drawing focus to the commercial film’s remarkable ability to grip the attention of mass audiences from across the globe.
Making $476million from a budget of just $9m, Jaws was a considerable box office success and was helped by its mass marketing on television that made a trip to see the movie feel like a genuine event. Released in June 1975, it also played a significant role in convincing Hollywood to change the prime release for big releases from winter to summer, with its sun-soaked visuals also encouraging this transition.
While it is common knowledge that Quentin Tarantino notes Sergio Leone as his major cinematic influence, the impact of Steven Spielberg on the filmography of the Pulp Fiction director is far less publicised.
Speaking in an interview with Charlie Rose shortly before the release of Saving Private Ryan in 1998, Quentin Tarantino told the host: “He’s just such a perfect filmmaker. When he comes up with the ‘Taking of Shanghai’ sequence, for instance, in Empire of the Sun. I talked to him about Saving Private Ryan, and he goes, ‘Oh, we’re going to create the greatest ‘Taking of Omaha Beach’ ever!’ I have no doubt he will”.
Continuing, he adds, “He’s just a master. I’m sure he’s going to do the greatest ‘Taking of Omaha Beach’ ever captured on film. That kind of filmmaking language, I think I’ve got it, too but in a different way. I could learn something from him”.
Tarantino may seem like a sagacious figure for seemingly predicting the future success of Saving Private Ryan’s iconic opening sequence, but such should merely go to show just how influential he is as one of Hollywood’s most omniscient minds.
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