Composer Ennio Morricone denies calling Quentin Tarantino 'a cretin'

Veteran Italian music composer Ennio Morricone has rubbished the interview with Playboy Germany in which he was quoted calling director Quentin Tarantino "a cretin".

In the interview, Morricone, who won the Oscar for his work on Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, was quoted as criticising the filmmaker for his "trash" films. The music composer released a statement Sunday in which he dubbed the comments "totally false".

Morricone denied giving any interview to the magazine and even threatened legal action against the publication.

"I have not given an interview to 'Playboy Germany' and even more, I have never called Tarantino a cretin and certainly do not consider his films garbage. I have given a mandate to my lawyer in Italy to take civil and penal action," the 90-year-old composer said in a statement obtained by Variety.

The composer said he considers Tarantino as "one of the greatest directors of this time" and owes his Academy Award to the filmmaker.

"I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality.

"I credit Tarantino for being one of the people responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film," he said.