Quentin Tarantino and His Alternate History, Explained

When Quentin Tarantino entered the Hollywood spotlight with his first films, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, the last thing you would think about the rebellious but innovative filmmaker was that one day, he would be able to change the history of our civilization. Of course, this is not entirely literal. But Hollywood’s bad boy got enough confidence and studio trust to try and make his version of the events. What no one predicted was that he would make such a significant impact with this fantasy-like revisionist attitude.

The important thing is that, as effective as that was, Tarantino didn’t use this to his complete advantage. Seeing evil Nazis get butchered made us cheer, but the director still balanced his ideas with the effects of those he had before. The key has always been the balance of his scripts. His screenplays would always include a poke in history’s raw wound. Tarantino would make us look back and see that memories could be modified for better ones, as alternate histories became one of his favorite genres.

Since then, Tarantino has allowed us to relive important and not-so-important events through his lens and biased views. This isn’t exactly threatening, as he often agrees with society’s focus on social retaliation, revisionism, and revenge in the best possible way. That is, of course, in the form of a dish best served cold. Let’s dive into the most notable pieces of Tarantino’s alternate history filmography.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood: Changing Hollywood History for Good

In the 2019 epic comedy/drama by Tarantino, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, the filmmaker delivered a funny and almost heartwarming journey through late 1960s Hollywood and the shifting dynamics that have made Rick Dalton’s career and talent a fading star. The once-successful Hollywood lead is now facing a tragic lack of respectable roles that he can choose from, and he’s now forced to take on villainous guest roles on TV. Alongside his stunt double and only friend, Cliff Booth, he navigates the new Tinseltown. However, there’s another threat in town that, eventually, both friends face in the most random encounter you will ever imagine.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a beautiful walkthrough perfectly designed by a filmmaker who wants to show us what he is heavily influenced by. His view of Hollywood reflects a dreamlike consideration in which young starlet Sharon Tate allows herself to imagine “what if…” The balance, which is always present in Tarantino’s mix of tones, comes at the hands of society’s failure to observe the real threat of what was brewing in the background of Los Angeles’ progressive status. The land where dreams could come true was also the lair of a monster thinking of the best attack on America’s integrity.

Tarantino could have easily portrayed Dalton’s journey on a background of absolute veracity, injecting a whole lot of realism into a film that could have used more of that in terms of the historical genre. Nevertheless, he does the exact opposite. In the movie, Charles Manson and the Family plan an attack on Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles. And as they storm the neighborhood, guess who saves the day? The Hollywood hero, of course. In the climactic third act, Dalton and Booth become the saviors of potential victims, which include Sharon Tate and company.

Tarantino changes history as America enters the rocky decade of the 1970s and allows a fading star to play several screen heroes in real life. Needless to say, Dalton turned into a happy man that day, and Hollywood slept safe and sound when the monsters that lurked were massacred.

Inglourious Basterds: Humanity Is Spared of Evil

At least, Nazi evil. In 2009, Tarantino went back decades and made a very successful war film. But this wasn’t just an accurate retelling of a certain event. In Inglourious Basterds, an American squad heads over to Europe with a plan to exterminate the Nazis. Meanwhile, Hitler is expanding his campaign throughout France, and this forces Shosanna Dreyfus to keep hiding after her family was butchered by the ruthless Colonel Hans Landa years ago. Dreyfus, who’s now in charge of a movie theater, gets together with the Basterds as they plan the final raid on Nazis who will attend the premiere of a propaganda film.

With Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino forgets the history books and creates a historically inaccurate story. World War II is in the background, as is the hostile attitude of German fundamentalists who thought themselves able to conquer an entire continent. In addition, the Americans are played as almost cartoonish, though it works for the film.

Tarantino uses a movie theater to change history in Inglourious Basterds. Shosanna looks down on the Nazis who attend the screening and thus begins her quest for revenge. When it’s time to execute the plan, hundreds of Nazis burn in the movie theater as Shosanna ignites everything, and her laughing image fades out due to the combustion of the movie screen. As if this weren’t enough, the Basterds use machine guns to exterminate Nazis, among them one of the most cartoonish Hitler’s you will ever see in cinema. Vengeance has been served in the most brutal way possible, and cinema has changed history.

Django Unchained: A Symbolic Middle Finger

Tarantino’s contribution to modern cinema with Django Unchained was met with various reactions all over the world. It didn’t matter if the filmmaker had previously disclaimed the nature of his film; some accused it of being racist, graphic, and entirely unnecessary. And as unrealistic as his films always are, you can’t make an epic about slavery without being able to show what was once America’s shameful reality. You can look back with a critical eye and do everything possible to understand that such a vulgar display of hate can’t return.

In the film, Tarantino allows a formerly enslaved person to carry out his plan — not only to get revenge but also to look for his partner, who has been held captive by a powerful plantation owner. Django is aided by Dr. King Schultz, a German bounty hunter who also has plans of his own. The film leads up to a confrontation, which is undoubtedly a masterclass in filmmaking that will leave you breathless.

Django Unchained is anything but realistic. But Tarantino’s Western is cathartic, beautiful, and heavily influenced by Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 Italian film Django. He allows Django to express the idea of revenge against a series of evil men who hated him because they were supposed to. As usual, morals don’t follow a regular compass, and Tarantino’s blunt expression of violence inevitably drives the audience to cheer in favor of those who are avenged.

Tarantino’s drive to change history, the past, and what has led up to now is yet another one of his traits that makes his filmmaking unique and divisive. However, the more he uses it, the more interesting things get, as his imprint becomes a bold redefinition of history books and, in some cases, adds the word “ideal” to the events that make up our history.