The Weinstein Company has released a behind-the-scenes featurette forThe Hateful Eight, but this being aQuentin Tarantinofilm and all, this isn’t your standard “glib and flashy” behind-the-scenes video. No, instead this extended featurette sees Tarantino and some of his collaborators (includingSamuel L. Jackson) giving a mini film history lesson on 70mm projection and roadshows while also explaining what the format lends to this particular film. This is actually the same featurettethat was shown to audiences at Comic-Con this past summerat the start of theHateful Eightpanel, before Tarantino also unveiled an extended sizzle reel for the film that has yet to see the light of day.
But I’m happy this is online. Tarantino is one of the smartest filmmakers working today, and to hear him talk passionately about 70mm projection and its history is an absolute delight. Moreover, it’s fascinating to see cast members likeKurt Russelladmit that working with such a wide frame took some getting used to. While it’s disappointing that this is ultimately a limited engagement—The Weinstein Company is pouring serious money into retrofitting theaters, but there’s only so many they can get to—I’m hopeful thatThe Hateful Eightwill become a reparatory regular, so that if youdohappen to be near a 70mm-capable theater sometime in the next decade, there’s a chance you could pop in and seeThe Hateful Eightin its intended format.
Check out the featurette below, viaApple. The exclusive 70mm run begins December 25th with the movie opening in wide release on January 8th. The film also starsJennifer Jason Leigh,Walton Goggins,Tim Roth,Michael Madsen,Demian Bichir,Bruce Dern, andChanning Tatum.
Here’s the official synopsis forThe Hateful Eight:
In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
