Quentin Tarantino’s debut book ‘Cinema Speculation’, a soliloquy on old Hollywood

Express News Service

Quentin Tarantino’s debut book, Cinema Speculation, offers exactly what the title claims: the director’s musings about the craft of filmmaking. He mulls over, wonders and dismantles the ifs and buts of some of the greatest films––his own and of others—that Hollywood has ever made. Told in 15 personal essays, the book takes shape of a soliloquy as the director pays homage to the 1970s’ films, which he considers the best decade of cinema of the West.  

The tone is that of unabashed enthusiasm. We have all seen his love for the theatrics on screen. In this book, that flair takes on a life of its own when he shares behind-the-scenes gossip, or even talks about his penchant for violence, dramatising it even more than it was onscreen. This book is a lot of things. What it is not, to the reader’s surprise, is an analysis of either the craft or the industry.

A chronicle of sorts, it begins at the very beginning—the filmmaker’s childhood. The essay is titled, ‘Little Q Watching Big Movie’ and retraces the genesis of the brilliant mind that is Tarantino. It is always surreal to discover what motivated an artiste’s inspirational journey. For Tarantino, it was growing up around his cinephile parents. He writes, “On the ride home, even if I didn’t have questions, my parents would talk about the movie we had just seen.

These are some of my fondest memories.” In this essay, he reminiscences those days through the coloured impressions of a precocious child, who discovered his passion quite early on. He talks about several films he watched with his parents––action, thrillers, horror dramas–– which he retells with a vividness that is hard to miss. Although personal in nature, the essay also sees the director dissecting the movies minutely, giving readers the rationale for loving or hating them.

The influence of pulp fiction that he devoured as a teenager also went a long way in shaping Tarantino’s filmmaking sensibilities. It is likely that this fandom is what led to his best known film, Pulp Fiction. In fact, the theme has been an undercurrent of a large part of his filmography. The writing style is reflective of his filmmaking. It is informal and peppered with profanities, which he uses unsparingly, but with charm and wit.

In the second half of the book, Tarantino digs deep into the works of the directors he has admired over the years. He, however, does not shy away from putting them under the microscope. There’s Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese. There’s also George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The titular essay ‘Cinema Speculation: What if De Palma Directed Taxi Driver Instead of Martin Scorsese?’ discusses the hypothetical trajectory of the 1976 film, making it a fascinating read, particularly for those who are familiar with the styles of both the filmmakers.

Through other chapters, he gives a peek into the worlds of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky films, as well as Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. About the latter, he says, “There were very few perfect movies. This is okay, since in the pursuit of cinematic art, perfection shouldn’t be the goal. Nevertheless when its accomplished (even by accident), it’s an accident.”

The most outstanding chapter in the book, however, is ‘New Hollywood in the Seventies: The Post Sixties Anti Establishment Auteurs vs The Movie Brats’, bringing readers up, close and personal with Tarantino. The director gets uncannily candid and attempts to write a personal history of Hollywood, with an earnestness that is otherwise missing in the book, and one that might make Indian readers do
a double take, since it was the same era Bollywood tried rebelling against the set norms of Hindi cinema.

The handiwork of a filmmaker whose knowledge of films is nothing short of phenomenal, this
is a book that takes one on a journey into the heart of a man much in love with cinema, and is
bound to touch even the hardcore sceptic.

<br /> Quentin Tarantino’s debut book, Cinema Speculation, offers exactly what the title claims: the director’s musings about the craft of filmmaking. He mulls over, wonders and dismantles the ifs and buts of some of the greatest films––his own and of others—that Hollywood has ever made. Told in 15 personal essays, the book takes shape of a soliloquy as the director pays homage to the 1970s’ films, which he considers the best decade of cinema of the West.  </p> <p>The tone is that of unabashed enthusiasm. We have all seen his love for the theatrics on screen. In this book, that flair takes on a life of its own when he shares behind-the-scenes gossip, or even talks about his penchant for violence, dramatising it even more than it was onscreen. This book is a lot of things. What it is not, to the reader’s surprise, is an analysis of either the craft or the industry.</p> <p>A chronicle of sorts, it begins at the very beginning—the filmmaker’s childhood. The essay is titled, ‘Little Q Watching Big Movie’ and retraces the genesis of the brilliant mind that is Tarantino. It is always surreal to discover what motivated an artiste’s inspirational journey. For Tarantino, it was growing up around his cinephile parents. He writes, “On the ride home, even if I didn’t have questions, my parents would talk about the movie we had just seen.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <p>These are some of my fondest memories.” In this essay, he reminiscences those days through the coloured impressions of a precocious child, who discovered his passion quite early on. He talks about several films he watched with his parents––action, thrillers, horror dramas–– which he retells with a vividness that is hard to miss. Although personal in nature, the essay also sees the director dissecting the movies minutely, giving readers the rationale for loving or hating them.</p> <p>The influence of pulp fiction that he devoured as a teenager also went a long way in shaping Tarantino’s filmmaking sensibilities. It is likely that this fandom is what led to his best known film, Pulp Fiction. In fact, the theme has been an undercurrent of a large part of his filmography. The writing style is reflective of his filmmaking. It is informal and peppered with profanities, which he uses unsparingly, but with charm and wit.</p> <p>In the second half of the book, Tarantino digs deep into the works of the directors he has admired over the years. He, however, does not shy away from putting them under the microscope. There’s Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese. There’s also George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The titular essay ‘Cinema Speculation: What if De Palma Directed Taxi Driver Instead of Martin Scorsese?’ discusses the hypothetical trajectory of the 1976 film, making it a fascinating read, particularly for those who are familiar with the styles of both the filmmakers.</p> <p>Through other chapters, he gives a peek into the worlds of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky films, as well as Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. About the latter, he says, “There were very few perfect movies. This is okay, since in the pursuit of cinematic art, perfection shouldn’t be the goal. Nevertheless when its accomplished (even by accident), it’s an accident.”</p> <p>The most outstanding chapter in the book, however, is ‘New Hollywood in the Seventies: The Post Sixties Anti Establishment Auteurs vs The Movie Brats’, bringing readers up, close and personal with Tarantino. The director gets uncannily candid and attempts to write a personal history of Hollywood, with an earnestness that is otherwise missing in the book, and one that might make Indian readers do<br /> a double take, since it was the same era Bollywood tried rebelling against the set norms of Hindi cinema.</p> <p>The handiwork of a filmmaker whose knowledge of films is nothing short of phenomenal, this<br /> is a book that takes one on a journey into the heart of a man much in love with cinema, and is<br /> bound to touch even the hardcore sceptic.<br />