Film director Quentin Tarantino is the master of the bad-ass soundtrack, marrying the ultimate tracks to brutal violence, with chilling effect: take Stealer’s Wheel Stuck In The Middle With You for the scene in Reservoir Dogs, for example.
The song was played during the ear-cutting scene in which Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) taunts and tortures a bound police officer while singing and dancing to the song.
Kill Bill director Quentin said his original inspiration for a killer movie soundtrack was the Disney children’s classic The Jungle Book.
Quint, the creator of some of Hollywood’s most profane films said it was “The Bear Necessities” track in particular, which proved to be his musical muse.
The Django Unchained director revealed in a BBC 6 Music interview that The Jungle Book was “the first movie I saw where the song [‘The Bear Necessities’] was a big, important part. I thought it was just fantastic.”
He added: “I had the whole album and knew the song and used to sing along to it. I remember my dad telling me: ‘Remember, Quentin, when we go to the movie you can’t sing along to “The Bear Necessities” because we’ll be in the cinema.’ So, we got to it and as soon as the song came on, everybody else started singing along with it.”
The director shared his personal jukebox in The First Time With… series, and is celebrated for soundtracks where genres as varied as bubble-gum pop, surf rock, soul and country.
The box-office success of movies Jackie Brown, Inglourious Basterds and Kill Bill have frequently revived the fortunes of the records featured. Such is Tarantino’s reputation that even acclaimed artists such as the composer Ennio Morricone offer songs unsolicited.
Quint said: “I first heard him [Morricone] when I was a little boy… three of the first movies I ever saw at the theatres – other than the Disney movies – was the Dollars trilogy, because my mum had a crush on Clint Eastwood.”