Post by ferrari512s on Jun 17, 2014 6:00:23 GMT -5
Stunt Man Mike's Deathproof Cars
The original title for Death Proof that pops up for about a second in the opening credits is "Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt".
Why? Many Grindhouse era films had different titles when they were released. For example, the kung fu classic Master of the Flying Guillotine had two titles at the opening of the film
(Master of The Flying Guillotine and One Armed Boxer Vs The Flying Guillotine).
Projectionists would also use alternate black leader title cards (like the Death Proof one) when showing films.
The title "Thunder Bolt" is patterned after the opening logo for the AIP hot rod movie Thunder Alley.
Quentin Tarantino stated he came up with the idea of Death Proof when he was talking to a friend about buying a car.
Tarantino wanted to buy a Volvo because he "didn't want to die in some auto accident like the one in "Pulp Fiction (1994)."
In regards to the safety of the car, his friend had said, "Well, you could take any car and give it to a stunt team, and for $10,000 or $15,000, they can death-proof it for you."
The "death proof" car concept stuck in QTs mind for years until he took that idea and used it tor Death Proof.
Stuntman Mike's death proof cars (70s Chevy Nova/70s Dodge Charger) feature a replica of the "Rubber Duck" icon hood ornament which was first used in the Sam Peckinpah action film Convoy (1978) on Rubber Duck's (Kris Kristofferson) truck.
The license plate numbers on Stuntman Mike's cars (JJZ-109 and 938-DAN) are references to license plate numbers on the cars in the films Bullitt (1968) and Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974). Both films featured awesome car chases.
Kim's yellow and black car (The Bride's iconic Kill Bill colors) in Death Proof is a Ford Mustang Mach I.
The same model in Alexandre Aja's High Tension and as "Eleanor" in the original 1974 car film Gone in 60 Seconds which Kim makes a reference to in Death Proof during the diner scene.
QT also referenced it in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (the sunglasses lined dashboard of Sheriff Earl McGraw's police car).
In Death Proof, Kurt Russell's character introduces himself as Stuntman Mike McKay. Dov and Omar insult Stuntman Mike by making a reference to BJ and the Bear a 70's TV show about a trucker with a monkey.
BJ's last name in the show was McKay. Dov also sings a little of the theme from the Burt Reynolds film Smokey and The Bandit while making fun of Stuntman Mike.
Stuntman Mike's methods of taking photos of the girls and collecting items they have touched before he kills them is inspired by the killers in giallo films.
The sequence when Mike is snapping photos of Zoe & Co (and we see it through the camera lense) is a direct recreation of the opening sequence of Dario Argento's debut giallo classic The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. Music from that film also is playing over the scene.
Sources
wiki.tarantino.info/index.php/Death_Proof_movie_references_guide
www.Google.com