There is no denying the fact that a Quentin Tarantino film almost always sparks debates. The maverick filmmaker has carved a niche for himself with his unique brand of writing and storytelling that has won him critical and commercial acclaim. But his work has also earned him criticism for the manner in which he has chosen to execute certain sensitive narratives on screen.
In 2012, Tarantino directed Django Unchained for which he earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The film is a fictionalized narrative set during the period of African slavery in the USA. While it received a lot of praise from audiences and critics, accomplished Black filmmaker Spike Lee was harshly critical of the film for the way in which it depicted his ancestry.
Why Did Spike Lee Refuse To Watch Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained?
In Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, a former African slave played by Jamie Foxx who is freed by a German bounty hunter, sets out on a treacherous journey to save his wife from a cruel plantation owner. The film which is set during the troubling times of the Slavery movement in the USA, received widespread acclaim for Tarantino’s writing which also won him an Oscar.
Like all of the director’s films, Django Unchained too was marked by a lot of bloodshed and violence that captured the intensity of the narrative. But not everyone was enamored with Tarantino’s fictional depiction of a significant historical period. Acclaimed director Spike Lee who is seen as a role model for Black culture through his films, was not impressed with the drama.
In an interview with Vibe Magazine (via The Hollywood Reporter), Lee first confessed that he had not seen the film, and was not going to make the effort to do so. Elaborating on his reasons, the Malcolm X director stated,
“All I’m going to say is that it’s disrespectful to my ancestors. That’s just me. … I’m not speaking on behalf of anybody else.”
Lee went on to add that Tarantino’s stylized take on the brutal violence that was inflicted on African slaves, did not sit well with him. He also believed that the comedic interludes were unwarranted, and diluted the suffering of the people who went through this torture, thereby demeaning their sacrifices.
In a deleted tweet on X (via The Hollywood Reporter), the Oscar winner used strong, capitalized words to mark his intent and said,
“American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust.My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them,”
In an earlier instance, Lee criticized the Kill Bill filmmaker for excessively using the derogatory ‘n***er’ word to describe Black people in his film Jackie Brown. The director who has never minced words with anyone, is also known for his feud with Clint Eastwood (via Deadline) when he accused him of sidestepping black soldiers from his two movies namely Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.
Quentin Tarantino’s Take On MCU Stars Got A Response From The Russo Brothers
While Spike Lee has questioned Quentin Tarantino’s filmmaking multiple times, the Pulp Fiction director himself has never been one to back away from forthright comments. The talented filmmaker has, on numerous occasions, expressed his views on the state of Hollywood and the films coming out of the industry.
One of his opinions that created a stir was his controversial take on the “marvelization” of Hollywood and the influence of the MCU in creating superstars. Tarantino felt that the characters were greater than the actors themselves and expressed his views in the 2 Bears 1 Cave podcast (via Mediaite)
“But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times…but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”
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The Russo brothers whose successful association with the MCU started with 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and culminated with Avengers: Endgame, responded to Tarantino’s comment with an equally frank and forthright response to The New Yorker.
“I don’t know if Quentin feels like he was born to make a Marvel movie which is maybe why he would feel like a hired hand doing it. It depends on your relationship to the source material. What fulfills us the most is building a sense of community around our work.”
Tarantino for his part, has also spoken about being a fan of the Marvel franchise and having the collection of comic books since his childhood. But he confessed that his aesthetics did not match with what was required to helm a Marvel film.
Django Unchained can be rented on Apple TV.
