The filmmaker Quentin Tarantino described as a "friendly competitor"

[Timothy Gangwer]

Swapnil Dhruv Bose

The filmmaker Quentin Tarantino described as a "friendly competitor"

Quentin Tarantino has had a definitive impact on the landscape of contemporary cinema, known for making masterpieces like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction which would shape American filmmaking in the 1990s. Described as “the single most influent filmmaker of our generation,” Tarantino is reported to be planning his tenth and final project before retiring from the world of cinema for good.

Since his formative years, which he spent working at a video store, Tarantino has always been a strong advocate for visual literacy. Even after gaining international success and critical recognition, Tarantino used his platform to introduce Western audiences to geniuses like Wong Kar-wai and Bong Joon-ho, who were lesser known in America at the time.

Aside from his acknowledgement of the foreign masters, Tarantino has appreciated the work of his contemporaries in America as well. He has cited the influence of pioneers like Steven Spielberg, calling him a “perfect filmmaker” and including his 1975 masterpiece Jaws on his list of favourite films. Tarantino has also regularly applauded the works of modern auteurs like the Coen Brothers, drawing inspiration from their experiments.

However, there is one particular contemporary American filmmaker whom Tarantino considers to be a direct competitor. Like Tarantino, that director is also regarded by many as one of the most skilled new age auteurs who has contributed to the evolution of the cinematic art in the 21st century. He is none other than the director of gems like Punch-Drunk Love and The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson.

While introducing Anderson’s magnum opus, Tarantino said: “I think There Will Be Blood is definitely one of the best movies made in this last decade and I couldn’t be prouder of saying that. Paul is one of my best friends and I would say he’s probably the current filmmaking artist out [there] right now whom I consider to be the most friendly competitor. I am glad to be making movies in the same time as Paul.”

Tarantino also added that he does not agree with most critics when it comes to the label of Anderson’s best work. The filmmaker explained, “Many people consider There Will Be Blood to be his masterpiece [but] I am afraid I still have to choose Boogie Nights over There Will Be Blood. As exquisite as There Will Be Blood is, I still prefer the exuberance of Boogie Nights over the formalism of There Will Be Blood.”

Anderson’s latest project, Licorice Pizza, is scheduled to be released on November 26 of this year. The highly anticipated project will star some of the biggest names in the industry, ranging from Bradley Cooper to Sean Penn and Tom Waits.