Tarantino to receive Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film

Quentin Tarantino will be honored with the 2009 Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in October. The honor will be presented by Douglas at a black-tie Gala dinner at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara on October 22.

The Academy Award Winner won an Oscar in 1995 for writing the cult favorite “Pulp Fiction. His film credits include “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), “Jackie Brown” (1997), and “Kill Bill” (2003 and 2004). His latest project, “Inglourious Basterds,” is currently racking up in the box office. It opened with $38 million in domestic theaters, his biggest to date.

“Inglourious Basterds” is Tarantio’s homage to American action/western films. It also just happens to be a World War II movie. The film opens in 1941 France in an intense interrogation scene between Nazi Colonel Landa (played by Christopher Waltz) and French countryman Perrier LaPadite (Denis Menochet). One Jewish girl named Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) survives this countryside bullet fest, allowing “Basterds” to fast-forward to 1944, where she devises her ‘mission of justice.’

“Inglourious Basterds” uses subtitles to translate French into English in the first scene for dramatic effect. Not to worry, however. The usage of subtitles does not last long.

Naturally, a soundtrack of moving popular songs accompanies Tarantino’s film. In particular, David Bowie’s powerful goth-rock ballad, ‘Cat People (Putting out Fire)’ ignites “Inglourious Basterds.” Tarantino masterfully uses ‘Cat People’ to frame Jewish farm girl Shosanna’s (Melanie Laurent) transformation from cheerless cinema owner to a homicidal resistance fighter.

No related posts.