All the great directors learned from their idols. Tarantino’s style is I think a solid combination of guys like De Palma and Scorsese. From all the Leone pictures I’ve seen I think the biggest simularity between the two is their ability to tell a great story. We may have to wait until Inglorious Bastards to say if QT is a modern day Sergio Leone. QT doesn’t steal from other directors. Brian De Palma doesn’t “steal” from his personal idol, Hitchcock. I think it’s called inspiration. The split-screen and long shots from De Palma, and I think the violence in QT movies is much like the violence in Scorsese movies.
Not to put anyone’s opinions down or anything but Leone and Tarantino though somewhat similar, I think are also very, very different. And this is what makes QT’s style his own. Leone was known for creating films that looked BIG. And those many, many wide and long shots helped with that. The violence in Leone pictures was always very quick, a matter of a few seconds. There would be more emphasis on the build-up than to the violence inself. QT doesn’t have a large build-up, most of the time. Sometimes. It’s usually “bang” there it is but like Leone it’s also over pretty quick. There are of-course exceptions. To what you may think is violence and what is action. But he takes that style from Scorsese I think.
The end of Kill Bill felt a little like Leone, obviously intended. The fight between The Bride and Oren Ishii. QT used those wide shots and paced it out slower than other directors might. Remember that little bucket that fills up with water. That reminded me of the windmeel at the beginning of Once Upon A Time In The West. Man I love that stuff.
