Quentin Tarantino- Auteur theory- Violence

         
             
   A 'specific' kind of graphic violence is heavily featured in Quentin Tarantino films, does this make him an auteur? 



Item 1: Kill Bill Volume 1 - 2003 (Film)

I have chosen to use this film as my focus film because of its numerous use of graphic violence throughout the film. This film will back up my idea of Tarantino being an auter through his use of graphic violence to show the theme of vengeance in the film. The film sometimes uses a comic book style of violence to dull down what we are being shown whilst at the same time showing us gritty and harsh themes in the scenes. The Bride is the character we see using violence the most in the film because she is the one who is seeking vengeance.


Item 2: Pulp Fiction - 1994 (Film)

I have chosen this film as my focus film because it shows Tarantino as an auteur more than it does in some of his other films, such as 'Jackie Brown. The use of graphic violence in a matter of fact way shows the audience that these kind of things happen in everyday life. The comic timing of Travolta's reaction to the fact he shot someones head off shows the viewer the casual reactions to murders and death and almost makes the audience laugh, this shows that Tarantino has a desensitised view on violence.


Item 3: Reservoir Dogs - 1992 (Film)

I have chosen this film because of it being the first film that Tarantino directed so therefore i can get a better view at where the use of graphic violence started. The film ' Reservoir Dogs' features a famous torture scene which is one of his most famous scenes from all of the films he has done. The character of Mr Blonde is the most violent in the films. The film is most famous for its' graphic use of torture in one of the scenes, this scene makes the viewer uncomfortable. However the camera never shows us the ear being cut off as it looked too unrealistic when they shot it. On the other hand it is more disturbing when you don't see the shot as your imagination sees it in more graphic detail.

Item 4: Quentin Tarantino Hollywood's Boy Wonder - 1994 (Documentary):
This documentary discusses Tarantino's childhood and when his interest in violence in movies began. It also has interviews with Tarantino himself and others who have worked with him.


Item 5: Quintessential Tarantino by Edwin Page (Book):
This book is useful and is from a book about Tarantino so is a credible source from someone who knows more about Tarantino's films than I do. Therefore this book will increase my knowledge on Tarantino and his views.


Item 6: Tarantino A to Zed by Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn (Book):
This book contains a section on violence in Tarantino's films which will help me discuss and back up my theory on him being an auteur. This will be useful to me because it contains information about my focus films in particular.

Item 7: Virgin Film Series Tarantino by Jim Smith (Book):
I have chosen this book to prove that Tarantino is an auteur because it has a famous film critic in it who disagrees that Tarantino's films are violent. This book is useful as it shows a contrasting opinion to mine, which will help me develop my ideas further and use his opinion in contrast with other critics who do believe that Tarantino's films are violent.


Item 8:
Movie Greats: A Critical Study of Classic Cinema-Phillip Gillet- 2008 (Book):
This book is useful to me as it has a whole chapter dedicated to my focus film 'Kill Bill Vol. 1' the book mentions the context of the film and also features information regarding Tarantino's use of violence in the film. There is a really good quote by Thane Peterson in the book which highlights Tarantino's use of violence.


Item 9:
CBSNEWS (Article):Jamie Foxx, Quentin Tarantino speak about movie violence in wake of Newtown, Conn., shootings- http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jamie-foxx-quentin-tarantino-speak-about-movie-violence-in-wake-of-newtown-conn-shootings/
Donald Bowers- :
This article is useful as it has some context against as well as it mentions the Newtown shootings in relation to Tarantino's violence.

Item 10:
USA Today (Article): Tarantino grilled on NPR about movie violence- Bryan Alexander:
This article also focuses on Tarantino's opinions about the Newtown shootings and how the events were influenced by violent films.


Item 11: Whatculture.com (Article):10 Iconic Bloody Moments In Quentin Tarantino Films:
This website will be useful to me as the key scenes from my focus films are discussed which will help me back up my argument that Tarantino is an auteur.
Item 12: Independent.com (Article): Quentin Tarantino's interview outburst tarnishes violent cinema- Robert Zak: This article focuses on Tarantino's reaction to more questions about the violence he uses in his films. This article also questions whether Tarantino should be made accountable for the influence he has and that he should contribute to a solution for the problem.

Item 13: The Telegraph (Article): Quentin Tarantino: violence is the best way to control an audience
This article is useful to me as it is a direct interview with Tarantino about violence, he makes some points about his violence and why he uses it in his films and how it affects him and his audience. I will use this article for my presentation script to prove that Tarantino is an auteur.

Item 14: Miramax.com- (Article/Interview): Tarantino's 'Cinematic Bloodbath':
In this article Tarantino discusses the types of violence he uses in my focus film 'Pulp Fiction', there are several good quotes in this article for my presentation script therefore this source is useful to me.



Item 15: Miramax.com (Photograph): Tarantino's 'Cinematic Bloodbath' This photograph will be useful in my Presentation Script as it clearly shows the different ways that people die in films directed by Tarantino. It also shows us the death count in his films and how the number increases in his newer films. 

Item 16: Interview with Channel 4 news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrsJDy8VjZk 
I will be using this video to show how Tarantino reacts to questions about the violence he uses in his films and how it affects others.

Item 17: Statistics on gun crime: http://heedinggodscall.org/content/pfctoolkit-10 
This will back up my argument in the presentation script because it proves how gun violence has increased since Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. 

Item 18: Teach Yourself Film Studies by Warren Buckland (2010)  
This is a book that discusses the auteur theory and includes quotes that i will use in my presentation script to help prove my argument that Tarantino is an auteur. 

Item 19: Kill Bill colour changes to Black and White http://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/222/kill-bill-colour-changes-to-black-and-white:
This website will be useful to me as it discusses the different reasons why Tarantino included black and white in my focus film, Kill Bill Vol 1. Therefore I can include this information in my presentation script.



Item 20: Quentin Tarantino’s playful violence and high body count https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2003/11/kill-n11.html
This is a very useful source for my presentation script as it discusses in detail the violence used in my focus film Kill Bill Vol 1.


Item 21: Cartoon Violence http://www.cracked.com/funny-3621-cartoon-violence/
This link discusses the use of violence in cartoons and has a good quote that I can include in my Kill Bill Vol 1 section for my presentation script.

Item 22: Animation sequence
http://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/4376/whats-the-reason-for-the-oren-ishii-animation-sequence
This website includes a piece of information that will aid



Rejected Items:
1. Quentin Tarantino On The Graham Norton Show Full Interview (11-1-13).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-bPjtUvWTg This Interview Tarantino did on the Graham Norton Show was on the subject of my focus film, Pulp Fiction. However he did not discuss the violence shown in the film, therefore this interview is not useful to me as there are no quotes that I could use from it. 

2. How violent is Django Unchained compared to Quentin Tarantino's other movies -- Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill, etc.?
This article does mention the violence used in all of my focus films so would be useful to use when doing my presentation script. However the person who wrote the article is not a known film critic and therefore the quotes have no substance. 

3. Quentin Tarantino Is ‘Ill-Informed’ for Defending His Violent Movies, Says Harvard Psychologist- CeleBuzz.com- Although this article mentions Tarantino's opinion on violence it doesn't mention my focus films and there is no real information on the type of violence used itself. 

4. 'Jackie Brown'
I have rejected this film because it does not feature as much violence as my now focus films do, this film will not be helpful to my presentation script and offers no examples to prove that Tarantino is an auteur.