Pulp Fiction as a postmodern film

Postmodernism - where reality is replaced with artifice


Visual - Taxi scene, stylised violence and the casual attitude to crime, retro-references to the 50s

Thematic elements - Advertising speech e.g jules talking about the burger, coffee and Vincent with milkshakes
Artificial product placement e.g Red Apple cigarettes, Jack Rabbit slims restaurant

character -  Corny and cartoony characters - Mr Wolf, Jules and Vincent, Mia




Tarantino signature auteur features ;

Narrative - non chronological narrative,

Lack of closure - ambiguity, left to ask questions e.g. whats in the case, what happens to Jules.


ethnicity and gender in Pulp Fiction ;

Language use - racial slurs and racist language
Black people are more violent in this
represented as equal with black leadership e.g Jules and Vincent, there is a black boss - Marsellus
gender - male dominated compared to female
females are portrayed as weaker

Spectatorship revision

spectatorship summary - 

• emotional responses to a film (shock, pity, sympathy etc.) 
• spectatorship theory responses (dominant, negotiated, oppositional)
• the techniques employed by filmmakers to manipulate spectators into have these responses (micro and macro features)
• the factors which affect how spectators are likely to respond ; age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality etc. how the film is consumed (cinema or at home) or whether you are alone or in company and the attitudes towards social, cultural and political issues and personal experiences.

How does the Characters, mise-en-scene, narrative and cinematography affect spectatorship responses in This is England?

-Characters; Combo

-mise-en-scene; graffiti

-narrative; realism

-cinematography; milky assault scene 

Revision for exams - essay structure and auteur features in vertigo & OFOTCN

Essay structure for Exam


Introduction - 

• statement of intention - 'this essay will examine/explore"
• reference to the films chosen
• define any key definitions

Main Body - 

• relevant points relating to the question
• plenty of examples - get marks from using examples
• try to make essay flow
• use terminology - which links specifically to the question

  Conclusion - 

• summarise main points which have been explored in the essay - "this essay has explored..."
• acknowledge how there are more examples etc - "there is also more to say about gender/ auteur etc

Auteur in Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock

• Theme of guilt - death of colleague, death of 'madeleine'  
• Colour - green and red - jealousy, envy
• Theme of a dual identity - strangers on a train
• Voyeurism - Scottie when he follows Madeleine, Pyscho
• Use of tropes: Birds
• repetitive actors: James Stewart
•   

Auteur in One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest - Milos Forman

• Theme of individual vs society
• Colour - white - oppression 
• Jack Nicholson performance - maniacal laugh e.g the joker, witches of eastwick and the shining. 
• Theme of naturalism 

This is England revision

Woody – father figure to Shaun / original skin head listens to different music / isn’t racist


Combo – father figure to Shaun / late skin head white supremist / racist
Combos anger come from his lack love growing up / lack of father figure / jealousy


Outline the use of –

* Cultural codes – society character relationships 1980s massive different between rich and poor. Large numbers of boys with nothing to do no money and skinhead culture gave an identity to those kids 60s music 70s subculture heavy metal skin head sense of belonging gangs poor young people it is again that back ground that the film is set. No set narrative. Makes sense to us. Through are understanding of cultural. Boys finding life difficult. Poor standard of education subculture that is what we understand. Single partner Shaun and combo make sense of what we see. For example, it is set in 1980 poor place with hangs to spend time together back drop we engage with that culture.


* Action codes – how actors act and how their emotions are shown. Action tell us everything. Friction between woody and combo. First meet combo at the party woody and him are friends then at Michelle’s party the atmosphere changes and they avoid each other and woody makes and excuse to leave the party since combo and the gang have turned up.


* Enigma codes – what happens at the end with Milky / does Shaun leave the skinhead culture no answer to the 80s problems there was no happy ever after for the working-class people who were struggle with money and poverty there was no solution for these problems. Realistic film like life is this film which is very uncertain. Reflect the nature of real life.

How are binary opposites used to show the film’s story, its themes and political and social messages? Use examples.


Ideological areas –
1. Binary opposites (good and evil)
2. Political perspectives – Thatcherism and the racist and intolerant politics of the “extreme right”
3. Spectatorship and responses – ways the film maker evokes responses (camerawork, characters, dialogue, language and Mise-en-scene) and spectator responses (dominant, negotiated and oppositional) and factors that affect how you have this.