Beyond the Multiplex

Quentin Tarantino greets his adoring fans, explains "Death Proof." Plus: Harvey Weinstein slaps down Kurt Russell.

By Andrew O'Hehir

Read more: Andrew O'Hehir, Cannes, Movies, Movie Reviews, Arts & Entertainment, Quentin Tarantino, Reviews, Robert Rodriguez, Beyond the Multiplex

Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) and Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) in a scene from "Death Proof"

May 22, 2007 | CANNES, France -- Quentin Tarantino came bouncing into his press conference here for "Death Proof" -- or, as it will be known here, "Boulevard de la mort" -- flashed us a pair of peace signs and exclaimed: "Hello! Au revoir!" Whether this was a joke or the result of nonexistent French lessons was not entirely clear, but it set the tone for an alternately awkward and adulatory meeting with reporters.

Admittedly George Clooney is not yet in town, but the mad crush to get into Tarantino's press conference was like nothing I've experienced in two years at Cannes. Several of the festival's trademark tan-suited, bouncerish security guards had to hold back the mob by main force, trying to prevent adoring TV reporters from former Soviet republics from being trampled underfoot in the Quentin rush.

You may think I'm kidding about the Soviet republics. I'm not. A reporter from Uzbekistan got up during the press conference to thank Tarantino, on behalf of "all the women of central Asia," for making his chick-revenge car-chase flick. (He seemed suitably impressed.) One Russian journalist asked him how it felt to be the most inspirational director of his time. A guy who I think was Croatian took the mike and exclaimed "'Death Proof' rocks!" before asking Tarantino whether it was true that his long-brewing war film, "Inglorious Bastards," would star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone. (Sadly, it will not.)

After the press conference was over, a group of British journalists stood around eagerly discussing what the term "grindhouse" meant, along with the intriguing fact that "Death Proof" had previously existed inside some larger and stranger context and the question of whether it was ever really meant to stand on its own. As one of their countrymen once said, Ay, there's the rub.

I guess Harvey Weinstein didn't hear the Brits talking or he'd have knocked some good old-fashioned American sense into them. Much of the awkwardness of the "Death Proof" news conference arose from the fact that Weinstein stood glowering in the shadows, like a Rolex-wearing Sauron, while Tarantino and stars Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thomas cheerfully held forth. Right next to Weinstein, in his trademark black cowboy hat, was Robert Rodriguez, whose "Planet Terror" segment from "Grindhouse" was very definitely not selected for Cannes. (Weinstein implied, without quite promising, that "Planet Terror" will play the Venice Film Festival this summer.)

Most strange and striking of all was the moment when Weinstein moved in to squelch all further discussion of "Grindhouse," and in the process seemed to deliver a slap-down to Kurt Russell. Most of the participants stayed on message most of the time, meaning that Tarantino insisted that the longer, "Boulevard of Death" version of the film is closer to his original intentions. Russell, who plays impressively evil Stuntman Mike, wasn't having it. "I'm sorry for people who won't get the 'Grindhouse' experience," he said. "That's what it was all about for me. So I prefer the shorter version. Now ['Death Proof' and 'Terror Planet'] are gonna go off and stand on their own, and hopefully you'll enjoy them. But in 20 years, you will want the full 'Grindhouse' experience, because there's nothing else like it."

Weinstein held his peace at that moment, but a few minutes later, when another eastern European journalist asked why none of the fake trailers from "Grindhouse" are being shown with "Death Proof," he stepped up to the mike. "We had a great time with the whole 'Grindhouse' thing," he began, in the tones of a man not having any fun at all. "Now European audiences will get to see these new movies by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, and they'll enjoy them much more [than 'Grindhouse']. You'll see Robert Rodriguez making a true Robert Rodriguez movie, you'll see Quentin making a pure-essence Quentin movie. It's a completely different experience. They will dwarf 'Grindhouse,' trust me."

Next page: "We cut past the bone"