Is Quentin Tarantino Calvin Candie?: The Essence of Exploitation in Django Unchained

This essay argues that Quentin Tarantino’s use of African American cultural history as a cinematic tool is similar in exploitation to the actions of his own slave-owning villain Calvin Candie in Django Unchained. Through the close examination of two key scenes, it will be shown that Tarantino’s stylistic use of slavery and African American characters is deeply problematic in its white savior arrogance to revise black cultural history through the cultural production of a film. Tarantino’s postmodern pastiche exploits signifiers from many areas of popular culture for entertainment, but it is his use of slavery, hip-hop, and representations of black masculinity as tools for audience manipulation that are particularly troubling. Tarantino’s cultural appropriation is an inherently derogatory creative choice that warrants examination by film scholars.