Tarantino Reveals His Favorite Shot, Bond, and Character in This Q&A

April 16, 2020

This month, Empire Magazine re-released an awesome Q&A with director Quentin Tarantino in which he answered readers' questions.

The interview, which originally ran in July 2019, is chock-full of interesting facts and secrets about the director and some of his most beloved movies and characters.

For example, do you know what Tarantino's favorite movie shot of all time is? He says you can find it during the iconic showdown from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

"After you’ve seen all the little shots of the guys getting into position, you suddenly see the whole wideness of the bullring and all the graves around them," Tarantino says.

This would be a great time to check out the mathematical editing of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Another reader asks what Tarantino's favorite character to write was. He says it's Hans Landa from Inglourious Basterds. And Tarantino makes an interesting point during his answer to this question.

"I found I had a really interesting situation with him that has been hard to have with any other character," he says. "It was the fact he was not only a bad guy, not only a Nazi, but a Nazi known as the Jew Hunter, who is finding Jews and sending them to the concentration camp, but when he shows up towards the end of the movie, kinda figuring out what the Basterds are doing, the audience wants him to."

Tarantino clarifies that he (and hopefully the audience) don't actually want Landa to win. He has simply been built up throughout the film as almost all-powerful, and if Tarantino has him nearly dismantle the Basterds' plans, then the story becomes more interesting and exciting.

Sometimes, as a writer, you'll find you've written characters so big, dynamic, and interesting that they almost run away with the story. That's not a bad thing! If you're enjoying your characters, chances are an audience will, too. Just make sure you keep them reined in, and that they are still serving a purpose in your work.

Here, making Landa such a large, powerful antagonist means his eventual defeat is even more enjoyable.

Check out the rest of Empire's Q&A to read Tarantino's reflections on True Romance, James Bond, and more!