Tarantino and TheArchive

While promoting his new book, “Cinema Speculation,” at an event hosted by Elvis Mitchell this week, Tarantino announced that next year he will shoot an 8 episode TV series. No stranger to TV, but this will be the first time Tarantino will create an original series. He also happened to mention that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is his best film. And of course, he reiterated his 10th film will be his final but revealed it will also be an original screenplay.

This on the heels of Mitchell's newly released documentary on Netflix "Is That Black Enough for You?!?" which as RogerEbert.com explains it, "Every time you think he may skip over a chapter of Black movie history, he finds a way to incorporate it."

TheArchive is a big fan of Mitchell's work and while he does not spend any time on our title The Return of Superfly he does spend a good amount talking about Superfly and its influential soundtrack. In a recent interview Mitchell explanis, "Let’s be honest, those songs are better than the movie. There’s great stuff in the movie, but as a dramatic creation, as a narrative with its own life, that soundtrack is extraordinary. The soundtrack was a huge artistic and commercial success, and every song was released as a single."

But as much love as we have for Mitchell, (and for our film's soundtrack featuring Ice-T, Eazy E, and Curtis Mayfield) Tarantino has captured our heart and imagination for all time. 

For starters, and to circle back to the opening of this piece, Tarantino's "Cinema Speculation" DOES spend time on our titles. 

Out of the scores of titles he cites as influences or as historical context, he spends some time on two TheArchive titles in particular Kill or Be Killed and Kill and Kill Again.

Quentin Tarantino is well known for having encyclopedic knowledge of the rare and the retro so we are excited to share below, that it is no surprise he's had an interesting relationship with many other films in our TheArchive library.

It may not be as widely known that, for example, our film Hell River, is featured somewhat obscurely in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood. Says James Tate from Cult Film Freak:

Leonardo DiCaprio plays an actor named Rick Dalton who, in 1969, is already a washed-up, has-been former Western television series star with a number of forgotten Western and War Movies under his belt...

Including and especially "The 14 Fists of McCluskey" that shows quick footage from this film, HELL RIVER, which is technically impossible since the low-budget Yugoslavian WWII exploitation came out five years after Dalton's time in the Tarantino universe: Then again this obscure Rod Taylor curio, originally and more fitfully titled Partizani aka Partisans (there are only two rivers shown, and neither are hellish), doesn't really exist in HOLLYWOOD since it's become a fictional movie for its fictional star...

Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Rod Taylor in HELL RIVER aka Raid Partizan

Another cool film from TheArchive that Tarantino has in his massive cinematic orbit is Don't Go in the House. It was recently screened at the New Beverly Cinema where Tarantino is not only owner but head programmer.

Additionally, Tarantino has either licensed footage from, referenced or booked screenings in his theatre of additional TheArchive films including:

So don't sleep on TheArchive titles, Tarantino certainly doesn't.

TheArchive channel is dedicated to aficionados and lovers of story, craft, and silver screen fun – streaming rare, retro, and restored films and classic TV. From indies and series, to Oscar winning documentaries, unearthed MOWs, and a killer horror library, TheArchive delivers forgotten, never-before-seen gems for free and many in 4K. Marilyn, Karloff, and Orson Welles stream alongside Reese, Keanu, and Samuel L. Jackson. Find true stories of Queen, Hendrix, and Sinatra, an LGBTQ library, MLK bios, and world history docs. TheArchive has the movies and shows you either saw, should’ve seen, or should be watching now!