UPDATE: Ennio Morricone has responded to Playboy Germany's article, which quoted him as insulting director Quentin Tarantino. Morricone said he never gave an interview with Playboy Germany, and all of their information is "totally false." He went on to say that he considers Quentin Tarantino "a great director," and he's very fond of their collaboration in The Hateful Eight.
Here's Ennio Morricone's full statement (via IndieWire), attempting to set the record straight:
It has come to my attention that Playboy Germany has come out with an article in which I have called Tarantino a cretin and consider his films garbage. This is totally false. I have not given an interview to Playboy Germany and even more, I have never called Tarantino a cretin and certainly do not consider his films garbage. I have given a mandate to my lawyer in Italy to take civil and penal action. I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality. I credit Tarantino for being one of the people responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film. In London, during a press conference in front of Tarantino, i clearly stated that I consider Quentin one of the greatest directors of this time.
Original post:
Quentin Tarantino is busy making Once Upon A Time In Hollywood for a 2019 release, but this time around it's unlikely he'll be enlisting the efforts of veteran composer Ennio Morricone. Morricone scored The Hateful Eight back in 2015 after working with Tarantino on some of his various other projects, but in a recent interview with Playboy.de he revealed he doesn't have super fond thoughts about the prominent American director. In fact, he went so far as to call Quentin Tarantino a "cretin." Here's his comment, roughly translated from the original German.
The man is a cretin. He just steals from others and puts it together new again. There is nothing original about that. And he is not a director either. So not comparable to real Hollywood greats like John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, or Billy Wilder. They were great. Tarantino is just cooking up old stuff.
My German is not as smooth as my English; however, the word "kretin" really jumps out in this statement. The popular Italian composer has also worked on a slew of popular films, including Sergio's Once Upon A Time In The West and Once Upon A Time In America, films which Once Upon A Time In Hollywood's title is clearly modeled after. It doesn't really seem as if he respects that sort of nod.
This isn't the first time Ennio Morricone has had some blunt thoughts about The Hateful Eight director. He previously revealed Quentin Tarantino had asked him to work on Inglorious Basterds, but that he wasn't interested due to the grueling schedule he'd worked on previously on projects like Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2, movies he landed soundtrack credits on. At the time, Tarantino just chose to use a song they'd worked on previously. Then, Morricone changed his mind and did music again for The Hateful Eight. In fact, after the first comments rolled around, Morricone said they were taken out of context and that he has "great respect" for Tarantino, so perhaps he also didn't choose his words carefully this time around?
Either way, the 90-year-old composer has been in the business a long time and has seen a lot of famous directors come and go. While he says he prefers "greats" like John Huston and Alfred Hitchcock, Ennio Morricone also admits that some of his issues with Quentin Tarantino may have stemmed from the way both men like to work. Tarantino seems to play things fast and loose while Morricone admits he prefers more time to prepare a composition. Morricone also told Playboy.de:
He calls out of nowhere and then wants to have finished film music within days. Which is impossible. Which makes me crazy! Because that's just not possible. And I will not do this with him anymore. I told him that last time.
Working with various creative types is not always a walk in the park, and it is clear from these comments Ennio Morricone does not have a ton of fondness for regarding the times he worked with Quentin Tarantino as a director. Elsewhere in the December issue interview, he even refers to the prominent Hollywood director as "trash." He also doesn't seem to have any love lost for the Hollywood and the United States in the interview, also noting he doesn't miss its "self-inflated pomposities."
Ennio Morricone is still very much a fixture in Hollywood, and is doing the music for the upcoming animated feature The Canterville Ghost, with Hugh Laurie, Freddie Highmore, Imelda Staunton and more. As for Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is expected to debut on July 26, 2019. To see more of what is coming up next year, take a look at our full schedule.
