KURT RUSSELL - KURT RUSSELL CRITICIZES GRINDHOUSE BREAKUP

Kurt Russell, who starred in the Death Proof segment of the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez horror "double feature" Grindhouse, has expressed disappointment over the decision to release Death Proof as a separate feature for European audiences. Appearing today (Tuesday) at a news conference at the Cannes Film Festival, where Death Proof is screening in competition for the Palme d'Or, Russell, acknowledging that he hasn't seen the reedited longer version, said, "I'm disappointed for any audience that they won't get the Grindhouse experience. ... These [two] movies are going to go out there by themselves and they'll live their own life, but my prediction is that 20 years from now, you'll want the Grindhouse experience. ... [It's] something bizarre that you've never experienced before." But, appearing at the same news conference, director Quentin Tarantino defended the new version, saying that the film has changed "180 degrees so far as the emotion" is concerned and that he is particularly pleased with the way Russell's character has evolved in the editing. Standing at the rear of the news conference, producer Harvey Weinstein also joined in the discussion, saying that what Tarantino and Rodriguez originally had to remove from their films so that they could be combined "reduced the essence of the films." It would have been like "cutting [Tarantino's] Kill Bill and [Rodriguez's] Sin City to 70-minute versions," he said. He predicted that European audiences "and hopefully American audiences" will get a lot more enjoyment out of the films when they're seen separately. (Grindhouse was a surprise flop when it was released domestically in April. The $60-million film earned only $24 million in ticket sales.)

22/05/2007