Starting December 5th, Quentin Tarantino's *Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair* will be officially released in North America, available in both 70mm and 35mm film versions. As the title suggests, this film combines the two films released in 2003 (*Kill Bill: The First Part*) and 2004 (*Kill Bill: The Second Part*). It also includes a previously unreleased seven-minute animated sequence, bringing its total runtime to over four hours, reaching 281 minutes.
Poster for Kill Bill: Bloody Collection
Recently, director Quentin Tarantino posted a message endorsing his upcoming "new work": "When I was writing the script and filming, I treated it as a complete movie, and now I'm happy that fans have the opportunity to see this complete film. The best way to watch Kill Bill: The Bloody Journey is in a theater on 70mm or 35mm film. Let's experience the shock of blood and violence on the big screen!"
The two-part "Kill Bill: The Bloody Collection" has always been considered a legendary film by Quentin Tarantino fans. It had a special screening at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival before disappearing from public view. In 2011, Tarantino owned a theater in Los Angeles called New Beverly Hills, where he would occasionally screen the film, reportedly with the specially made French subtitles from when it was submitted to Cannes.
After the official release of *The Hateful Eight*, Quentin Tarantino held a special screening event called "The Tarantino Eight" at the New Beverly Theatre, showing eight of his films in chronological order, one per week for eight weeks. *Kill Bill* was not included in this event. During the screening of the first film, *Reservoir Dogs*, attendees received a viewing card. Those who collected all seven stamps by the end of the event had the opportunity to attend a special screening of *Kill Bill: The Bloody Complete Collection*.
It's easy to imagine that very few people worldwide have had the opportunity to see *Kill Bill: The Bloody Series* in the past. This time, the film's official theatrical release has generated considerable buzz. The seven-minute new animated segment in the film was produced by the Japanese company Production IG. Due to the film's 281-minute runtime, a 15-minute intermission will be included during the screening to accommodate audience demand.
Uma Thurman in Kill Bill
In Quentin Tarantino's revenge epic, Uma Thurman plays the bride, who is ambushed by her former boss and lover Bill (David Carradine) during her wedding rehearsal. She is shot in the head, her unborn child is taken, and she is abandoned. To exact revenge, she must first find and eliminate the remaining four members of the deadly Viper assassination squad before she can finally confront Bill.
Quentin Tarantino on the set of Kill Bill
It's said that Quentin Tarantino once considered making a third Kill Bill film. The story would be set twenty years after the original plot, with the Bride and her daughter, who had settled into a peaceful life, now facing assassination attempts and forced to flee. Tarantino has also stated that if the film were to be made, he would invite Uma Thurman's biological daughter, Maya Hawke, to play the role of his daughter.
Daryl Hannah in Kill Bill
“Imagine a bride and her daughter living a peaceful life for 20 years, then that peace is shattered, and the mother and daughter go on the run. It would be fantastic if Uma Thurman and her daughter Maya could star in it. I mean, the California Mountain Viper (Daryl Hannah) is still at large, and Sophie Fatal (Julie Dreyfuss), despite having both arms severed, is still on the run. Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama) has a twin sister, who might appear in the third movie.” Quentin Tarantino made these remarks in June 2021 while promoting his novel *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*. However, when asked about this again in the summer of 2023, he clearly stated that he would not be making *Kill Bill 3*.
Julie Dreyfus in Kill Bill
Meanwhile, Maya Hawke recently made a joke about Quentin Tarantino's foot fetish rumors. During an appearance on Amy Poehler's podcast, she was asked if her mother, Uma Thurman, had given her any advice regarding "working with Tarantino." Thurman starred in three of Tarantino's most iconic films: 1994's *Pulp Fiction*, 2003's *Kill Bill Vol. 1*, and 2004's *Kill Bill Vol. 2*; while Maya Hawke starred in his 2019 film *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*. To this, Maya Hawke responded without hesitation, "Put your shoes on." She and Poehler then burst into laughter.
Uma Thurman (left) with her daughter Maya Hawke
Quentin Tarantino has long been known for his peculiar fascination with women's feet. His films have featured numerous scenes of women with bare feet, including Uma Thurman, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, and Dakota Fanning. In 2020, when Brad Pitt won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Clive Booth in *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*, he jokingly said in his acceptance speech, "I want to thank my co-stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie's feet, Margaret Qualley's feet, Dakota Fanning's feet. Seriously, Quentin has made women take off their shoes more times than airport security officers in the US."
Quentin Tarantino himself doesn't seem to care much about these rumors. In a 2021 interview with British GQ magazine, he said, "I don't really care what other people say. Many great directors have a lot of feet in their films. For example, Luis Buñuel was once considered a representative of foot fetishism. In addition, Hitchcock and Sofia Coppola have also been said to have foot fetishes."
