UPDATE: My, my, the plot thickens yet again in the petty feud between composer Ennio Morricone and Quentin Tarantino that, apparently, never actually happened. According to the LA Times, Playboy Germany has admitted a recent interview with Morricone—in which he was quoted as calling his Hateful Eight collaborator a "cretin" whose films are "trash"—contained false statements. The German magazine announced it would file a criminal complaint against the freelancer responsible for the interview on the grounds of deception.

“To our dismay, we have now established that sections of the interview published by us do not accurately reflect the words spoken by Mr. Morricone,” Playboy Germany editor-in-chief Florian Boitin said. “We will do everything we can to ensure that German Playboy will never again be tarnished by such a deplorable episode.”

Original story below.


 

It's the weekend, and weekends are for petty drama between Hollywood power players. Today's installment: In a recent interview with Playboy Germany, legendary composer Ennio Morricone was quoted as saying Quentin Tarantino—who Morricone collaborated with on The Hateful Eight, earning him his first Academy Award win—is a "cretin" who makes "trash" films. Despite the objective truth that we should all be using the word "cretin" more, Morricone is now claiming he didn't even participate in the Playboy Germany interview in the first place.

"I have never expressed any negative statements about the Academy, Quentin, or his films — and certainly do not consider his films garbage," the composer said in a statement.

The 90-year-old Morricone has been composing scores since the 60's, his IMDB page doubling for a list of some of the most iconic films of all time; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Untouchables, Days of Heaven, the list goes on. Though he had been nominated five times prior and received an honorary award in 2007, Morricone's first Oscar didn't come until 2015 for his work on Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.

Which is why it was kind of strange for Morricone to suddenly be saying things like this: “He just steals from others and puts it together again. There is nothing original about that. And he is not a director either."

So what's the deal? Translation error? Lapse in memory? Morricone, at 90-years-old, not giving a single solitary fuck about blatantly lying in public? Hard to say! Peruse the composer's full statement below and decide for yourself.

It has come to my attention that Playboy Germany has come out with an article in which I have stated extremely negative comments about Tarantino and his films, and the Academy. I have never expressed any negative statements about the Academy, Quentin, or his films — and certainly do not consider his films garbage. I have given a mandate to my lawyer in Italy to take civil and penal action.

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I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality. I credit our collaboration responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film.

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In London, during a press conference in front of Tarantino, I clearly stated that I consider Quentin one of the greatest directors of this time, and I would never speak poorly of the Academy - an important institution that has given to me two of the most important acknowledgments of my career.

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Ennio Morricone

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