Here is part one of six of the first Travis Bickle on the Riviera video essay series, Tarantino Goes West.
This episode features the voices of Tucker Stone, Morgan Jeske, and David Brothers.
The videos in this series will cover Tarantino's latest film, The Hateful Eight, as well as it's cinematic, literary, and historical precedents. Ranging from cowboy novels of the turn of the 20th century to the horror films of the 70s. The series will try to contextualize Tarantino's film in the history of the western and how the film argues that the western is a narrative that has been built on some spectacularly vile and racist ideas.
This second episode begins a two-part exploration of the cast of the film, with the roots of the characters Major Marquis Warren, John Ruth the Hangman, General Sandy Smithers, and Sheriff Chris Mannix. Our next section will focus on the members of the Jody Do Min Gray Gang. Some of the topics covered here include John Wayne, John Carpenter, John Sturges, the Shaft series, Walter Hill, Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci, black westerns, William Quantrill, the buddy cop movie, the James / Younger Gang, Mel Brooks, Lee Van Cleef, Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Dern, Kurt Russell, Clint Eastwood, and the KKK.
This is something I've wanted to do with the show for a while and it is only now possible thanks to the support of our Patreon backers. This first series will be made available to them a little early in thanks for their support. We hope to continue making videos like this and we hope you enjoy this project and you can support us at the new level to make more of these happen. Prospective topics for future series include: Suspiria, Django Unchained, Death Proof, Kathryn Bigelow, and the early films of David Cronenberg.
- Sean Witzke
References used in creating this episode:
- The Hateful Eight: A Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino
- 10,000 Ways To Die by Alex Cox
- They Live (Deep Focus) by Jonathan Lethem
- John Carpenter: The Prince of Darkness by Gilles Boulenger
- From Shane To Kill Bill: Rethinking The Western, by Patrick McGee
- Shaft Among The Jews by Ernest Tidyman
- True Grit by Charles Portis
- The Friedkin Connection by William Friedkin
- "How Quentin Tarantino Paid Homage to Hollywood Westerns with His Hateful Eight Costumes" by Julie Miller, Vanity Fair, December 2015
Video clips include (listed as they appear):
- Death Wish 2 (1982), dir. Michael Winner
- The Hateful Eight (2015), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- Django (1966), dir. Sergio Corbucci
- For a Few Dollars More (1965), dir. Sergio Leone
- High Noon (1952), dir. Fred Zinnemann
- The Bravados (1958), dir. Henry King
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), dir. John Ford
- The Big Gundown (1967), dir. Sergio Sollima
- The Grand Duel (1972), dir. Giancarlo Santi
- Death Rides A Horse (1967), dir. Giulio Petroni
- If You Meet Sartana, Pray For Your Death (1968), dir. Gianfranco Parolini
- Sabata (1970), dir. Gianfranco Parolini
- Django Unchained (2012), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966), dir. Sergio Leone
- Escape From New York (1981), dir. John Carpenter
- Shaft’s Big Score (1972), dir. Gordon Parks
- The French Connection (1971), dir. William Friedkin
- Shaft (1971), dir. Gordon Parks
- Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), dir. Ossie Davis
- Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song (1971), dir. Melvin Van Peebles
- Charlie One Eye (1973), dir. Don Chaffey
- Take a Hard Ride (1975), dir. Antonio Margheriti
- Shaft In Africa (1973), dir. John Guillermin
- Shaft tv series
- Shaft (2000), dir. John Singelton
- The Virginian season 1 opening credits
- A Christmas Eve Conversation With Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson
- Pulp Fiction (1994), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- Jackie Brown (1997), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), dir. Renny Harlin
- Hard 8 (1996), dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
- Halloween (1978), dir. John Carpenter
- Elvis (1979), dir. John Carpenter
- Big Trouble In Little China (1986), dir. John Carpenter
- Death Proof (2007), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- High Plains Drifter (1973), dir. Clint Eastwood
- Pale Rider (1985), dir. Clint Eastwood
- The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), dir. Clint Eastwood
- The Thing (1982), dir. John Carpenter
- The Thing From Another World (1951), dir. Christian Nyby & Howard Hawks
- The Magnificent Seven (1960), dir. John Sturges)
- Ice Station Zebra (1968), dir. John Sturges
- Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), dir. John Sturges
- Red River (1948), dir. Howard Hawks
- The Searchers (1956), dir. John Ford
- Rio Bravo (1959), dir. Howard Hawks
- Taxi Driver (1976), dir. Martin Scorsese
- True Grit (1969), dir. Henry Hathaway
- True Grit (2010), dir. The Coen Brothers
- Wild Bill (1995), dir. Walter Hill
- Calamity Jane (1953), dir. David Butler
- Deadwood episode 1 (2004), dir. Walter Hill
- Kill Bill vol. 2 (2004), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- Crimson Tide (1995), dir. Tony Scott
- The Trip (1967), dir. Roger Corman
- Marnie (1964), dir. Alfred Hitchcock
- Laredo episode (1965)
- Bonanza (1968)
- The Cowboys (1972), dir. Mark Rydell
- Family Plot (1976), dir. Alfred Hitchcock
- Last Man Standing (1996), dir. Walter Hill
- The Driver (1978), dir. Walter Hill
- Posse (1975), dir. Kirk Douglas
- The Oxbow Incident (1943), dir. William A Wellman
- The Hellbenders (1967), dir. Sergio Corbucci
- George Wallace from ABC news
- Jesse James as the Outlaw (1921), dir. Franklin B Coates
- The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford (2007), dir. Andrew Dominik
- The Long Riders (1980), dir. Walter Hill
- Merrill’s Marauders (1962), dir. Samuel Fuller
- The Great Silence (1968), dir. Sergio Corbucci
- Blazing Saddles (1974), dir. Mel Brooks
- Head of State (2003), dir. Chris Rock
- Red Rock West (1993), dir. John Dael
- Have Gun Will Travel - “Brotherhood”
- Kill Bill vol. 1 (2003), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- 48 Hrs (1982), dir. Walter Hill
- Mannix (1967)
- Inglourious Basterds (2009), dir. Quentin Tarantino
- Lethal Weapon (1987), dir. Richard Donner
- The Defiant Ones (1958), dir. Stanley Kramer
- Skin Game (1971), dir. Paul Bogart
- 100 Rifles (1969), dir. Tom Gries
- Black Mama, White Mama (1973), dir. Eddie Romero
- Night of the Living Dead (1968), dir. George Romero
- Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), dir. John Carpenter
- Dawn of the Dead (1978), dir. George Romero
- They Live (1988), dir. John Carpenter
Songs featured:
- “Osservator Osservati” by Ennio Morricone from For a Few Dollars More.
- “Padre Ramirez”, “Il Deserto” & “Il Tramanto” by Ennio Morricone from The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.
- “Minacciosamente Lontano” “Attessa Del Nulla” & “I Crudeli (The Widow)” by Ennio Morricone from The Hellbenders.
- “Orientation” by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth from Escape From New York.
- “Roll Away” by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth from They Live.
- “Town of Silence” & “Fango Giallo” by Luis Bacalov from Django.
- “No Name Bar” by Isaac Hayes from Shaft.
- “Escape From Northfield” & “Better Things to Think About” by Ry Cooder from The Long Riders.
- “Blue Suede” by Vince Staples.
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You can download episodes directly from itunes and rss. For a quick look at who has been on the show before and what movies have been discussed in each episode, look at our one-page episode guide. This is a Patreon-supported podcast, subscribing to the show can give you access to monthly criticism from Sean, Tucker, and Morgan. You can watch Sean's Travis Bickle video essays atvimeo.
You can follow the show on twitter, tumblr,letterboxd, and facebook. If you like this show, please check out Tucker’s other podcast Comic Books Are Burning In Hell (also located at TFO and here), TFO's music podcast Beat Connection with Marty Brown and Nate Patrin (at TFO and here), and Katie Skelly & Sarah Horrock’s Trash Twins (located here and here), which Sean edits.
Had to wait to watch this due to internet jankyness. Fantastic stuff. Provides valuable and fascinating subtext that really adds to the appreciation of the film. Cant wait for the next one!
Posted by: Tony P | 2016.09.10 at 14:27