THE PLANK JUNE 28, 2008
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Or: The Lies We Tell Ourselves.
From Deborah Solomon's New York Times Magazine interview with Buddhist Studies professor Robert Thurman:
As a Buddhist, how do you reconcile your pacifism with the roles your daughter
Uma has played in films like Quentin Tarantino’s bloody “Kill Bill”? Quentin is kind of obsessed, he’s a wild
guy. But he is very brilliant. We trust that his motive is to show people the
foolishness of violence rather than to glorify it. I hope that’s true. [Italics Mine]
--Isaac Chotiner
8 comments
Robert Thurman allows two possible explanations for Tarantino's violent displays: show the "foolishness" of violence, or glority it. There are more, and better, explanations. Not all of them are "motives," in the sense that Tarantino is proactively conscious of his actions.
How about these? Tarantino is bereft of ideas of depth (ergo, when in doubt, show blood), he now believes it when people tell him he's a god, he dreams of being an animator, he fears honest male/female chemistry, etc.
As far as Tarantino's obsession with Thurman's daughter, that's inexplicable, in my view. No one was more disappointed than I that such a silly girl managed to punch her way out of that coffin in "Kill Bill." (Like so many of his peers, Tarantino ignores the talent-rich, criminally underutilized pool of middle-aged [or older] actresses, any one of whom could stroll peacefully through a couple scenes in one of his shallow MTV videos on steroids and rip the entire project to shreds without so much as lifting a weapon or even saying a word.)
- williamyard
June 28, 2008 at 1:41pm
Tarantino is a hack who sells people violent pornography and embarrasses them into thinking its art.
- cthulhu2008
June 28, 2008 at 2:23pm
Better question: Why does a parent have to "reconcile" his own beliefs with his grown child's career choices? And why is this asked of a Buddhist as a Buddhist, and not, say, of every Christian parent whose grown child is in any way involved with violence or state authority? Answer: Because it's a silly question. Even the Amish invite their children to choose their own belief system.
- rhubarbs
June 28, 2008 at 3:10pm
You can say Tarantino makes bad movies (I disagree), but if so, they are made badly with gusto and affection, and therefore he is not a hack.
Also, I'll note that Thurmon is in her mid-thirties and Pam Grier was no spring chicken when she made Jackie Brown.
- aculimic
June 28, 2008 at 3:17pm
I noticed that non-answer too. But Rhubs is right. It was a stupid question, intended more to work Dr. Thurman's famous daughter into the interview than to gain any insight into Quentin Tarrantino. I mean, what did you want the guy to say? "Yeah, my beloved daughter has assisted in the production and promotion of a lot of unmitigated garbage?"
- aeromonas
June 28, 2008 at 6:54pm
Sometimes an escapist male violence flick is just an escapist male violence flick. My God, this is the kind of thinking that people use to claim that Grand Theft Auto made them kill a hooker.
- guyminuslife
June 28, 2008 at 11:27pm
Sure, it's a silly question.
But anyone who's read this particular section of the NY Times magazine knows that it's not intended to provide a serious interview but rather an entertaining snapshot. And this particular answer and justification of Tarrantino's violence on film surely deserves an eye roll.
Obviously Professor Thurman, the father of Uma, is not much of a film critic but I think we can agree - he was not featured in the magazine for the purpose offering views of Buddhist scholarship.
- citizenghost
June 29, 2008 at 8:33am
Speaking of GTA, so sayeth "The Onion":
www.theonion.com/.../liberty_city_police_face
- rhubarbs
June 29, 2008 at 8:49am