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| By Erin Maxwell |
Everything you’ve heard about the The Hateful Eight is wrong. It’s not just a story about revenge, distrust or a possible murder most foul, but a tribute to what Quentin Tarantino loves most: movies.
At the beginning of the Saturday panel, Samuel L. Jackson hosted a clip that talked about Tarantino’s dedication to movies and his love for the old standard of filming. QT’s admiration of the look and feel of old movies inspired him to film The Hateful Eight in Ultra Panavision 70MM, like the classic Hollywood epics of yesteryear.
And since the format is no longer supported by most theaters, the Oscar-winning helmer opted to take the show on the road by bringing back the cinematic roadshow.
Back in the day, attending an epic movie was more involved than just deciding where to sit and wondering if you can use your Arclight points towards an apple bacon sausage. It was an event. There was a musical overture and intermission, to give the audiences a chance to feel the mood of the movie and an opportunity to catch their breath.
The old-timey concept is returning to theaters this Christmas with The Hateful Eight,as Tarantino’s love letter to the Western genre opens in limited release in glorious 70MM on limited screens.
“I am not a fan of digital projection, as everyone well knows. We’ve already seceded too much ground to the barbarians. That’s not why I got into this business.” said Tarantino. “If I shoot it in 70MM, they will be forced to show it.”
“Once we started putting together the project, it began evolving. The idea that 70MM is limited to travelogues is just not true…it brings you closer to the actors and the action. It helps create great drama.”
In addition to the filming in 70MM, the pic will be displayed in Ultra Panavision, the largest available format for projecting film.
As the process continued, it became clear that filming The Hateful Eight became more than just spitting out another pic, but adding to the rich history of Hollywood.
“It’s not that these are like the lenses that were used on Ben-Hur. These ARE the lenses used in Ben-Hur! They only exist as this group. These are the exact lenses that made Ben-Hur, and these the lenses that made It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World.”
Not only with QT resurrecting a classic style and look of filming, but The Hateful Eight is his latest take on the Western, which is a genre that is not seen very often at the local cineplex. Both Eight and Django Unchained are Tarantino’s attempt to bring back the oaters of yore, but in a modern fashion that can earn new fans.
“I actual feel that when it comes to westerns… You have to make at least three to call yourself a western director or else you are just dabbling,” said Tarantino. “So I’m going to make one more so I can call myself a western director.”
