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Reviewed by:
  • Cinema Unchained: The Films of Quentin Tarantino by Brancati, Simona
  • Peter C. Rollins and Seth Wood
Cinema Unchained: The Films of Quentin Tarantino. Brancati, Simona. Washington, D.C.: New Academia Publishing, 2014.

In his preface to Simona Brancati’s Cinema Unchained, senior scholar Frank Manchel argues that the uniqueness of the work is to be found not so much in the novelty of Brancati’s findings but in the unpretentious clarity of her style. Indeed it is difficult, when reading Brancati’s book, not to be impressed by the ease with which she surveys Tarantino’s controversial oeuvre. She offers lucid comparative analyses of Tarantino’s films in terms of how they relate to one another but also to the diverse cinematic traditions he draws on for inspiration (spaghetti westerns, 1970s kung-fu films, the blacksploitation genre, etc.). Moving deftly through a maze of critical perspectives, the book’s holistic presentation of the American writer/director includes biographical criticism, cultural theory, and narratological analysis.

One of the main causes of Brancati’s success in this regard is the highly original format of Cinema Unchained. The book opens with a refreshing certification of Tarantino’s legacy; it then defies expectations by turning to an unsparing biography of the filmmaker, judiciously seasoned with insights into the relevance of personal history for an appreciation of his films. The 100-page chronological survey of Tarantino’s films that follows is the feature of Cinema Unchained that makes it truly an invaluable resource, one that will even appeal to those who might be skeptical about Tarantino’s rise to celebrity status since the 1990s. Here Brancati’s intent is to establish a knowledge base for her later cogent interpretations. The [End Page 55] Tarentino expert might take a risk with Cinema Unchained: those already possessed of a scholarly familiarity with his films might grow impatient with the detailed summaries. But the conclusions that follow the filmography do not disappoint and have more authority because of the knowledge base provided.

Brancati does offer some early indication of her interpretive frame: after a brief but compelling discussion of cinematic postmodernism, she raises some crucial points about the historical context of films of the 1990s, in particular, the influence they betray of video games and their virtual realities. It is not until the book’s late chapters, however, that the real import of these early readings is revealed. One of the gems of the book is the chapter entitled “Interrogation: Reality or 35 mm.?,” where Brancati offers a complex assessment of cinematic realism and expresses admiration for Tarantino’s “intention […] to narrate, not to teach or to reproduce reality” (117). This difficult discussion is handled with apparent ease.

One perspective Brancati brings to her book that is quite unique is its consideration of Tarantino as an author. She places Tarantino’s work alongside that of Martin Scorsese and other directors, of course, but also alongside that of playwright David Mamet. Brancati—a screenwriter and filmmaker herself—makes a compelling case for the ways in which writing is inextricably involved in what it means to make films, not just in composing a screenplay but at every stage of the process. Thus Brancati contributes a unique critical perspective in Cinema Unchained while not losing sight of the book’s goal: to supply a scrupulously observed resource for both film scholars and lovers of contemporary film. This volume belongs in all libraries that pride themselves on promoting visual literacy for our time. Quentin Tarantino is simply too popular to be ignored.

Peter C. Rollins and Seth Wood
Oklahoma State University
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