Tarantino’s love for westerns is common knowledge, especially since he tried out the genre himself with Django Unchained (2012) and The Hateful Eight (2015). In fact, westerns have been a source of inspiration throughout his work.
In Kill Bill, many shots pay homage to the films of Sergio Leone, as well as the theme of revenge, which is at the heart of the genre, and is also explored in Inglourious Basterds, whose original soundtrack draws from the music of his favorite musician, Ennio Morricone.
Time and again, Quentin Tarantino has shown us his love for the spaghetti western, citing The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as part of his essential viewing. But it’s not just the spaghetti western that Tarantino loves, it’s the western genre on a whole, and he will be in attendance this year to share his love for them with the Festival.
He chose the work of prolific director George Sherman (1908‒1991), particularly the time in his career when he believes Sherman was his most ambitious and creative, during the 1940s and 1950s, when he was working with Universal. Tarantino presents two of his lesser-known films that he has watched and rewatched time and again: Red Canyon and Comanche Territory.
Released in 1950, in Comanche Territory, we follow Jim Read who has been sent to the border to investigate the outbreak of violence between the Mexicans and the Comanche. Restoring the peace becomes tricky given what’s at stake regarding the exploitation of the mines.
Red Canyon, released one year earlier, follows the story of Lucy, the daughter of a horse farmer who dreams of capturing a wild stallion, and that of a lone cowboy with a troubled past.
Both films have been restored and will delight fans of action and Technicolor.
