Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’ In 70mm Will Be Longer Than Digital Version

Quentin Tarantino, along with Paul Thomas Anderson, is one of the few filmmakers fighting to preserve the essence of film. We already knew that Tarantino fans and cinephiles will get a special treat this holiday season when his upcoming The Hateful Eight opens early for a limited 70mm presentation in approximately 100 retrofitted theaters. But those who catch the western in its Ultra Panavision film format will also be treated to an extended cut of the movie.

The filmmaker recently revealed to Variety that he’s made two separate cuts of The Hateful Eight, one for the 70mm version and a shorter one for the digital multiplex version. The 70mm presentation will be six minute longer, not including a 12 minute intermission and an overture. That brings the total running time to three hours and two minutes. But don’t expect to see an added scene in the early screenings, the length differences are due to various scene edits. Tarantino said he “tweaked certain scenes to better suit the separate viewing experiences.” While he added that some of the longer scenes have “big, long, cool, unblinking takes” in the 70mm version, he acknowledges that it won’t be the same for other audiences watching at home or in a city without a film-capable theater.

The 70 is the 70. You’ve paid the money. You’ve bought your ticket. So you’re there. I’ve got you. But I actually changed the cutting slightly for a couple of the multiplex scenes because it’s not that. Now it’s on Showtime Extreme. You’re watching it on TV and you just kind of want to watch a movie on your couch. Or you’re at Hot Dog on a Stick and you just want to catch a movie.

What’s great about this is that Tarantino’s approaching the future of film with an all encompassing awareness of where technology is taking us, while still cherishing the techniques of the past. The hardcore film fans (self included) will undoubtedly sell out the early 70mm screenings, but the Django Unchained filmmaker knows that not all audiences will want to experience his movie that way. Why not make adjusted versions suitable for all?

Most recently, Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar and Anderson’s The Master were released in 70mm formats in limited cities. But with Tarantino’s new approach, there’s the hope that more filmmakers will adopt this way of presenting their work – as the medium was originally intended to be seen.