S. Samuel
Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino sent shockwaves backstage at the Golden Globes awards ceremony last night (January 13) when he publicly used the controversial "N-word" amongst media and press.
According to reports, Tarantino defended the controversial word’s usage in his films, most notably last month’s Django Unchained box office hit, backstage at the awards.
Quentin Tarantino professed his shock at winning the Golden Globe for best screenplay, then proceeded to shock the press backstage. Addressing the unending conversation over the 100-plus times the characters in his slavery-themed spaghetti Western, Django Unchained, used the N-word, Tarantino himself uttered the phrase, to audible gasps from the scribes in the winners’ room. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Tarantino stood behind using the term in his flicks and refused to soften characters by limiting its big screen presence.
“They think I should soften it, that I should lie, that I should massage.” Tarantino said, referring to writers and filmmakers such as Spike Lee, who have criticized his use of the slur in the film. The film’s setting of 1860 antebellum south, he said, made that impossible, as did his artistic integrity. “I would never do that when it comes to my characters,” the director added. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Recently, outspoken Chicago rapper Rhymefest hit up SOHH and shared his stance on the Django controversy, especially with moviemaker Spike Lee blasting Tarantino’s new flick.
“I think that sometimes you got to know when you’ve won. And I think Spike Lee won but he’s ruining his win. Now he’s putting himself in a position where he’s going to have to win again. Furthermore, make some good a** movies and show “us” how it’s done. I’m going to tell you something. I don’t think black filmmakers can make good movies about slavery. I don’t think it’s possible. I think we’re too close to it. You can [quote me]. A lot of people are going to hate that. Some subjects, as black people, we get so emotional about things that we don’t think about the artistic entertainment value of it as well as the historic accuracy of it.” (SOHH Guest Star)
G-Unit’s 50 Cent recently revealed his take toward the movie’s buzz and Lee’s publicized issues.
“The Django movie, I went to go see it at the premiere, I actually saw it before it came out,” Fif said in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid. “My take on it is, it was done in the f*cking time where the word was around. I guess [Spike Lee’s] upset, man, sometimes he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and you already got an attitude. You woke up on the wrong side of the bed, saw the f*cking movie out there, Django, and then said, ‘How many times did they say ‘N*gger?” and got mad as a motherf*cker, man. Spike wants to kill somebody. They got to relax him. Relax him and let him watch the game, man. Watch the Knicks.” (Whoolywood Shuffle)
