Playboy Germany has now acknowledged that the quotes the publication attributed to celebrated composer Ennio Morricone were “in part, reproduced incorrectly.”
The German division of the Playboy brand has been caught in a storm the last few days following publication of an article in which Morricone is quoted as slamming director Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood and the U.S. Morricone vigorously denied having made the comments. Playboy initially stood by its story but it now looks like right was on Morricone’s side.
In a statement sent to Deadline, German Playboy editor-in-chief Florian Boitin said, “Up to now, we have considered the freelancer who conducted the Ennio Morricone interview on our behalf to be a renowned print and radio journalist. In the past, we have had no reason to doubt his journalistic integrity and skills. Based on the information now at our disposal, we must unfortunately assume that the words spoken in the interview have, in part, been reproduced incorrectly. We would like to express our regret should Mr Morricone have been portrayed in a false light. We are working to clarify this matter and are exploring legal measures.“
According to the Playboy Germany article, the 90-year-old Morricone – whose scores graced such spaghetti westerns as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and A Fist Full Of Dollars – called Tarantino’s work “trash” and described him as a “cretin” whose output was “not original.” Morricone provided the score for Tarantino’s Western The Hateful Eight, for which he won an Oscar.