The Hateful Eight, directed by Quentin Tarantino and made in 2015, features an all-star cast of Samuel
L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth and a few other supporting cast members
set in a desolate and very remote location of ‘Minnie’s Haberdashery’. On the way to the coveted town
of Red Rock, a bounty hunter and his bounty pick up several wayfarers in the wilderness of Wyoming.
On the trail to Red Rock, the viewers may notice the 5 black horses juxtaposed to the single white horse
drawing the carriage symbolizing in color that there is an outcast amongst the group of strangers. Later in the movie, it would turn out that all of the strangers have their own incentives. The only character who can see through the lies of the other seven strangers is Chris Mannix. Throughout the film, the soon-to-be sheriff is deeply suspicious of the other characters and can easily spot if they are telling the truth. Mannix immediately knows Joe Gage, the quiet stranger in the corner, has killed Minnie and poisoned the coffee. The screen density is stark during the trip to Minnie’s Haberdashery, but upon entering it becomes highly detailed as tensions rise. As Bob plays Silent Night, the coffee is being poisoned, but the audience doesn’t know yet. This foreshadows that everyone will be dead by tonight. The non-diegetic audio in the movie, such as the godly music playing as black and white horses run indicates an allegory for racial alliance, and Tarantino’s concise narration throughout the movie provides a look into the director’s vision.
L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth and a few other supporting cast members
set in a desolate and very remote location of ‘Minnie’s Haberdashery’. On the way to the coveted town
of Red Rock, a bounty hunter and his bounty pick up several wayfarers in the wilderness of Wyoming.
On the trail to Red Rock, the viewers may notice the 5 black horses juxtaposed to the single white horse
drawing the carriage symbolizing in color that there is an outcast amongst the group of strangers. Later in the movie, it would turn out that all of the strangers have their own incentives. The only character who can see through the lies of the other seven strangers is Chris Mannix. Throughout the film, the soon-to-be sheriff is deeply suspicious of the other characters and can easily spot if they are telling the truth. Mannix immediately knows Joe Gage, the quiet stranger in the corner, has killed Minnie and poisoned the coffee. The screen density is stark during the trip to Minnie’s Haberdashery, but upon entering it becomes highly detailed as tensions rise. As Bob plays Silent Night, the coffee is being poisoned, but the audience doesn’t know yet. This foreshadows that everyone will be dead by tonight. The non-diegetic audio in the movie, such as the godly music playing as black and white horses run indicates an allegory for racial alliance, and Tarantino’s concise narration throughout the movie provides a look into the director’s vision.
My personal opinion is that I thoroughly enjoyed it. With the artistic way the movie is filmed, you feel as if you are in the room with the characters and the close up shots give a degree of personal interaction that is not normally seen in recent movies. Even with having an honest Tarantino bias, I hated the movie when I first saw it in 2015, which is why I chose this rather than one I originally loved. After watching for a second time, I can see each stylistic choices I missed when I fell asleep halfway through. The balance of pushing you as a viewer to notice the patterns of behavior for the characters and presenting the viewers with explicit knowledge, makes you question if you should believe what is coming out of the characters mouths. I would rate The Hateful Eight Good/Good, because it is uniquely shot with 70mm film instead of the regular 35mm and it also provides me with the dramatic story line that escalates past my expectations.
Bold choice, Willow! I'm curious to know about your Tarantino bias (for or against?) because he can be a very divisive film maker. Really love the image you've included from this movie and the analysis that comes from the color values. Consider how you can keep pushing the evaluative tone of the first paragraph. Lots of good information, but sometimes it slips into neutrality. The second paragraph is great and gives us a sense of your personal journey with the film. The title is a bit misleading and kind of made it seemed like you hated the movie, so keep that in mind for future writing.
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