“He’s a knave”: the director who couldn’t stand the sight of “pathetic boy” Quentin Tarantino
Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard dismissed Quentin Tarantino despite Tarantino’s admiration for him and his influence on the director’s early work. Godard called him “a knave” and “a pathetic boy”, showing that the creative debt Tarantino felt was not reciprocated.
The article says Tarantino named his production company after Godard’s 1964 film *Bande à part* and often cited him as an important influence, particularly around *Reservoir Dogs*. Godard gave his blunt response in the early 1990s; the piece notes that the two were later regarded as nemeses before Godard died in September 2022.
- Godard rejected Tarantino’s admiration.
- He called Tarantino “a knave” and “a pathetic boy”.
- Tarantino had cited Godard as a key influence.
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Jean-Luc Godard was a French film-maker and a leading figure in the French New Wave, a movement that challenged established ways of making films. Quentin Tarantino is an American director whose early work, including Reservoir Dogs, drew on influences from earlier cinema.
Tarantino named his production company A Band Apart after Godard’s film Bande à part and spoke of Godard’s importance to his work. Godard’s dismissive view of Tarantino illustrates that influence and admiration between artists are not always mutual.