Hateful Eight Composer Did NOT Call Quentin Tarantino a 'Cretin'

Composer Ennio Morricone has recently made headlines after an alleged interview with Playboy Germany claims that Morricone had called previous collaborator Quentin Tarantino a ‘cretin' and that his films were ‘garbage.' Morricone has now come out to release a statement saying these quotes are false and that he is planning to sue whoever was responsible.

Morricone's statement reads (via Indie Wire):

It has come to my attention that Playboy Germany has come out with an article in which I have called Tarantino a cretin and consider his films garbage. This is totally false. I have not given an interview to Playboy Germany and even more, I have never called Tarantino a cretin and certainly do not consider his films garbage. I have given a mandate to my lawyer in Italy to take civil and penal action.

I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality. I credit Tarantino for being one of the people responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film.

In London, during a press conference in front of Tarantino, i clearly stated that I consider Quentin one of the greatest directors of this time.

Ennio Morricone

Morricone is considered to be a legendary composer who had just recently gotten attention, nabbing an Oscar for his work on The Hateful Eight. The false statements that have come out certainly are shocking, considering that Morricone had worked with Tarantino with his two previous films Eight and Django Unchained.

This was the quote published by Playboy Germany (via Variety):

"The man is a cretin. He only steals from others and puts stuff back together again. There's nothing original about that. That doesn't make him a director. He is nothing compared with the Hollywood greats, such as John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock or Billy Wilder. They had class. Tarantino simply recooks old dishes."

While longtime fans of Tarantino have certainly admitted that he likes to "borrow" material from other films, it by far doesn't make his work less impressive. Tarantino is still a master crafter of dialogue, and his references to other films can be considered a testament for his love of cinema. If anything, his work celebrates those movies—at least that's my opinion.

Hopefully we can get to the bottom of these quotes soon and how Playboy Germany decided to publish them. Maybe we can even get a quote from Tarantino at some point.

Tarantino is currently working on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and that film comes out Aug 9, 2019.

See Also: Karl Urban Says Quentin Tarantino Is Hoping For An R-Rating For His Star Trek Project