Pulp Fiction - Tarantino as an experimental filmmaker

- Experimental filmmakers are in opposition to the mainstream


Buckland (2002) - Mainstream film features :

•  High production values

• Reliance upon stars

•  Convention of a genre (obvious genre)

• Script rather than language telling the story (through narrative devices) - focus on the script, the narrative. 

•  Economic imperative

How Tarantino is experimental in comparison to the mainstream film features :

• Mixes genres and features - (Bricolage)

• Challenges the convention of the use of stars

• The budget reflects his ethos as a film maker - Not using most of budget on film stars, and quite deliberately uses cheap and unrealistic mise-en-scene (e.g. the rear projection for car travel)- this is evidence of experimentalism and also adds to the postmodernist approach of replacing realism with artifice)

Tarantino is considered an experimental filmmaker through the use of the lack of chronology in the narrative, the story isn't told in order which goes against the common conventions of a mainstream film as he also tells the narrative in a different way compared to mainstream films where each story although not in order overlaps and interlinks with each other as it also lacks clarity of who the hero and the villain. He is also considered experimental through the lack of a 'happy ending' which also flouts the common convention of a mainstream film where an ending of resolution is seen, the unusual use of editing - this is seen through the use of fading which conveys a passage of time however only represents the passage of a few seconds. Tarantino is also seen as an experimental filmmaker through the bricolage of genres in which he implements, he mixed different elements of genre features this is seen where Vincent and Mia are in the restaurant and are competing in a dance competition, which isn't a convention of a typical crime film, this is also seen where Vincent and Jules are in the diner and it is being held up by Honey Bunny and Pumpkin which isn't expected because Vincent and Jules are the criminals so in a mainstream film are expected to be the ones to do these criminal acts such as a hold up, which shows the experimental aspect of Tarantino as a filmmaker. The budget of the film reflects Tarantino's ethos as a filmmaker as he uses the deliberate use of cheap and unrealistic mise-en-scene for example, the rear projection in the taxi drive, this shows the experimentalism and his postmodernist approach through the replacement of realism with artifice.

Pulp Fiction - Tarantino auteur signature features

Repetitive tropes -

• Cameos - Quentin Tarantino plays Jimmy Dimmick in pulp fiction, and Mr Brown in reservoir dogs. 

• Feet - Dancing scene with John Travolta, dialogue about Mia and foot massage and the long tracking shot when Mia enters the lounge of her feet. Kill Bill scene ' Wiggle your big toe'  

• Violence - Killing of Marsellus Wallace's business partners, fight scene in Kill Bill. The almost glorification of violence in Tarantino's films is there to portray how artificial it is rather than glorifying violence and guns etc.  

• Dialogue - The realism of dialogue, foot massage, Tarantino tends to make constant use of foul language and racial slurs and sexist remarks, this makes the dialogue more realistic by the use of dark humour this is seen in Pulp fiction when Vincent and Jules are talking about hamburgers. An example 

• Use of the same actors - Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth.

• Masculinity and gender (representation of women in a derogatory way) - 1990's was more equality, strong female lead characters with a sense of male domination through their view of women as sexual objects. Uma thurman could be portrayed as powerful while passive in the marketing aspect in the poster, conveys positivity of female representation in the film. 

• Bathrooms - Prominence of bathrooms, Vincent in killed in a bathroom, Mia Wallace etc.

• Restaurant scenes - Pulp fiction diner robbery, reservoir dogs. 

• Mexican standoff (3 way shootout) - Diner robbery, reservoir dogs between Mr White, Jo and Eddie 

• Taking existing stories and twisting them to tell it differently - In Pulp Fiction, a boxer (butch) paid to throw a fight by Marsellus, two hitmen doing their jobs. in reservoir

Postmodernism - 

• Replacement of realism with artifice (mise-en-scene, character and story), Tarantino mixes up the chronology of his narrative, in a typically postmodern style. The unrealism and artificiality is portrayed in pulp fiction through the larger than life characters through their names and appearance of how their importance of being e.g. a hitman is in contrast to their appearance which reflects the postmodern style as it brings an unrealistic perception of them. Also another typical postmodern style in Pulp Fiction is the the distinction between reality and artifice which is blurred through the violence, as it is seen as cartoon-like and artificial in the way violence occurs in the film with a deliberation of over exaggeration. 

Style - 

• Worms eye shot of car trunk - 

Reservoir Dogs 

Pulp Fiction

• Realism of dialogue ( use of racist and sexual language) - In pulp fiction, Django and Jackie Brown there is a frequent use of racial language e.g. the word n**** is prominent in these films. Also there is the frequent use of sexual language in these films mainly used by the strong male characters, towards the women. 

• Use of music ( contrapuntal sound) - The sound in Pulp Fiction, doesn't match the action. e.g. the scene before Butch runs over Marsellus Wallace the song playing is happy, upbeat music therefore is contrapuntal as afterwards there is a shootout between Butch and Marsellus.  

• Use of long takes - e.g. When Vincent and Jules are taking the lift to the apartment of the ex-business partners (Brett etc) of Marsellus Wallace.

• Corpse or injured point of view shot - 

Pulp Fiction





Kill Bill

Pulp fiction - Taratino Postmodernism

Theory of representation - Jean Baudrillard

Media representation are always only at best a reflection of reality , the best media representations are reflections and are not the same as reality.

- The distinction between representation and reality breaks down over stages over time, the theory looks at stages this break down as this occurs


stage 1 - Early stages of a representation, is a reflection of reality

stage 2 - The representation masks and perverts reality

stage 3 - Next stage of representation , it marks an absence of reality

stage 4 -  In the final stages of representation, it bears no resemblance to reality. It has become a simulacrum or hyper-reality.