Yes, last night was the official New York premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” complete with overture and intermission. Pretty much everyone was there at the Ziegfeld and later at the Rainbow Room except for Samuel L. Jackson, who was filming in Hawaii.
Everyone from Quentin to Jennifer Jason Leigh to Bruce Dern, Kurt Russell, Channing Tatum, Walt Goggins, Tim Roth, Zoe Bell, Demian Bichir, Dana Gourrier, Michael Madsen, whose date was actress sister Virginia. She’s also opening next week in David O. Russell’s “Joy” playing Jennifer Lawrence’s kooky mother. (It’s a great performance.)
Plenty of non -Tarantinians stopped by too including Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson (supporting Kurt), Sam Rockwell and Nina Arianda from Broadway’s “Fool For Love,” Bill Paxton, director Paul Haggis, and Richard Kind among the notables. Alan Cumming came with JJL, and accepted kudos for his work on last night’s episode of “The Good Wife.” Why doesn’t he have any Emmy already????
Oscar winner Adrien Brody brought his parents, dad Elliot Brody and mom, famed photographer Sylvia Plachy. “This isn’t really a family film,” I said when I saw them. “It is if you’re a fearless family,” Plachy rebuked me. “We loved it.”
Anyway, Tarantino did tell me that he’s thinking of putting “The Hateful Eight” on Broadway as a legit stage play. “And like sooner rather than later, like later this year”– meaning 2016. “Don’t be surprised.”
I wouldn’t be. “The Hateful Eight” is like great theater in many ways. I wrote early that it reminded me of Eugene O’Neill. Tarantino said “The Iceman Cometh” influenced him. “I think this is my best screenplay,” he said proudly. “I think…” –he actually hesitated– “I’ve learned a lot.”
Earlier in the day the Weinstein Company announced that 44 cities will get the two road show of the long version of “Hateful Eight” in 70mm glory. But overlapping, on January 1st, a shorter version will go wide across the country. That version will be trimmed of the overture and intermission, but will be substantially the same. Gore will not be spared.
