With multiple, bloody shooting deaths, brutal beatings and whippings, grisly dog attacks and one instance of threatened castration, "Django Unchained" is easily one of the most violent films in theaters at the moment. Yet don't try to tell director Quentin Tarantino that images displayed in films like "Django Unchained" lead to a rise in real-life violence.
"Not for me," Tarantino said. When Gross pushed harder -- even calling the characters in films like "Django Unchained" sadistic -- Tarantino got upset.
"When you say, 'After the tragedy,' what do you mean by that exactly? Do you mean, 'On that day, would I watch 'The Wild Bunch'?' Maybe not on that day," Tarantino said. "Would I watch a kung fu movie three days after the Sandy Hook massacre? Maybe, because they have nothing to do with each other."
"Yeah, I am. I'm really annoyed," Tarantino said. "I think it's disrespectful to their memory, actually ... to talk about movies,” he said. “I think it's totally disrespectful to their memory. Obviously, the issue is gun control and mental health.”
Continued Tarantino: "I've been asked this question for 20 years -- about the effects of violence in movies related to violence in real life. My answer is the same 20 years ago. It hasn't changed one iota. Obviously, I don't think one has to do with the other."
This isn't the first time Tarantino has defended "Django Unchained" against cries of outrage over its content. Even before the Sandy Hook murders, the director was explaining his depictions of violence in the film.
"We all intellectually 'know' the brutality and inhumanity of slavery," Tarantino said after a screening on Dec. 7, 2012, "but after you do the research it's no longer intellectual any more, no longer just historical record – you feel it in your bones. It makes you angry, and want to do something. I'm here to tell you, that however bad things get in the movie, a lot worse shit actually happened."
A recent poll conducted by The Hollywood Reporter in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders shows that 70 percent of consumers think Hollywood products like "Django Unchained" are too violent. Not that those thoughts have stopped people from seeing "Django Unchained": through Jan. 2, the film has grossed $82 million in North America and is on pace to become Tarantino's biggest box-office success.
To listen to Tarantino's complete interview with Terry Gross, head over to NPR.
Quentin Tarantino, left, and Uma Thurman attend the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Uma Thurman attends the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Leonardo DiCaprio attends the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Nichole Galicia attends the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Liv Tyler attends the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Don Johnson and his wife Kelley Phleger, left, and daughter Dakota Johnson, right, attend the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Jamie Foxx attends the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Olivia Wilde attends the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Jamie Foxx, from left, Samuel Jackson, Christoph Waltz and Don Johnson attend the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
In this undated publicity photo released by The Weinstein Company, from left, Jamie Foxx as Django and Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candle star in the film, "Django Unchained," directed by Quentin Tarantino. "Flight," "Django Unchained," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Red Tails" and "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds" are up for the outstanding motion picture trophy at the 44th annual NAACP Image Awards. (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Andrew Cooper, SMPSP)
Kerry Washington speaks at the "Django Unchained" panel at Comic-Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Jamie Foxx speaks at the "Django Unchained" panel at Comic-Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Quentin Tarantino speaks at the "Django Unchained" panel at Comic-Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Jamie Foxx poses at the "Django Unchained" press line at Comic Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Kerry Washington poses at the "Django Unchained" press line at Comic Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Jamie Foxx poses at the "Django Unchained" press line at Comic Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Christoph Waltz poses at the "Django Unchained" press line at Comic Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Kerry Washington poses at the "Django Unchained" press line at Comic Con, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in San Diego. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 14: (L-R) Actors Jamie Foxx, Walton Goggins, and Don Johnson speak at the 'Django Unchained' panel during Comic-Con International 2012 at San Diego Convention Center on July 14, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 14: Writer/director Quentin Tarantino (L) and actor Jamie Foxx speak at the 'Django Unchained' panel during Comic-Con International 2012 at San Diego Convention Center on July 14, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 14: Actor Christoph Waltz speaks at the 'Django Unchained' panel during Comic-Con International 2012 at San Diego Convention Center on July 14, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 14: Writer/director Quentin Tarantino speaks at the 'Django Unchained' panel during Comic-Con International 2012 at San Diego Convention Center on July 14, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 14: Actor Jamie Foxx speaks at the 'Django Unchained' panel during Comic-Con International 2012 at San Diego Convention Center on July 14, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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