,PULP FICTION (Tarantino, US, 1994)
Pulp Fiction combines three stories with complex
bridging and overlay techniques, as well as multiple
flashbacks, in a highly complex structure which is
clearly non-linear in exposition. The narrative
construction of Pulp Fiction organises plot in a fluid
rather than temporally linear structured fashion.
Instead it manipulates temporal duration and
utilises narrative ellipsis.
J.P. Tellote (The Narrative Patterns of Film Noir, 1989) "...Film noir generally
focuses on urban crime and corruption, and on sudden upwellings of
violence in a culture whose fabric seems to be unravelling... film noir seems
fundamentally about violations: vice, corruption, unrestrained desire, and,
most fundamental of all, abrogation of the American dream's most basic
promises - of hope, prosperity, and safety from persecution."
KEY SEQUENCES
1. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman)
2. The Gold Watch
3. The Bonnie Situation.)
- It is a circular narrative, where the hold up at the Diner (Pumpkin/Ringo and
Honey Bunny (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer) both opens and closes the film
and allows for a major Hollywood star (John Travolta) to be alive on screen at the
end of a film in which we have already seen his violent demise.
, - Timing and mistiming are present throughout the film, often producing an
existential threat (Butch and Marsellus; Ringo and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson);
Vincent and Butch.)
- Narrative devices include flashback, the framing narrative and the open
endings, Vincent Vega’s story has a closed ending, but Jules Winnfield’s and Butch
Coolidge’s stories are open ended.
Framing narratives are stories within stories, multiplicity of situations
- Repetition and other forms of narrative patterning are used many times for
example in the Diner sequence or the gangland killing of Brett and his
accomplices, which is shown twice.
- How the dramatic qualities of a sequence or scene are constructed, including
through dialogue for example Ezekiel 25:17, Mr Wolf, Pumpkin and Honey
Bunny, Butch and Fabianne’s comic exchanges, the hillbilly rape sequence, "that's
pride fuckin' with ya".
- Dialogue is used to build character, lots of unnecessary dialogue in terms of
telling the story but it is extremely necessary in understanding the character and
the situation
- In addition there are numerous cameos which do not specifically drive the
narrative forward in any significant way but do add to the depth of
characterisation, most notably Winston Wolf and his expertise at corpse disposal
and “problem solving” and Vincent and Jules in the car drive to the hit
--> Christopher Walken and the legend of the Gold Watch and Lance (Eric Stolz)
on how to give an adrenaline shot (also featuring Patricia Arqeutte.)
-->What these vignettes do provide is insight into character motivation. Thus
Tarantino makes very effective use of ensemble casting which also includes
Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace, who in many ways is the thread that
connects the disparate narratives.
- In The Bonnie Situation we see Jules undergo some kind of religious epiphany,
where he gives Ringo the money so he doesn’t have to kill him. His peroration at
the end of his speech in the Diner shows Jules internal conflict “I’m trying Ringo,
I’m trying real hard to be the shepherd.”
- ambiguity in the narrative including the ambiguous relationship between cause
and effect and uncertainty over character identification – do any of the
characters learn anything about themselves? Arguably only Jules comes close to
a radical reordering of his life.
