Why ‘Pulp Fiction’ is Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Star Wars,’ According to Robert Rodriguez
Quentin Tarantino is one of the world’s biggest filmmakers. He’s made nine movies and all of them have landed an impact. Pulp Fiction is his sophomore effort after making 1992’s stunning Reservoir Dogs. However, Tarantino had concerns regarding Pulp Fiction ahead of its release. Fellow filmmaker Robert Rodriguez once compared Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction to George Lucas’ original Star Wars.
Quentin Tarantino showed ‘Pulp Fiction’ to his director friends
Tarantino originally developed Pulp Fiction as an anthology. He intended to bring in another filmmaker to create their own short story. However, Tarantino developed a certain passion for Pulp Fiction that he wanted to make it his next feature-length movie. Studios weren’t necessarily ready for the type of movie he was making.
Tarantino and Rodriguez talked about Pulp Fiction on the El Rey Network. Rodriguez reminisced about a special Pulp Fiction screening that Tarantino hosted for his director friends. Unfortunately, Rodriguez wasn’t able to attend the screening since he was in Texas at the time. However, he recalls hearing all about Tarantino’s uncertainty regarding the movie.
Robert Rodriguez said ‘Pulp Fiction’ is Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Star Wars’
Lucas and Tarantino both screened their iconic movies to their director friends ahead of the release. However, neither one of them enjoyed a very positive initial reception. Tarantino felt a tad worried about the more general appeal of Pulp Fiction. Meanwhile, most of Lucas’ peers believed that he wasted his time entirely.
“I think the time that happened before most famously was on Star Wars,” Rodriguez said on the El Rey Network. “George Lucas got all his director friends to look at it. [Brian] De Palma, [Steven] Spielberg and they all were just like, ‘Poor George [Lucas]. Wasted his time with this movie. What a fool’s errand this was.’ Spielberg recognized it for being something that it could be.”
Rodriguez continued: “But, I talked to some of the directors because I wasn’t able to go to that screening that you had for your director friends. I was curious. I called up a couple of people and said, ‘How did it go?’ They said, ‘I’m not sure. Don’t know. Don’t know about this one.’”
Tarantino responded, “They had never seen anything like it!”
“It was like Star Wars,” Rodriguez said. “That was our Star Wars. Pulp Fiction was like our Star Wars. Not even we knew.”
Triumphant films perservere
Star Wars has grown into one of the world’s biggest franchises of all time. Meanwhile, Pulp Fiction earned prestigious awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Awards. These movies initially suffered hardships and uncertainty. However, they ultimately persevered when more folks got the chance to see them.
Tarantino proved that his style is exactly what would lead to his success. Critics and audiences love his movies because they offer something totally different. Tarantino has a signature style that exists across his filmography. It will be interesting to see what he does for his supposed 10th and final movie.
