Already renowned as one of cinema’s newest wunderkinds following the release of Reservoir Dogs, it was Pulp Fiction that signalled beyond any doubt Quentin Tarantino was a filmmaking talent like no other.
The writer and director’s penchant for rapid-fire dialogue, fractured narratives, fully-developed and unforgettable characters were taken to the next level in his sophomore feature, which didn’t just become one of the most popular movies of 1994 but one of the decade’s most influential.
Beyond earning big bucks at the box office, earning seven Academy Award nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’ while winning Tarantino his first Oscar for ‘Best Original Screenplay’, Pulp Fiction left one of Tarantino’s lifelong heroes suitably impressed.
It’s no secret that the collaborations between Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone had a monumental impact on Tarantino as both a person and an aspiring filmmaker, and as fate would have it, the legendary actor was sitting on the jury at the Cannes Film Festival the very year Pulp Fiction was in the running for the Palme d’Or.
Of course, not only did the twisting crime thriller emerge victorious, but even before he’d seen it for himself, Eastwood was fully aware of the buzz. “You heard the word, but everybody purposefully stayed away from hearing what somebody thought was good or bad,” he said to the American Film Institute. “People were sort of afraid to make assumptions at that time, so nobody said much of anything.”
Having to watch 22 movies in a week as part of his jury duty, Eastwood admitted that he found the response to Pulp Fiction, above all others, to be nothing short of amazing. In the midst of the screening, it became clear that the Palme d’Or had a front-runner.
“I was amazed it was the European guys on the jury that really started jumping. A couple of them turned around and said, ‘That’s the best picture. That’s the picture of this festival,’” he continued, even if he wasn’t quite at the level of falling over himself to shower it in the utmost admiration.
“I didn’t jump on it. I was still kind of weighing things in my mind,” he admitted. “But it was definitely interesting, and it was exciting, and it came at a time when we needed a little excitement because it came right after a couple that were lulling.”
Eastwood has never been the type of person prone to massive displays of outward exuberance, but he was sufficiently won over by Pulp Fiction that it was named the winner of the Palme d’Or. For Tarantino, having one of his idols celebrating a work he’d created must have been quite the thrill, especially when he’s never been shy in returning the favour as it relates to Eastwood’s iconic career.