Reporter, who misquoted Ennio Morricone in Playboy Magazine interview, apologizes
What's the story
Hollywood's acclaimed wild child Quentin Tarantino was recently embroiled in a controversial interview where it was portrayed that the masterful music composer, Ennio Morricone, who worked with him on 'The Hateful Eight', had foulmouthed him. Morricone was quick to deny the interview and threatened legal action against Playboy Germany. While the magazine initially stood their ground, it appears the reporter misquoted Morricone. Here's what happened.
Initial report
What did the initial interview claim?
Initial reports claimed that Morricone had called Tarantino a 'cretin' during the interview and said his films were 'trash' while comparing him unfavorably to Hollywood geniuses like Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder. It also alleged that Morricone found the 'Pulp Fiction' director uninteresting, unoriginal and criticized his working style. The interview alleged that Tarantino rushed Morricone's genius during their collaboration, resulting in unfavorable opinion.
Morricone's response
How did Morricone respond?
Maestro Morricone, who worked on scores for iconic Westerns including 'Dollars Trilogy' immediately denied the interview and threatened to sue Playboy Germany. He said that he was rather grateful to Tarantino because their collaboration won him an Oscar. Furthermore, he cherished Tarantino's friendship and he had admitted, at an event in London, that Tarantino is one of the greatest directors of our time.
Playboy's stance
The stance that Playboy took
Though Playboy Germany initially stood by their interview, they quickly changed the stance in light of new evidence. The editor-in-chief Florian Boitin said they had had no reason to doubt the journalistic integrity of the freelancer who conducted the interview but based on new information, they realized that Morricone was expressed in a false light. They quickly apologized and are now exploring legal measures.
Real culprit
The man responsible for all the controversy
According to Playboy Germany, the freelancer who conducted the interview was Marcel Anders, who happens to be a well-respected music journalist in Germany. Ironically he was invited by Semmel Concerts, the group responsible for organizing Morricone's live concerts in Germany, to interview the maestro in Rome. Anders profusely apologized to everyone involved, admitting that misquoting Morricone had been a 'terrible mistake' on his part.
Quote
What else could Anders be, but all apologies
Anders said, "I should have stuck to the original interview conducted in Rome and not have added anything that is incorrect. That was a terrible mistake to do. Please accept my apology. Yours sincerely, Marcel Anders".
Opinion
The spectacle of sensationalizing
Society, in today's day and age, is drawn to spectacles, the appearance of something rather than the thing itself. Under such conditions, it becomes almost natural that truth should be distorted to be made spectacular. However, as journalists, we should hold on to our integrity a little longer, remain the fourth estate, for it is our duty to report the truth, not fabricate it.