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If you’re looking for movie recommendations, Quentin Tarantino is your man. He has gushed over literally hundreds of films, spanning every era and every conceivable subgenre. While he is on the record as saying that the 1970s were the best decade for cinema, he has also praised many films from the 1960s.
His fondness for the ’60s is most evident in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his revisionist take on that era, filtered through the pop culture that influenced him most. As a result, that movie (and other Tarantino flicks) reference his favorite movies of that decade. His recommendations include big hits, cult classics, and a few forgotten oddities.
‘Twisted Nerve’ (1968)
This psychological thriller tells the story of a disturbed young man Martin (Hywel Bennett) who pretends to be intellectually challenged to befriend Susan (Hayley Mills). Martin becomes obsessed with her and begins murdering all those he sees as obstacles to their relationship.
Twisted Nerve is one of the best thrillers of the decade and a big influence on Tarantino. He has referenced it multiple times. Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) whistles Twisted Nerve‘s theme tune while on her way to try to kill the Bride in the hospital in Kill Bill. It’s also Rosario Dawson‘s character’s ringtone in Death Proof.
‘Topkapi’ (1964)
This heist film – which served as inspiration for Reservoir Dogs – centers on a plot to steal an emerald-encrusted dagger from an old palace in Istanbul. Elizabeth (Melina Mercouri) enlists her criminal former lover Walter (Maximillian Schell) for the scam and gets mixed up with a gang of thieves. It’s a bit like a ’60s Ocean’s Eleven.
Topkapi is not as good as director Jules Dassin‘s noir classic Rififi, but it’ll appeal to fans of crime capers, or someone looking for a ’60s nostalgia trip. Peter Ustinov is terrific as small-time hustler Arthur Simpson and won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.
‘Targets’ (1968)
Targets is a crime thriller directed by filmmaker and film historian Peter Bogdanovich, perhaps best known for Paper Moon and The Last Picture Show. The film depicts two parallel plot lines. In the first, a seemingly ordinary young man embarks on a killing spree. The second follows an aging horror actor (played by Boris Karloff, in a bit of wickedly meta casting) who is considering retirement.
Targets is an excellent crime movie, that crams a lot into its lean 90-minute runtime. But it’s also interesting because of its parallels with Tarantino’s One Upon a Time in Hollywood. Both films take place in the late ’60s, both include major actor characters who are in a difficult career spot (Leonardo DiCaprio in Hollywood, Karloff in Targets), and finally, in both movies, the hero ends up crossing paths with a killer in a bloody climax.
‘War of the Gargantuas’ (1966)
This Japanese monster movie centers on a beast born in a lab that escapes. Soon after, citizens are killed in brutal attacks and the authorities blame the escaped creature. However, it turns out that there are really two gargantuas, and the pair of them become locked in battle
War of the Gargantuas has since become a cult classic and has been praised by Brad Pitt, Guillermo Del Toro, and Tim Burton, among others. According to Tarantino, Kill Bill’s fight scene between The Bride and Elle Driver’s was called “War of the Blonde Gargantuas.” Plus, Del Toro ranked it among his top five favorite kaiju movies and said it was an influence on his 2013 movie Pacific Rim.
‘Mothra vs. Godzilla’ (1964)
QT is a fan of the early Godzilla movies, especially this one, where the monstrous lizard takes on a giant moth-like entity. The creatures were created with mechanical puppets and suits worn by actors. While obviously not very realistic, the monster design is striking and memorable.
Tarantino even talked about potentially directing a Godzilla movie of his own. “The whole idea of Godzilla’s role in Tokyo, where he’s always battling these other monsters, saving humanity time and again – wouldn’t Godzilla become God?” He told Games Radar. “It would be called ‘Living Under The Rule Of Godzilla’. This is what society is like when a big f–ing green lizard rules your world.”
‘The Wrecking Crew’ (1968)
After thieves steal millions of dollars worth of gold from a train, the government sends top agent Matt Helm (Dean Martin) to confront the criminals and recover the gold. This is the movie that Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) watches in the cinema in Once Upon a Time in Hollywoood.
Tarantino said that Tate is the highlight of The Wrecking Crew. “She is the movie,” he said. “She has a responsibility in this performance that I don’t think she quite had in the other movies.” Another connection to the Tarantino-verse comes in the form of the suits the main characters wear, which look an awful lot like the outfits worn by Pitt and co. during the climax of Inglourious Basterds.
‘Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice’ (1969)
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a comedy-drama from director Paul Mazursky. It centers on two couples navigating their relationships at a time of great social changes. Bob (Robert Culp) and Carol (Natalie Wood) have just come back from an Eastern-style retreat and are trying to embrace aspects of the hippie lifestyle. Things get complicated after Bob admits to having had an affair. Carol says she is not angry, but the situation destabilizes both relationships.
It’s a well-crafted movie, with great lead performances and a killer closing scene. It was also a massive inspiration for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Tarantino and DP Robert Richardson used Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice as their main visual reference for the look of LA in 1969. He also instructed the entire cast to watch the movie. Not to mention, the jacket DiCaprio wears in the opening scene is the same one worn by Bob in Mazursky’s film.
‘Easy Rider’ (1969)
Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper star in this road drama as two bikers traveling across America, carrying money from a drug deal. Along the way, they encounter a cast of intriguing characters and explore the shifting cultural landscape of hippies, communes, and drugs. Lots of drugs.
Tarantino called Easy Rider “the single greatest example of ’60s cinema in every way […] finally a movie and the counterculture hooked up with each other. It captures the ‘60s in a way that is tangible. If you were trying to describe the ‘60s in terms of movies to someone, you could show them Easy Rider and never have to show them anything else.”
‘That Darn Cat!’ (1965)
This goofy comedy thriller revolves around a suave cat named Darn Cat (aka DC), owned by two sisters Inky (Dorothy Provine) and Patti (Hayley Mills). One day, DC stumbles across a woman, Margaret Miller (Grayson Hall) who is being held hostage by two bank robbers. Miller secretly attaches her watch to DC’s collar, which Patti later discovers. Patti contacts Detective Kelso (Dean Jones), who begins following the cat in the hopes that it will lead him to the criminals.
While not amazing, That Darn Cat! is family-friendly entertainment, with a few decent gags and a great animal performance. Tarantino references it in From Dusk Til Dawn, when one character says, “I’ve got six little friends, and they can all run faster than you can.” This is a direct quote of a line spoken by one of the bank robbers in That Darn Cat!
‘Sol Madrid’ (1968)
Sol Madrid (David McCallum) is a government agent who heads to Mexico in pursuit of drug lord Dietrich (Teddy Sevelas). From there, all sorts of plot machinations unfold, including betrayal and split loyalties. It’s a crime caper directed by Brian G. Hutton, who also helmed the iconic war movies Where Eagles Dare and Kelly’s Heroes. While not as epic as those films, Sol Madrid still makes for an entertaining slice of ’60s action.
The highlight is Teddy Sevelas, of whom Tarantino is a huge fan. He’s great in villainous roles. He also appeared in one of Tarantino’s all-time favorite movies, Pretty Maids All in a Row. Tarantino actually screened Sol Madrid at the film festival he hosted in Austin in 1999. It breezes by at just 90 minutes, perfect for viewers looking for a fast-paced thriller.
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