Tarantino and De Palma Wax About Film Violence

Quentin Tarantino and Brian De Palma on Violence in Film

In the clip, Tarantino talks about a scrapbook he used to keep of Brian De Palma reviews and headlines. And while reading it, he realizes that all of the critics knocking De Palma for years were the same people coming after him.

Once he came to that revelation, he came to another: why are filmmakers who deal in violence punished then they do their jobs correctly?

De Palma expands on these thoughts, talking about how he and Tarantino are interested in a disappearing cinematic language that makes audiences feel a certain way, and they do those provocative things for engagement.

He agrees that when they both engage, they get yelled at.

But he thinks the moral uproar over this violence has a lot more to do with capitalism and trying to sell products than it does with whether or not people actually think it's profane.

In De Palma's words, "Cinema is a visual medium, and we're interested in terrific visual sequences, and many of them happen to be violent."

This was a frank chat about how directors are perceived. And I think in the years since this movie came out, we've actually seen both of these directors make even more violent films, but not pointlessly so.

If you think about their work, each of these guys makes movies with a distinct point of view. And they make movies that exist in a world riddled with violence and violent people, who make hard decisions about things like war, revenge, and just animosity toward other human beings.

I'm happy we have artists willing to paint with these difficult brushes and who will ask us to engage with them so we can determine our own world views as well.

Summing It All Up

So what's the big takeaway here? For visionary directors like Tarantino and De Palma, controversial themes aren't just for shock value—they are tools they use to tell a deeper story.

Never let anyone tell you what you can or can't do. Follow your vision.