Quentin Tarantino is a controversial figure. He’s also one of the most consistently brilliant filmmakers working today. He has yet to make a bad movie (come at me!) and has even shown he has a unique spin when it comes to approaching historical content. So when news gets out that his next film is going to be about the Manson Family murders, you should be intrigued at the very least.
Charlie Don’t Surf
For those who don’t know, Charles Manson was the leader of a hippie collective in the 1960s. Eventually, things turned pretty cultish and Manson eventually had members of his “family” attack the house of Sharon Tate. Tate and four other people were killed that night. It was a tragic story that became national news and Manson became a demented figurehead for everything dark about the countercultural revolution.
Exactly what kind of approach Tarantino is interested in taking remains a secret. Although, it has been reported that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence have been approached about the project. Margot Robbie was also approached for the role of Sharon Tate.
What’s Quentin Tarantino’s Film Going to Be Like?
Would this be Tarantino’s first attempt at a straightforward historical film? I hope not. His use of historical figures in Inglourious Basterds was fantastic and completely fictional. It would be fascinating to see him mess with history. Could he turn Sharon Tate into a survivor? Tarantino has created a number of strong female characters in his work. Would he be so brazen as to make Tate into an unexpected hero? Or will he actually try and tell the events as closely as possible?
One of my favorite films of the last decade was David Fincher’s Zodiac. It was a haunting, meticulous, and engrossing look at one of America’s most notorious true villains. Would Tarantino take a similar approach to the Manson Family? Or is he more interested in taking the story and going more grindhouse with it?
Regardless, this is cause for excitement. Tarantino is always pushing our assumptions about narrative and character. Whatever this turns out to be, it will certainly be worth seeing.
