Ennio Morricone claims he never gave an interview to the German edition of Playboy which quoted him as insulting Tarantino and his works.

• Nov 12, 2018

AceShowbiz - Ennio Morricone has responded to an article published by the German edition of Playboy magazine in which he made derogatory statement about his "The Hateful Eight" collaborator Quentin Tarantino. The famed composer denies he ever gave an interview to the magazine, calling all the information mentioned in the article "totally false."

"It has come to my attention that Playboy Germany has come out with an article in which I have called Tarantino a cretin and consider his films garbage," he says in a statement. "This is totally false. I have not given an interview to Playboy Germany and even more, I have never called Tarantino a cretin and certainly do not consider his films garbage."

Morricone threatens to take legal action against the publication, stating, "I have given a mandate to my lawyer in Italy to take civil and penal action." He goes on praising the director, "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 Tarantino for being one of the people responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career," he continues gushing about Tarantino, "and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film. 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."

Previously, Morricone was accused of blasting the "Kill Bill" helmer. Playboy Germany quoted him as saying, "The man is a cretin. He just steals from others and puts it together new again. There is nothing original about that. And he is not a director either. So not comparable to real Hollywood greats like John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, or Billy Wilder. They were great. Tarantino is just cooking up old stuff."

Morricone also complained about Tarantino's "absolutely chaotic" work ethic. "He calls out of nowhere and then wants to have a finished film score within days, which is impossible. Which makes me crazy!" Morricone allegedly said. "Because that's just not possible. And I do not go there anymore. I told him that last time. But next time I will be tough. Then he can kiss me."

This wasn't the first time Morricone was reported to have criticized Tarantino. Back in 2012, Tarantino wanted the veteran composer to score his film "Django Unchained", but Morricone was only able to write one piece of music for the movie. After this experience, he said at Rome's LUISS University that he "wouldn't like to work with him again, on anything," because Tarantino "places music in his films without coherence."

After his comments made headlines, Morricone claimed his statements were taken out of context and that he has "a great respect for Tarantino."

Tarantino has not responded to Morricone's alleged latest insults at him.