Quentin Tarantino Discusses Portrayal Of Slavery In ‘Django Unchained’

Director Quentin Tarantino recently discussed his portrayal of slavery in his upcoming spaghetti western Django Unchained, according to the Guardian.

While chatting up the movie to those in attendance at the first UK screening of Django Unchained, Tarantino explained that nothing dreamed up by Hollywood could match what actually took place during the days of slavery.

“When slave narratives are done on film, they tend to be historical with a capital H, with an arms-length quality to them. I wanted to break that history-under-glass aspect, I wanted to throw a rock through that glass and shatter it for all times, and take you into it,” the director said.

Tarantino said he did quite a bit of research into the business of the American slave trade. He wanted to put the focus on the dynamic that existed between slaves and slave owners.

“I did a lot of research particularly in how the business of slavery worked, and what exactly was the social breakdown inside a plantation: the white families that owned the houses, the black servants who worked inside the house, the black servants that were in the fields, and the white overseers and workers that were hired to work there,” the acclaimed filmmaker said.

While the subject matter tackled in Quentin Tarantino’s latest effort may be controversial, this hasn’t stopped the film from receiving quite a bit of early praise.

MTV News reports Django Unchained received plenty of kudos at a recent screening for the Directors Guild of America. According to a tweet by self-proclaimed movie maven Anne Thompson, the film enjoyed a standing ovation once the end credits began to roll.

“Django unchained is super violent spaghetti western w/ anachronistic songs. waltz & jackson steal it. All talk & action. 1st screening,” Thompson wrote.

Django Unchained opens in North America on December 25. Are you looking forward to the new movie by Quentin Tarantino?