All language subtitles for Icons.Unearthed.S13E01.Reservoir.Dogs.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-Kitsune_track4_[eng]

[♪ upbeat music]

[Narrator] The cinema,
a canvas painted on

by thousands of directors,
and while only a few

can claim to be true
auteurs, there's only one.

- Quentin.
- Quentin.

- Quentin.
- Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Taran--
I mean...

Yeah, Quentin Tarantino.

Don't tell me your
fucking name, man.

My name is the law!

[gun firing]

[Narrator] An
unlikely outsider...

Far out.

I'd quit school

and my mom
said, you have to get a job.

He worked at a video store.

[Narrator] ...that
overcame the odds.

And we're all like, "Sure,
you're gonna make

your own movie someday.
Sounds great."

I got bloody, man.

Who is Quentin Tarantino?

Who is this kid?

There's really
no one like him.

- [monster roars]
- [Narrator] The triple threat.

- He's such a good writer.
- A great director.

Not the best
actor in the world.
[chuckles]

They look like
a couple of dorks.

[Narrator] The
writer/director

that rewrote the rules.

Like, no, no, no, no,
no, you can't do that.

He's not from film school.

His vision was insane.

Moving one direction and
then another and another.

[Narrator] For the first time,

hear the story of
Quentin Tarantino.

The very best day.

[Narrator] Blow...

Lawrence Tierney
took a big swing at me.

[Narrator] ...for blow.

Quentin dropped
him on the floor.

[Narrator] From
early triumphs...

You wanna fuck with me?

Yes, make that movie!

[Phil] He was
their Mickey Mouse.

And then he got an Oscar.

Thanks.

[Narrator] To
courting controversy...

Wes Craven, who
actually left the theater.

She's taking her index fingers
and just barbecuing my junk.

Bring out the gimp.

It was a different era.

[Narrator] After controversy...

Amateurs imitate,
professionals steal.

They hang horse thieves.

[Narrator] After controversy...

A movie directed
by a white guy

that has the N word in it like
572 times or whatever it is.

[Narrator] To
controversial associations.

Quentin pulls out the best

in Harvey Weinstein,
professionally speaking.

[Michael] Whatever they
did together, woed.

This happened to a lot of women
and it happened to me.

[Narrator] As his
collaborators pull
back the curtain.

And he cared about his actors.

He wasn't throwing
them to the wolves.

I was like, are we
doing anything right?

Telling the truth.

Sorry, Quentin.

Oh my God, don't show this
with Quentin. [chuckles]

[Narrator] From meltdowns...

Quentin just lost it.

[Zoe] I think it
broke his heart.

Quentin's a very moody person.

And the viewfinder
was full of his tears.

[Narrator] To
on-set disasters...

[interviewee] Right
into a palm tree, head on.

It should have been a stunt
double driving the car.

Everything's on fire.

And I may explode.

[gun booms]

Fuck, I might actually die.

- Action.
- [Narrator] To reveal

how a video store clerk

"What's in that's good?"

[Narrator] Became...

The legendary
Quentin Tarantino.

[♪ dramatic music]

[Narrator] Quentin
Tarantino's filmography

is packed with
sharp-tongued characters

trading barbs in a diner.

Did you just order
a five dollar shake?

- You want a bite of my pie?
- Key lime pie.

[Narrator] Irreverent banter
that would turn on a dime.

No, man, I don't eat pork.

I do believe Marsellus,
my husband, your boss,

told you to take me out
and do whatever I wanted.

[Narrator] Tarantino's
diner discography traces back

to the first scene
of his first film.

What was I talking about?

[Narrator] But to get
there, we need to step back.

March of 1963.

Tarantino had a single mother.

She gave birth to him
when she was very young.

[Narrator] Connie
McHugh was in fact,

only 16 when she gave birth

to Quentin Jerome Tarantino.

Connie is a terrific woman,
very friendly, very smart,

and she can be strong.

[Narrator] But being
strong wasn't an option.

Quentin's dad Tony really
disappeared from his life.

[Narrator] In the
1960s, Tony Tarantino

was an actor playing bit parts

in films like
Where the Boys Are.

According to this,
it's across the street.

[Narrator] One place the
boys weren't was at home.

Quentin Tarantino, he didn't
have his dad in his life.

He was not
interested in his dad.

[Narrator] Wanting
a fresh start,

Connie packed up her life
in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The family moved out to LA.

[Narrator] Here,
Connie would get married,

giving Quentin a stepdad

who would forego playing
catch in favor of--

Taking him to the
cinema and usually

to see movies that he
was far too young to see.

Such as "Deliverance."

It's a movie featuring a scene

that made him scared of
going camping for many years.

But that planted the seeds
for his love of cinema.

You wanna get high?

[Narrator] Love, obsession.

Either way, Quentin was hooked.

He was a latchkey child.

He watched TV all day,

and I don't know how
much school he went to.

[Narrator] By all
accounts, not much.

He wasn't really doing
well at school at all.

He was writing scripts
and wanting to make movies

and dreamed of being an actor.

[Narrator] Rather than
bring up his grades,

Quentin decided to remove
them from the equation.

I'd quit school and my mom
said, "You have to get a job."

And so I got a job at 16.

[Narrator] In a way,

it was Tarantino's
first industry job.

I finally get a job as
an usher in a movie theater.

[Narrator] Not bad
for a 16-year-old.

The irony is, I
don't like porno films.

[Narrator] Bad, very
bad for a 16-year-old.

Luckily, Quentin's next job
only featured a little porno.

Video archives was a small

mom and pop feeling,
little store.

This guy that was there,
kind of a boisterous,

energetic young man was like,
"Yeah, which one did you like?

This one?
Oh, the writer of this one

is the director of this one.

So you really like
this and the actor

and that one and
the..." And I was, whoa.

He had an encyclopedic
knowledge of movies.

There's not a
single genre of movie

that that guy
doesn't know about.

[gun firing]

He says, you gotta watch
this and this and this.

I need you and the paper needs--

Sold to the American.

I said, "Look, I'm coming
here to get two more movies."

[Narrator] Overwhelmed
by the clerk's enthusiasm,

Ian made for the
door before Tarantino

could lay out his master plan.

Tarantino thought he
was gonna be an actor.

Going through acting
school, learning to act.

At the James Best
Theater Center.

[Narrator] Located in
the heart of Toluca Lake.

Where's Toluca Lake?

It's just over the hill
here, over by Burbank Studios.

[Narrator] Quentin
grew up nearly an hour

from Toluca Lake, but
it was on that bus ride

Tarantino would pass by no
shortage of iconic studio gates.

It was there, Quentin would
find a kindred spirit.

Craig Hammond.

It was 1981.

First day I met Quentin and
we hit it off immediately.

In my opinion, he was the best
actor in that acting school.

I told him about an idea I had,

and we had been
talking for a while

about holding our noses
and taking the plunge

and just shoot something.

This is gonna be a
happy birthday after all.

I don't know that I had a
title for it at that point,

but it was "My Best
Friend's Birthday."

He loved the idea.

I actually wrote
the first draft.

Getting a whore
for, for Mickey.

'cause he's the best thing.

[Narrator] The plot
was simple enough.

A man tries to give
his best friend

the best possible birthday.

Hi Mickey, I'm Misty Night,
your birthday surprise.

It was a kind
of a Martin Lewis

buddy comedy kind of tribute.

[Craig] We co-produced,
co-wrote, co-starred.

Wear any old thing,
as long as it's nice.

And Quentin was the director.

That's a shitty movie.

Never made a shitty movie.

And it expanded
and just decided,

let's make this a feature.

[Narrator] Shooting a feature

on a 16-millimeter Bolex
camera had its issues.

We only shot
a hundred feet of film.

That means three minutes
you have to reload.

[Narrator] Was expensive
and very time consuming

compared to modern
digital workflows.

When you're doing films like
that and you have no money,

you have to shoot
when you have money.

[Narrator] Quentin and
Craig would work on the film

over the course of three years.

You call it low budget,

it was kind of a no
budget film, really.

[Narrator] But rather
than take a second day job,

Quentin was about to earn his
first payday as an artist.

I wanna be him so bad.

I mean, Elvis looked good.

He wanted to be an
actor, so he tries out

and you know, it's no secret
that he's an Elvis man.

♪ Thank you for being ♪

[Narrator] As it turned out,

one show was looking
for a few Elvis men.

His first thing
was a Golden Girls,

playing an Elvis impersonator.

There he is.

He's got the pompadour hair,

and he's got the
white outfit on and...

Yeah, well, it was like me

and like 11 other
Elvis impersonators.

I was kind of like
a glorified extra.

[Narrator] Even in a group
of Elvis impersonators.

Quentin found a way
to be an outsider.

Tarantino liked young Elvis.

He was not a fan of fat Elvis,
so to speak, or Vegas Elvis.

If you watch that, he's
the only 1950s Elvis.

[Narrator] Even
though Tarantino's role

wouldn't be ongoing,
his paycheck would.

They liked it so much,

they put it on a Best of
the Golden Girls episode.

So I was getting
residuals from both.

I mean, that was like one of
my only acting jobs I ever got,

and I like made like
thousands of dollars off of it

just from the residuals.

And the Golden Girls helping

to keep him alive for a while.

[Narrator] It was a gift

from actor Quentin
to writer Quentin.

He started
writing "True Romance"

not that long after "My
Best Friend's Birthday."

[Narrator] Each of
Tarantino's scripts

appeared to have been
written for the same actor.

He actually said,
"Clarence is me."

"That guy up there.
It's Sony, Sony Chiba."

From his love of Elvis
to the fact that he sort

of had a geeky workplace
with a boss called Lance.

I mean literally Tarantino's
boss at the video store was--

Hey, what's his name?

Lance.

[Narrator] The most
obvious self nod.

The lead character
was writing a script.

[Narrator] The name of
that fictitious script.

[Craig] Natural Born Killers.

[Narrator] The thing about
writing a script in the script.

It got too long.

He was gonna end up with
like a 300 page screenplay.

[Narrator] That's when Quentin

decided to break
out the scalpel.

He plucked "Natural Born
Killers" out of "True Romance."

One thing drifted into another.

[Narrator] But not
everyone was ready

for Tarantino's
gratuitous anti-heroes.

In the 80's, that was
a very repressive time.

Quentin was writing
about things--

Sicilians were
spawned by niggers.

People dropping F-bombs and--

[gun firing]

[people screaming]

Blood splattering
and things like that.

[gun firing]

[Narrator] Craig had
connected his partner

with his manager,
Cathryn Jaymes,

who began to spread the
gospel of Quentin Tarantino.

Someone that she sent
one of Quentin's scripts

called Cathryn up.

Hey, hi, Cathryn
I was just--

And said, "This is horrible.

This is, you know, shit."

[Narrator] Impressed
by Taranti's script,

manager Cathryn Jaymes sent
it out to test the waters

and feelings were caught.

Dear fucking Cathryn,

how dare you send me
this piece of shit?

You must be out of
your fucking mind.

You wanna know how
I feel about it?

Here's your fucking
piece of shit back.

Fuck you.

They were telling Cathryn,

we're not gonna take
scripts from you

if you're gonna send
us junk like this.

[Narrator] Her reputation and
livelihood were on the line.

Yet Cathryn's faith
was unflappable.

Cathryn would call them up
and just tell them,

"You're wrong.
You watch and see."

[Narrator] Tarantino was
also developing a heist story,

sans the heist.

What if you just,
say, set up the heist...

fall out from the heist
and miss everything else.

And he would change
the linear story

so that we would go back in time

and learn people's backstories,

find out things that other
characters didn't know.

Completely different
way of telling a movie.

It was called
""Reservoir Dogs"."

Tarantino made a very important

friendship with Lawrence Bender.

They were introduced by a
mutual friend at a barbecue.

Lawrence Bender, when he
was introduced to Quentin,

he thought, "You know, I've
heard that last name before.

Just recently read a
script called 'True Romance.'"

And Tarantino had to kinda
be like, 'No, that's me.

I'm that guy."

[Narrator] As it turns out,

Tarantino was aware of Bender's
admittedly obscure work.

A slasher movie
called "Intruder."

He was a fan of that.

[Narrator] Soon, Bender
would become a fan of Tarantino

as the two began to
discuss "Reservoir Dogs".

- He loved it.
- Lawrence Bender

would go on to produce
a majority of Tarantino's films.

[Narrator] Their relationship
was off to a running start

as Bender pushed Quentin to
put pen to paper and write it.

Tarantino wrote "Reservoir Dogs"
in three, not years, but--

He turned it around
in about three weeks.

What is this?

Bender read it. It was
full of spelling mistakes

and formatting errors, but
he realized it was brilliant.

[Narrator] Yet Tarantino
couldn't make it past page one

without breaking the biggest

unwritten rule in screenwriting.

It said, written and
directed by Quentin Tarantino,

which was quite a ballsy move.

[Narrator] Despite having never
sold a screenplay,

Tarantino was steadfast.

It was something he was
very keen on making himself.

He said, if we don't show the
heist, that'll save money.

I'm gonna make it insulated.

We'll put in one location.

Lawrence Bender
said to Tarantino,

I think I can get
you more money.

It doesn't have to be shot

on 16 millimeter
with your friends.

[Narrator] Quentin
Tarantino was on his way

to becoming an
accomplished screenwriter,

but one accomplishment had
eluded him

getting paid.

People did realize
he was a wordsmith

because they started hiring him

to do some polishes on
some low budget movies.

Was it called "Past Midnight?"

[Narrator] It was indeed.

The Rutger Hauer crime
thriller had noir elements

right up Quentin's Alley.

I don't need to go
through all this again,

so you can feel like the
angel of fucking mercy.

[Narrator] But Tarantino
remained merely a contributor.

When he is working
for someone else,

there's bits and pieces and
it's not his work entirely.

[Narrator] The funny
thing about opportunities,

you never quite know where
they're going to come from,

and Quentin was about
to roll into a big one.

I'm Robert Kurtzman.

My name's Howard Berger.

[Narrator] And in 1990
they owned the fledgling.

[Howard] K.N.B. EFX Group.

[Narrator] But
Robert's aspirations

went beyond effects work.

I wrote a story
"From Dusk till Dawn."

It was like a 20 page outline.

Bob's not a writer, really.

I thought Bob's outline
was not that wonderful.

And so we decided
to just find someone

to do a draft of
the film for us.

So he is like, I
need to hire a writer.

I wonder who we can get.

[Narrator] Robert
and Howard launched

an exhaustive search for the
perfect writing candidate.

We thought we'd
just find some kid

that's done some writing
that wouldn't mind

knocking out a first draft.

[Narrator] Or that.

A friend of ours said,

"This kid, he's a
really good writer.

He works at a video store."

[Narrator] Meanwhile,
Robert checked out

some of Quentin's spec scripts.

It was natural Born Killers,

"True Romance"
and "Reservoir Dogs".

[Narrator] The verdict.

God damn, that was intense.

Yeah, let's, let's
do this movie with him.

The deal was, Quentin said,

"If I do this, you guys
pay me 1500 bucks."

[Narrator] Quentin went on
to add a very savvy addendum.

"If I get my first movie going,

you guys do the
effects for free."

And we're like, "Okay, sure.

You're gonna make your own
movie someday. Sounds great."

[Narrator] Quentin had no
shortage of scripts in the fire.

Cathryn Jaymes, she knew it.

Something was going to hit
and eventually something did.

[Narrator] Tarantino's
Script was acquired

by Jane Hamsher and
Don Murphy for $10,000.

Tarantino had a buddy who
works in the industry as a PA,

and that PA happens
to be working

on the set of "The Last
Boy Scout" for Tony Scott.

And as good friends do, he
gets Tarantino onto the set

who somehow finds
the fortuitous event

of being able to
speak with Tony Scott

and hand him two
scripts, "Reservoir Dogs"
and "True Romance."

[Narrator] In doing so,

Quentin broke
countless unwritten

Hollywood laws.
Fortunately...

Tony Scott was like, "You
know what, I feel for this guy.

He's a struggling writer.

I'm gonna give these
scripts a read."

[Narrator] Tony Scott did
not like Tarantino's scripts.

He tells Tarantino he would
like to make both of them.

[Narrator] He loved them.

But I think I love you.

Tony really wants
to do "Reservoir Dogs."

Tarantino says, "Sorry, but
I'm gonna do 'Reservoir Dogs.'"

[Narrator] Tony Scott,
the director of "Top Gun,"

just offered to make
Quentin Tarantino,

recent video store clerk's
script, and he said no.

I can't hear you.

Tarantino felt
that he could make

that movie without financing.

He could do it on his own.

Uh-uh, I don't tip.

He could do it
with his buddies.

But the big bravado of
what "True Romance" would be,

he knew that he didn't
have that financing.

[Narrator] But would
Tony Scott accept scraps

from a guy that just
crashed his set?

Tony said, "You know what,
I'm not missing an opportunity.

I'm going to do 'True Romance.'"

[Narrator] The sale would
give Tarantino $30,000.

But more importantly, buzz.

Lawrence Bender would land
the "Reservoir Dogs" script

in the hands of an
indie film icon.

Harvey Keitel.

Keitel made his
name in the 70's.

Mostly in independent films,

like the films of
Martin Scorsese.

[Narrator] Keitel
felt a unique

connection to
Quentin's screenplay.

How do you like that?

I think we are in the
presence of a unique talent.

Quentin Tarantino.

He said, "Well, look, I'll,
I'll help you produce this."

Harvey Keitel got involved

with "Reservoir Dogs"
and that took off.

I'm hungry, let's get a taco.

[Narrator] Because
aside from producing,

Keitel agreed to play.

[Blonde] Mr. White.

[Narrator] The
conversation shifted from--

"Who are these
people shooting it?"

"Who is Quentin Tarantino?"

[Mary] Okay, Harvey
- Keitel's in it...

Okay, okay.

That got the interest
of Live Entertainment.

[Narrator] Were
responsible for the home video

distribution of Arnold
Schwartzenegger hits

like "Total Recall"
and "Terminator 2."

And while home video was
Live's bread and butter.

They did see this as
a theatrical release.

Real juicy.

What Tarantino was planning
to make for, you know,

a few tens of
thousands of dollars

suddenly had a budget
of 1.3 million.

[cash register dings]

Nevermind what you
would normally do.

[Narrator] With
financing in place,

casting for "Reservoir Dogs"
began in New York City.

A key casting
was Steve Buscemi.

And at this time, Buscemi
wasn't that well known.

He was just an
independent actor.

[Narrator] Well,
primarily indie.

Keaton did that.
It's not me.

I don't make hits, I make deals.

[Narrator] Aside
from "Miami Vice..."

A man's gotta make a living,
you know what I mean?

[Narrator] ...Buscemi was
building a reputation

as a character actor.

Started working
with the Cohen Brothers.

Like that was a really
big thing for him.

Fink, Barton.

That must be you, huh?

[Narrator] As to whom
Buscemi would play.

Mr. Pink.

Why am I Mr. Pink?

Originally Tarantino
wanted to play Mr. Pink.

It was great for
me to know that

because I had Quentin
as my role model.

Mr. Brown, that's a little
too close to Mr. Shit.

But gave the role
to Steve Buscemi.

How about if I'm Mr. Purple?

You're Mr. Pink.

[Narrator] Quentin
wasn't the only one

eyeing the role of Mr. Pink.

Why can't we pick
our own colors?

I had done
"Thelma and Louise."

Were you just gonna leave
for fucking ever?

And I had done "The Natural."

Sit down and shut up,
your mouthy prima donna.

What do you want
from me, an apology?

I wanted to play roles where
I was kind of a good guy.

We're gonna give you one
more chance to shape up.

I said, "Quentin, I would
rather play Mr. Pink."

But he said, "No, no, Michael.
I have somebody for Mr. Pink."

Okay, let's talk.

I have something
for you to try.

So he actually let me
audition for Mr. Pink.

I went in there and
there's Quentin, no shoes.

He had bare feet.

I'm sorry, I didn't catch it.

Would you repeat it?

Quentin, he had bare feet.

[Narrator] Keitel
was probably mortified.

Harvey was in there too.

He had bare feet.

[Narrator] Well, at
least Tarantino and Keitel

were on the same page.

Jesus Christ.

And he got up and he
played the scene with me.

About halfway through
it, Quentin goes,

you are not Mr. Pink.

I said, "Wow, I guess
I'm not in the picture."

[Narr] Michael
Madsen had high hopes

of landing the role of Mr. Pink.

But the only pink Quentin and
Harvey saw was on the floor.

Quentin goes, you
are not Mr. Pink.

You're Mr. Blonde.

He's a fucking asshole.

I said I didn't
wanna play Mr. Blonde.

[Narrator] It was the
one role Michael Madsen

was trying to avoid.

And he said, "Listen,
Mike, you're Mr. Blonde,

and if you're not, then you're
not gonna be in the film."

"No! Okay, okay, okay,
okay, I'll do it."

I don't feel great about it.

[Narrator] For the
role of Mr. Orange.

Orange?

Mr. Orange.

Tim Roth was not
his number one choice.

[Narrator] Quentin
originally had his eye

on a Hollywood favorite.

He didn't even
commit the crime.

[Narrator] James Woods's agent
dismissed "Reservoir Dogs"
as a B movie.

Never passing on the offer.

I'm sorry, goodbye.

I'm kicking myself.

[Narrator] Tarantino
needed to pivot.

This is a very
weird situation.

Similar to Buscemi, Tim
was really at this point

looking to break
through in the States

as many British actors are.

[Narrator] Tim Roth had
already proved his chops

in the UK playing a skinhead

in the cult classic
"Made in Britain."

I gotta memorize all this?

[Narrator] For Roth, it
was all about the script.

When I read it, I thought,
this is extraordinary.

This is how we
construct a character.

And he's put that in a film.

You gotta remember
this story's about you.

[Narrator] The last
piece of the puzzle.

This guy in the 80's tracksuit.

Look part of your job, Vic,
is going different places.

That's the beauty of it.

Chris was a
big, tough guy, man.

He's, no longer with us,
but he was a mountain of a man.

He was a strong son of a gun.

All right, enough of
this shit, break it up.

[Narrator] Next
up, Tarantino trained

his focus on a Hollywood legend.

Lawrence Tierney,
for God's sake.

Lawrence Tierney was a big star.

Lawrence Tierney was
a hell of a good actor.

Well, he's the first actor
who ever played John Dillinger.

I said wait in the car.

[hand smacks]

[Narrator] Although
Tierney's more recent work

did reveal somewhat
of a fall from grace.

Are you certain
she's a virgin?

Would I lie to you?

[Narrator] But
Quentin saw past

the wizards of the demon sword.

I don't care what you think.

[Narrator] And wanted to
bring back the hard boiled

Lawrence Tierney of yesteryear.

I mean, he was
big, big, big time.

Okay, boy, I'll be seeing you.

[Narrator] With Lawrence
Tierney locked in,

it was time to celebrate.

Going on a little break?

Yeah.

They told us, they
told us to never

give Lawrence any alcohol.

As soon as they told us not
to do that, me and Tim did it.

[Narrator] The old Hollywood
star was fittingly taken

to an old Hollywood haunt.

To Musso and Frank's.

He got a vodka and grapefruit

and he guzzled that
thing down like, wow.

Dive in and swim.

[Narrator] For
being a big guy,

Tierney turned out
to be a lightweight.

He said, "You kids
are a bunch of babies

and I gotta go to the bathroom."

And I said, "It's over there."

And he goes,
"I know where it is."

Okay.

So, he...

...he disappeared.

[Narrator] Tim Roth
volunteered to do recon.

He came back and he goes,
"He's not in there, man."

I said, "Holy shit."

We hear all these cars
out in front honking

and people were getting up
and some people

were walking over,
looking out the windows.

And so me and Tim, we got
up, "What the hell's going on?"

And there's Lawrence
and he was standing

in the middle of the street

with his pants
down around his ankles

and he was pissing right in
the middle of the street.

[Narrator] He said he
knew where the restroom was.

I guess you could
say that again.

Cars were going around him,

cars were honking
at him, stopping.

And it was insane.

What the hell was
I supposed to do?

[Narrator] The duo did
the only thing they could.

I don't wanna do this.

So we got him out of there.

[Narrator] Which was
easier said than done.

I said something to him, I
don't remember what I said,

but he took a big swing
at me and I backed off.

He missed me by about that much.

Well, I felt the breeze
go by my face.

He was gonna punch
me right in the face.

He was gonna knock me out.

But he was pretty funny.

He's a mad man.

He's Larry.
He's the mountain man.

Thank you.

[Narrator] But
Tarantino's risky approach

well beyond the cast.d

My name Andrzej Sekula.

[Narrator] In 1991,
Andrzej was best known for--

I didn't
have any credit.

[Nrator] But through an
acquaintance of an acquaintance,

Andrzej managed to
arrange an interview

or possibly a hostage exchange.

I jokingly said, if you come
three o'clock in the morning

and pick me up and
take me to the airport,

I will have free lift and
we will have interview.

And guess what?

Three o'clock he appeared
with his small car

and whole way, we were
talking about films.

These are my boys.

[Narrator] Deep cuts like
the Eastwood/Savalas film,

"Kelly's Heroes."

The moment in this
particular movies,

which touch me also touch him.

We need at least a hundred guys,
where do I find a hundred men?

Just like that?

So it was a possible
good collaboration.

I said, "Why you choose me?"

Quentin said,
"Because you opposite

what other people were saying."

[Narrator] Quentin had
found a kindred spirit.

His next task was calling in
their special effects favor.

One day we get a phone
call and it's Quentin

and he is like, "Hey,
I'm making a movie

and I'm calling in the
second half of the deal."

"Hey, we made the promise."

You're gonna be okay!

[Narrator] One
thing Quentin needed--

Tons and tons of blood
'cause we make our own blood.

[Narrator] And when
it comes to film blood,

Tarantino is a connoisseur.

He loved the 70's blood.

Almost that poster paint
blood, but more realistic.

[Narrator] And with Tim
Roth's leaky condition,

it meant there was
plenty of work for K.N.B.

Not to mention [records
scratches] wardrobe.

We needed multiple
jackets like for Tim Roth

and you, we just
couldn't afford it.

They didn't have no money.

I remember the
producer Lawrence going,

"We cannot use that
many paper towels."

And I'm like, "Okay."

[Narrator] So with
a restricted budget,

a rookie cinematographer,

and day one of filming
just around the corner,

could Quentin keep the
ensemble of actors in line?

Who didn't throw in?

Mr. Pink.

Quentin comes walking over,

he goes,
"You're fucking fired."

And everyone was like, wow, man.

[♪ dramatic music]

[Narrator] It was day one
of filming "Reservoir Dogs".

And the pressure was on.

They kicked the door open
for low budget movies.

[Narrator] Could the
former video store clerk

and his cinematographer straight

out of film school team
up to create magic?

Our first few
days of shooting

present with a lot of challenge.

[Narrator] Quentin decided

to jump in head-first
with the diner scene.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, time out.

[Andrzej] This was one of
the most difficult scenes.

Quentin's like, "Let me open
'Reservoir Dogs' in the round."

We're going to shoot this
camera constantly moving.

No argument about that.

[Narrator] Quentin was taking
a relatively simple scene

and making it anything but.

What's that?

Problem was about eye lines.

You are moving one direction
and then another and another.

If one character is
looking left to right.

Want me shoot this guy?

When you cut to the
person they're talking to,

you want them looking
right to left.

We had additional
script supervisor

to make the notes that we
don't commit a mistake.

You shoot me in a dream, you
better wake up and apologize.

[Narrator] If Tarantino was
looking for blind loyalty,

he wasn't getting it.

There were times where
producer's going, whatever.

They don't think
it's gonna work.

He's not from film school.

[Narrator] Well,
he might not be.

When I was on film school,

I spent a lot of
time in editing room.

So I know every kind of nuance,

how to cut, would
it cut together.

And so you would see
arguments sometimes.

[Narrator] Even Andrzej's
assistant was on edge.

He said, "Andrzej, are
we going to get fired?

[Narrator] But the fireworks
were just getting started.

As Andrzej's camera turned
to Lawrence Tierney.

I'm gonna do whatever
the fuck I want with it.

Harvey showing him a book
with people's names in it.

Toby Wong.

So Lawrence had
to look at Steve

and he had to look at
Harvey who had this book.

And Quentin kept saying,
"No, you gotta take,

take a minute and, and
look at these guys."

He'd feel a ton of insecurity,
so it was kind of tension.

[Narrator] And it
wasn't silent tension.

Give it back now.

Lawrence Tierney
had this personality

that could get triggered.

[Narrator] And that trigger?

Shoot this piece
of shit, will you?

[Narrator] Had
just been pulled.

He got really mad, he said,

"I look like a God
damn fucking idiot.

I'm looking over here and
I'm looking over there

and looking over here,
looking over there."

And he goes, "Ah, it
doesn't feel good."

Quentin comes walking over,
he goes, "You're fucking fired."

And he goes "Fuck this."

And he got up and everyone
was like, wow, man.

And Lawrence left
and he went outside

and he was walking down
the middle of the street.

And Quentin ran after him

with Lawrence
Bender, the producer.

Lawrence asked to come back
and Quentin brought him back.

And two hours
later we were back

on the set, and
shooting on the scene.

[Narrator] Quentin had passed

his first test as a director.

Meanwhile, Mary Claire's
trial was only just beginning.

I think we were
getting these jackets

for like $2.50 each.

[Narrator] The only problem

with buying a bunch
of cheap jackets.

[Mary] Those jackets were
actually all different jackets.

[Narrator] Mary's idea?

Buy a bag of buttons.

The buttons are the same.

And that's what the
camera's gonna catch,

is the light from the button.

[Narrator] The result--

You convinced me.
Gimme my dollar back.

They look the same on camera.

[Narrator] If there was a
corner, Mary would cut it.

[car honks]

You can tell that Steve
Buscemi has black pants,

but they're jeans.

He has black Levi's on.

[Narrator] To save a buck,

Tarantino even asked the cast
to bring their own shoes.

I didn't have any
black dress shoes.

I thought, what the
fuck am I gonna do?

But I had black cowboy boots.

So that's why I have
those damn cowboy boots on.

[Narrator] With
the men sorted,

Tarantino turned to filming

with the ladies
of "Reservoir Dogs."

[gun firing]

That was quick.

Well, there was one other
woman, she even had lines.

My name is Nina Siemaszko

and I played Officer McClusky.

[Narrator] Mr.
Orange's handler.

He's a pro.

I am providing information
to Tim Roth's character.

One of the bank robbers?

[Narrator] While the
men's fashion was inspired

by classic G-Man films,
Quentin had a different muse

when it came to McClusky.

Like a Virgin.

He wanted me to look
like early Madonna.

[Narrator] The
scene would prove

challenging for several reasons.

No rehearsals.

There was a lot of dialogue
that I had to memorize.

Girlfriend's got it,
his dog got hit.

[Narrator] And if
that wasn't enough.

[Holdaway] What was it?

I'm eating a burger.

[Nina laughs]

[Narrator] While
Nina had to eat

a lot of burgers that day,

she wasn't the only one
to go the extra mile.

Kirk Baltz, who played
Officer Marvin Nash,

had a special request
of his scene partner.

He goes, "You know,
I've never been

locked in a trunk before.
You know?"

He goes, "I wanna see
what it feels like."

You can torture me all you want.

Well okay.

Real method acting
there. [chuckles]

[Narrator] In that
moment, it dawned on Madsen.

I've never had anybody
in my trunk before.

And this ought to be
interesting for me too.

[Narrator] And with
that, the experiment began.

Started up the car and
I drove down the alley

across the street,
but I didn't realize

the alley was all
filled with potholes.

And so it was a lot of
bump, bump, bump, bump.

[Narrator] Leading
Kirk Baltz to say.

Let me out of here.

Help!

Get me out of here.

And I just, I just kept going.

[Narrator] As a
kidnapper would.

And when I turned
left, it was Taco Bell.

I rolled in there and
I turned on the radio

so you couldn't hear him 'cause
he was yelling back there.

No, please don't.

And I got some
French fries

and I had a Coke.

And then I drove back.

[Narrator] One
might think Tarantino

was proud of the initiative
and one would be wrong.

Is he really in there?

Oh my God, is he in the trunk?

You have Kirk the trunk?

And they're like, let
him out, let him out!

I said, "I will, I will."

He was messed up.

He was all sweaty.

He didn't appreciate it.

[Narrator] But
Kirk wouldn't be

the only one to end
up in the trunk.

I was sitting in the
trunk with the camera.

They closed me.

Sitting there, Michael
Madsen spit on me.

Ain't a bad idea, let's get him
the fuck outta here.

I said, "Michael, why
you did spitting on me?"

"Because I feel that.

You was policeman."

[both chuckling]

I was okay, I was laughing.

[Narrator] But the
laughs would be short-lived

as a controversial
decision lay ahead.

They were gonna shoot the
actual ear getting cut off.

And...

[♪ dramatic music]

[Narrator] As production
on "Reseoir Dogs" pushed on,

Quentin Tarantino continued

to struggle with
Lawrence Tierney.

He had kind of a hard
time with his dialogue.

Wait a minute.

He could not remember line.

You know, he was older guy.

Here are your names.

You're Mr. Brown, you're
Mr. Blonde, you're Mr. Purple.

You're Mr.--

He kept pointing at
the wrong people.

He called me Mr. Brown.
Chris, Mr. Blonde.

He couldn't do it.

You're not Mr. Purple.

[Narrator] Tierney
wasn't just struggling.

He was struggling in front
of a captive audience.

Now I'd get fidgety and I,

you know, scratch
my face, whatever.

And he goes, "You stop moving
around.

Moving around,
you're throwing me off."

[Michael chuckles]

I just sit there, man.

All you guys got
the goddamn message?

[Narrator] Take after take,

Lawrence was burning
through film.

Expensive film.

Goddamn man, because of you guys
I can hardly talk.

About the 3rd or 4th time,
we got

a little bit, you
know, "Come on, Lawrence."

[Narrator] Tarantino
leaned into the old saying,

opting to fix it in post.

They had to take everybody out.

No way. I pick.

He did okay on his own.

It didn't fucking matter
where he was pointing.

Mr. Pink.

Because we weren't even there.

Yes, Lawrence
Tierney was difficult.

Chris Penn was difficult.

They were all difficult.

Are you kidding?

Michael Madsen was difficult.

[Michael chuckles]
Oops.

[Narrator] Michael
Madsen was about to shoot

what would go on
to become the most

memorable scene of his career.

It was also the scene he
never wanted to shoot.

I didn't like the idea
of torturing some cop,

you know, cutting his ears off.

I don't like
alarms, Mr. White.

The ear gag
was the biggie.

[Narrator] But cutting
off the ear was the price

Michael Madsen had to
pay to be in the film.

And he said, "Listen
Mike, you're Mr. Blonde.

And if you're not, then you're
not gonna be in the film."

I pretty much had to do it.

[Narrator] And while
Madsen was hesitant,

the film's director
was anything but.

As an artist,
alright, if violence

is part of your palette,
then you gotta paint.

I don't have the
slightest fucking idea

what you're talking about?

[Narrator] He's talking
about blood, Mr. Orange.

But what made the
interrogation so memorable

wasn't just the violence,
but the foreplay.

It said in the script, Mr.
Blonde maniacally dances.

What the hell does
that mean, you know?

I was scared of it and I
didn't know what to do.

I started thinking
about James Cagney

in "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

♪ I'm a Yankee doodle dandy. ♪

You know, he had that funny
thing to do with his legs.

You know, he didn't look like

anybody else that
I ever saw dancing.

And so I started
going back and forth.

[Narrator] Only Cagney never
danced to British glam rock.

Quentin had "Ballroom Blitz"

that he was gonna play
during that scene.

And so that's what
I had in my head.

And he said, "You know, Michael,

what I really want is
'Stuck in the Middle.'"

[Narrator] There
was only one problem.

He goes, Rafferty won't
gimme the rights to it,

so we're probably not
gonna be able to use it.

He goes, but if I get it,

would you do one take
where you sing that to it?

I said, okay.

I didn't know what
the hell I was doing.

But once I started turning
around and around and around,

then it sort of seemed natural.

I kept waiting to hear
and yell, "Cut, cut, cut.

Michael, what are you doing?"

You know, but he didn't.

Quentin loved it.

[Narrator] Not
only did Quentin

get a dance he didn't expect.

Somehow, he got the
rights to the damn thing.

So they put it in the movie.

[Narrator] Movie
villains have a long,

rich history of slow and
painful interrogations.

Do you expect me to talk?

[Narrator] With
the hero portrayed

here as James Bond
always making an escape

just in the nick of time.

But in Tarantino's reality,
there was no escape.

They were gonna shoot the
actual ear getting cut off.

[Crew] 22, Denver, take one.

This is the kind of
realistic violence prevalent

in Scorsese's films
in the seventies.

Hey!

[gun firing]

[Quentin] Action.

[Narrator] The
inspiration for the scene

came from 1966's Django,

where not only
is an ear cut off,

its original owner
was forced to--

Well, imagine this ear of corn.

Now drop the word corn.

Quentin wants this and
you figure out how to do it.

[muffled screams]

So the way we built that, it
was a double layer appliance.

He's got a hairpiece
and you glue his ear down

and you have the earpiece
that goes over it

that he cuts off.

I had a blade
and I cut it off.

[Narrator] As for the blood.

And they had a
tube up his shirt.

And when I cut it off,
it was spraying blood.

You know, I had
to get out the way.

As much as Michael Madsen
didn't want to film the scene,

it was done and behind him.

Right?

The thing with Quentin is
he will do a lot of alts.

When we redid
it, come over there

and he didn't have the
fake thing on anymore.

I couldn't lean
far enough forward.

So I had to get in his
lap and it looked like

I was really doing it.

And, and they
turned away from it

and all you see is the wall.

That was a moment
Quentin was happy,

so that when he
pulled the camera up,

you'd see, "Watch your head."

It's much worse as a viewer,

you're imagining
opposed to showing it.

[Narrator] Tarantino
went one step further,

answering the question,

what do you do with
another man's ear?

I remember standing
there, holding it

and he said,
"Toss it, toss it,

get rid of it, get rid of it."

And I didn't really wanna just
toss it, and I didn't wanna--

I was trying to
think of something.

[Narrator] And that's
when it came to him.

And so I talked,
I spoke in it.

Hey, what's going on?

You hear that?

I thought that,
that's pretty bad.

And then I, then I threw it.

[Narrator] As for that
special effects favor.

How did that turn out for
K.N.B's Howard Berger?

"Reservoir" was like
our big, first big film.

It was kind of fun to,

you know, come up the ranks
as Quentin came up the ranks.

[Narrator] With principal
photography completed

on this low budget indie.

[Announcer] The
"Reservoir Dogs".

[Narrator] But
without distribution,

"Reservoir Dogs" would be headed

straight to the shelves
of video archives.

I was in editing room
when they get message.

He was accepted on the
Sundance Film Festival.

[Narrator] Throughout the
production of "Reservoir Dogs",

the freshman director
stuck to his guns.

[gun firing]

And saw his vision through.

With Quentin, nobody
has any right to say,

"Mbe we should
get this covered.

Maybe we should
get that covered."

No, Quentin knows
what he's doing.

[Narrator] But when
it came to editing,

Quentin was looking
for a partner.

An editor's a very
intimate relationship.

You have to trust them,

'cause sometimes you
can't trust yourself.

[Narrator] Which is
why the young auteur

turned to the editor
of the indie darling.

It dices, it
slices and yet makes

french fries in three
different, whoops.

Sally Menke was an
incredible editor.

And you can see it in the work.

[Narrator] Beginning with
the 1983 comedy, "Cold Feet."

I always wind up taking
care of the men I see.

[Narrator] Sally
split her time

between features
and documentary,

most notably Ken Burns's
1988 film "The Congress."

Compromise, which
gets us through the day.

[Narrator] Again, a
logical transition to--

[Turtles screaming]

As for "Reservoir Dogs,"
at the time,

spending any amount of money

often elicited
the same response.

[Characters] Don't do it.

- Drop the gun, man.
- Don't drop the gun.

We just couldn't afford it.

We can't afford it.

They didn't have no money.

Should be about a buck apiece.

[Narrator] As it
so happened, Sally--

She was cheap.

Do you know what
these chicks make?

They make shit.

[Narrator] This is true.

But more than that,
Quentin and Sally clicked.

A match made in heaven,
Sally and Quentin.

She took him seriously
and just kind of got him.

She could say to him,
"This feels incongruous."

And he'd be like,
"Yeah, you're right.

I've just got that in there

'cause it looks so cool."

She might be one
of the few people

that he would've heard
that from comfortably.

[Narrator] Quentin and
Sally would be editing

up until the premiere.

It was there, "Reservoir Dogs"
would become

the talk of the fest, or
at least one scene was.

The ear cutting scene.

There were people who walked out

because they were so
shocked and disgusted.

[Narrator] 33 to be precise,

even pushing purveyors of
gore to the limit and beyond.

Caused Wes Craven to actually
get up outta the theater

as it was too hard
for him to handle.

I'm fucking dying
here, I'm fucking dying!

Quentin looks at violence
in a different way.

Part of what really
put him on the map

is his incredible
ability to take violence

and make it funny.

As entertainment.

[Narrator] Moments
before the big screening,

Sally and Quentin decided
to make a last-minute cut.

I'm walking in
to watch the movie

and right before I walk in,

Quentin told me that the scenes

weren't going to
be in the movie.

I just remember thinking,
this is a male perspective.

Someone who looks like me
in the middle of it all,

I, I think it would
be a little jarring.

At the end of e day,
you want a great movie.

[Narrator] "Reservoir Dogs"
certainly

stirred the Sundance pot,

but it remained to be seen

if the controversy
would help or hurt.

Another movie starring
Steve Buscemi, actually

It's gonna be good.

"In the Soup" won in
competition at Sundance,

but "Reservoir Dogs"
was the film

that everyone was talking about.

This whole sort of
Hollywood buzz around it.

[Narrator] Buzz but no award.

However, in the end,
that didn't matter.

It took a few
months before Miramax.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein decided

to pick up and
distribute the movie.

[Narrator] But the offer
wasn't without strings.

The Weinsteins
are very well known

for getting the film
re-edited and reworked

so that it would hit the market
that they wanted it to hit.

Unsurprisingly, Harvey
said to Tarantino,

"The ear cutting
scene's gotta go."

But Tarantino dug his heels in.

He would not cut that scene.

[Narrator] Lawrence and
Quentin felt very strongly

about having creative
control moving forward.

So dug in their heels.

He said, "I don't care
about it being mainstream.

Like I, I make
movies for myself.

Everyone else is invited."

That was a very rare example

of someone standing
up to the Weinsteins

and getting their way.

[Narrator] Which is
exactly what happened.

As "Reservoir Dogs" hit
theaters in October of 1992,

earning 2.9 million worldwide
on a $1.2 million budget.

Here in America,

it would be considered
not very successful.

However, it was a huge
success in Britain

where they're used to having
more dialogue in their films,

having their
gangsters talk a lot.

Do you wanna go
into the toilet?

I know you didn't kill him!

[Narrator] Not to
mention the appeal

of Britain's
favorite delinquent.

The most important
thing about it

was it put Tarantino on the map.

So when the film's over,

no matter what you think about
it, you've seen something.

You know, it's not just a bunch
of images glazing over you,

you know, it's like, you
know, it's doing something.

The funny thing is, just in
typical Hollywood, that movie

comes out and everyone's like,
you know,

we love this way
he tells the story.

We love the-- we gotta--
What else do you have,

what else do you have?

[Narrator] Tarantino
was in the game,

but could he play by
Hollywood's rules?

There's that possibility
of your sophomore failure.

You know, the sophomore curse.

[character screams]

He felt like he had a ton of
money, the $9 million budget.

Quentin was
fighting the studio.

It's just different
than what I thought.

You're talking
about John Travolta.

You know, that's breast milk.

Versus Daniel Day Lewis,
Oscar winner.

I may explode.

[♪ dramatic music]