Tarantino, Quentin
Identification American film director, writer, and
actor
Born March 27, 1963; Knoxville, Tennessee
Tarantino’s distinctive films helped to bring the indepen-
dent film movement of the 1990’s into mainstream popular
culture.
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most identifiable di-
rectors of the 1990’s. Writing and directing the cult
favoriteReservoir Dogs(1992) and the critically and
popularly acclaimedPulp Fiction(1994), Tarantino
made two of the most distinctive and imitated mov-
ies of the decade. Tarantino’s films often employ
crime story lines told in nontraditional form, punc-
tuated with stylized violence and dialogue, and fea-
turing extended monologues on aspects of popular
culture. Tarantino’s work also shows the influence of
B-movies, especially Hong Kong action movies, film
noir, “blaxploitation” films, and spaghetti Westerns.
Tarantino is also known for resurrecting the careers
of washed-up actors like John Travolta inPulp Fiction
and Pam Grier and Robert Forster inJackie Brown
(1997). Tarantino’s films are also part of the larger
postmodern movement in the arts, as they are
intertextual, synthesizing scenes, themes, and other
aspects of previous films. Tarantino also wrote and
directedJackie Brownand wrote either stories or
screenplays for several other films, includingTr ue
Romance(1993) andNatural Born Killers(1994).
Tarantino wrote, directed, and acted inReservoir
Dogs, his first feature film. With its nonlinear ac-
count of a heist gone wrong,Reservoir Dogsintro-
duced many of Tarantino’s trademarks. After show-
ings at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, the
movie received widespread critical praise. Although
it enjoyed only a short theatrical release, the film
gained a cult following and made Tarantino a pop
culture icon.
WithPulp Fiction, Tarantino became the most rec-
ognizable independent filmmaker in the United
States. More ambitious than its predecessor,Pulp Fic-
tionfollowed three interwoven plotlines through the
crime underworld of Los Angeles. Grossing over
$100 million in the United States and over $200 mil-
lion worldwide, the film was an enormous success
and established Miramax as one of the premier
movie studios. The film was also critically acclaimed
and won numerous awards, including the Palme
d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. At the 1995 Acad-
emy Awards,Pulp Fictionearned seven nominations,
including Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best
Original Screenplay.Impact Following the success ofPulp Fiction, Holly-
wood produced a number of “Tarantino-esque”
films imitating Tarantino’s plots, dialogue, and over-
all style. Moreover, large studios began to look for in-
dependent films that could duplicate Tarantino’s
box-office success. The triumph ofPulp Fictionalso
helped Miramax become a powerhouse within the
film industry, producing numerous commercially
and critically successful movies. The lasting effect of
Tarantino’s work on American cinema has also been
appreciated by film scholars. In 2007, the American
Film Institute rankedPulp Fictionas ninety-fourth on
its list of the one hundred best American movies of
all time.834 Tarantino, Quentin The Nineties in America
Quentin Tarantino holds his Golden Globe Award at the 1995
awards ceremony. He and Roger Avary won for theirPulp Fic-
tionscreenplay.(AP/Wide World Photos)