Pulp Fiction and Experimental Film: Postmodernism
Regardless of the essay title in the exam it is important that you discuss Pulp Fiction in the context of the film movement experimental film. In essays about film form, you should make attempts to link the comments that you make about cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene, sound and performance to experimental film. Similarly, any answer on aesthetics, representation, auteur or narrative should foreground the fact that Pulp Fiction is an experimental film, very different from mainstream cinema at the time it was made.
One important concept you should consider when discussing Pulp Fiction as an experimental film is postmodernism. Postmodernism rejects many of the conventions of modernist cinema, which largely attempted realism by showing the world as it actually was. Postmodernism, as a film concept, was particularly dominant in the 1990s and the essence of the postmodern film text, such as Pulp Fiction, can be summarised in a few key words:
- Intertextuality - referencing other cultural products such as films and TV shows
- Self-referential - referencing the filmmaking process through such techniques as breaking the fourth wall
- Randomness - abrupt juxtapositions or non-sequitors
- Artifice or style over substance - depth of meaning is lost beneath technique, things appear stylistic rather than realistic
- Playfulness or surfaces over depth/Irony - an appeared reluctance to treat the project or issues seriously, a tongue-in-cheek approach to narrative, character and theme
- Fragmentation of time and space and personal identity - re-ordering events or showing them multiple times, often with seemingly little link between them. A vagueness about where events are happening. Characters are clear constructs, almost unrecognisable from the real world
- Copying, pastiche or homage - explicit recreation of cultural products such as scenes or lines from films. At its extreme form this can result in parody
Whilst the above is not an exhaustive list of ideas that define postmodernism in relation to film, a film which consciously combines some of the above can be labelled postmodern. Pulp Fiction, almost universally, fits into this template. This is experimental because it deliberately subverts what audiences expect from realistic, or even mainstream, movies.
If discussing postmodernism you must make sure you give examples from Pulp Fiction to support the key terms or conventions presented above. There are numerous examples of intertextuality in Pulp Fiction, such as Jules' references to the obscure 1980s British band Flock of Seagulls, American TV show character the Fonz (from Happy Days), Arnold the pig from 1960s TV show Green Acres and Caine from 1970s TV show Kung Fu. There are countless references to actors (Lash La Rue, Amos and Andy, James Dean, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Mamie Van Doren), musicians (Madonna, Buddy Holly, Ringo Starr from the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Kool and the Gang) and even other directors (Douglas Sirk, Mario Bava, Joe Dante).
There are also many examples of Pulp Fiction breaking the fourth wall and foregrounding the fact that it is a film, such as the dotted rectangle that Mia draws on the screen when describing Vincent as 'a square', the appearance of the title 'nine minutes and thirty-seven seconds later' on the screen as Mr Wolf arrives to Jimmie's to help Jules and Vincent dispose of the body (immediately after Mr Wolf has just explained on the phone how long it will take him to get there), and numerous references to characters in the film being 'characters' (Jules tells Vincent to 'get into character' and Mr Wolf tells Raquel that just because she is a character doesn't mean that she has character).
Because of the way that the narrative is structured out of chronological order, many of the scenes appear random, unconnected to those that have come before. A perfect example of this is the scene that appears at the beginning of the plot (though actually comes much later in the story) showing Honey Bunny/Yolanda and Pumpkin/Ringo in conversation before they begin the robbery of the diner. Their actions, alongside the fact that we have been introduced to them first, appear random as they seem to have little connection to the rest of the narrative (until the final scene of the film). They are presented as major characters (or, at least, the audience are led to believe that they may be crucial protagonists) yet they disappear from almost all of the rest of the film. Placing the narrative back in chronological order does indicate their significance to events which take place BUT this is not necessarily apparent on first viewing.
Pulp Fiction is very stylistic and artifice is apparent throughout the movie. Aspects of style are foregrounded by Tarantino through some of the non-realist techniques he uses, such as the freeze-frame he uses on Yolanda/Honey Bunny at the end of the first scene when she holds up the diner, the use of rear-projection in two driving scenes (when Vincent drives to pick Mia up after taking heroin and when Esmeralda picks Butch up in the Taxi after he has thrown the fight) and the moments mentioned above when we discussed the ways in which Tarantino breaks the fourth wall.
Even more noticeable is the way that Tarantino plays with our appreciation and understanding of film language by deliberately subverting the way that certain techniques are commonly used; long takes for close ups, an absence of establishing shots, conversations shot from behind characters with the camera focusing on the back of characters' heads (rather than using more conventional over-the-shoulder shots and a shot-reverse shot pattern), the stylistic use of the 'trunk shot' when Jules and Vincent arrive at the apartment (a technique that Tarantino uses across his films and should be discussed as part of his auteur signature) and extreme close ups with no narrative significance.
Postmodern directors are often described as playful, in terms of the techniques they use, how they present the narrative and the ways in which they tackle issues or themes. Whilst there is no suggestion that Tarantino doesn't take himself seriously as a filmmaker (I would argue that the opposite is true), he is often criticised for the ways that he approaches certain themes or issues. A good example of this is the way he uses violence in Pulp Fiction and across his films as a whole (another auteur trait). Tarantino tends to use violence as a vehicle for humour, encouraging the audience to laugh at the violent acts (such as Vincent shooting Marvin in the face or the violence in the scene in the apartment when Jules injures, then kills Brett).
The fragmentation of time and space is at the centre of Tarantino's construction of Pulp Fiction, reflected in the ways in which he presents story events out of chronological order in the plot. Breaking the conventions of narrative structure and, by implication, asking more from the spectator, is a good example of the film's postmodernity (as is the repetition of scenes at different points in the narrative). In an essay about postmodernism, it is fine to discuss this briefly, with perhaps one or two examples of the way Tarantino orders events. In a question specifically about narrative, you should discuss the distinction between plot and story in much more detail, giving many more examples of the way in which Tarantino manipulates chronological order and the various effects that this has on the audience.
Similarly, there is a fragmentation of personal identity in Pulp Fiction. The characters in the film have been described as 'depthless', bearing no relation to real people. They are in many ways cartoonish, two-dimensional caricatures, character types from recognisable genres (most obviously, the gangster genre or the sporting drama genre). There is arguably nothing that audiences would recognise as 'real' in Tarantino's characters and it is possible to argue that their roles are simply to serve the plot. A good counter-argument would be to discuss the 'realistic' dialogue that the characters are given (certainly compared to dialogue in more mainstream movies which seems to serve only to move the narrative along). Tarantino's characters chat about random things which often have no bearing at all to what is happening in the narrative (think Vincent and Jules' conversation about burgers in the car on the way to the apartment, their discussion about eating pork in the diner and Butch and Fabienne's conversation about 'pot-bellies'). Remember, though, that whilst this may seem more realistic, it is almost hyper-real as these conversations are littered with popular culture references and seem more stylised than the mundane nature of many 'real' conversations. Also, it is worth pointing out that many of these popular culture references are to items that are not real - they have been created by Tarantino - but presented in such a way that they feel real (Red Apple cigarettes, Big Kahuna Burger, the TV pilot Mia starred in called Fox Force Five, Ezekiel 25:17 - a passage from the Bible that doesn't exist).
We have already mentioned some of the intertextual references to other films and TV shows that characters in Pulp Fiction make explicit reference to by naming them (Caine from Kung Fu, Arnold the pig from Green Acres etc). Tarantino goes much further than this, however, by making specific references or allusions to films in certain scenes and through certain shots (these references are often visual rather than referenced explicitly through dialogue) and by creating fictional popular culture products and passing them off as real. A clear hallmark of postmodern cinema is copying, pastiche or homage and not only are these elements found in Pulp Fiction, they appear across many of Tarantino's films and can therefore be seen as a stylistic element of Tarantino's auteur signature.
There are numerous allusions to other movies in Pulp Fiction and whilst it is not necessary to mention them all, it is important that you choose two or three from the list below to give as examples:
If discussing postmodernism you must make sure you give examples from Pulp Fiction to support the key terms or conventions presented above. There are numerous examples of intertextuality in Pulp Fiction, such as Jules' references to the obscure 1980s British band Flock of Seagulls, American TV show character the Fonz (from Happy Days), Arnold the pig from 1960s TV show Green Acres and Caine from 1970s TV show Kung Fu. There are countless references to actors (Lash La Rue, Amos and Andy, James Dean, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Mamie Van Doren), musicians (Madonna, Buddy Holly, Ringo Starr from the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Kool and the Gang) and even other directors (Douglas Sirk, Mario Bava, Joe Dante).
There are also many examples of Pulp Fiction breaking the fourth wall and foregrounding the fact that it is a film, such as the dotted rectangle that Mia draws on the screen when describing Vincent as 'a square', the appearance of the title 'nine minutes and thirty-seven seconds later' on the screen as Mr Wolf arrives to Jimmie's to help Jules and Vincent dispose of the body (immediately after Mr Wolf has just explained on the phone how long it will take him to get there), and numerous references to characters in the film being 'characters' (Jules tells Vincent to 'get into character' and Mr Wolf tells Raquel that just because she is a character doesn't mean that she has character).
Because of the way that the narrative is structured out of chronological order, many of the scenes appear random, unconnected to those that have come before. A perfect example of this is the scene that appears at the beginning of the plot (though actually comes much later in the story) showing Honey Bunny/Yolanda and Pumpkin/Ringo in conversation before they begin the robbery of the diner. Their actions, alongside the fact that we have been introduced to them first, appear random as they seem to have little connection to the rest of the narrative (until the final scene of the film). They are presented as major characters (or, at least, the audience are led to believe that they may be crucial protagonists) yet they disappear from almost all of the rest of the film. Placing the narrative back in chronological order does indicate their significance to events which take place BUT this is not necessarily apparent on first viewing.
Pulp Fiction is very stylistic and artifice is apparent throughout the movie. Aspects of style are foregrounded by Tarantino through some of the non-realist techniques he uses, such as the freeze-frame he uses on Yolanda/Honey Bunny at the end of the first scene when she holds up the diner, the use of rear-projection in two driving scenes (when Vincent drives to pick Mia up after taking heroin and when Esmeralda picks Butch up in the Taxi after he has thrown the fight) and the moments mentioned above when we discussed the ways in which Tarantino breaks the fourth wall.
Even more noticeable is the way that Tarantino plays with our appreciation and understanding of film language by deliberately subverting the way that certain techniques are commonly used; long takes for close ups, an absence of establishing shots, conversations shot from behind characters with the camera focusing on the back of characters' heads (rather than using more conventional over-the-shoulder shots and a shot-reverse shot pattern), the stylistic use of the 'trunk shot' when Jules and Vincent arrive at the apartment (a technique that Tarantino uses across his films and should be discussed as part of his auteur signature) and extreme close ups with no narrative significance.
Postmodern directors are often described as playful, in terms of the techniques they use, how they present the narrative and the ways in which they tackle issues or themes. Whilst there is no suggestion that Tarantino doesn't take himself seriously as a filmmaker (I would argue that the opposite is true), he is often criticised for the ways that he approaches certain themes or issues. A good example of this is the way he uses violence in Pulp Fiction and across his films as a whole (another auteur trait). Tarantino tends to use violence as a vehicle for humour, encouraging the audience to laugh at the violent acts (such as Vincent shooting Marvin in the face or the violence in the scene in the apartment when Jules injures, then kills Brett).
The fragmentation of time and space is at the centre of Tarantino's construction of Pulp Fiction, reflected in the ways in which he presents story events out of chronological order in the plot. Breaking the conventions of narrative structure and, by implication, asking more from the spectator, is a good example of the film's postmodernity (as is the repetition of scenes at different points in the narrative). In an essay about postmodernism, it is fine to discuss this briefly, with perhaps one or two examples of the way Tarantino orders events. In a question specifically about narrative, you should discuss the distinction between plot and story in much more detail, giving many more examples of the way in which Tarantino manipulates chronological order and the various effects that this has on the audience.
Similarly, there is a fragmentation of personal identity in Pulp Fiction. The characters in the film have been described as 'depthless', bearing no relation to real people. They are in many ways cartoonish, two-dimensional caricatures, character types from recognisable genres (most obviously, the gangster genre or the sporting drama genre). There is arguably nothing that audiences would recognise as 'real' in Tarantino's characters and it is possible to argue that their roles are simply to serve the plot. A good counter-argument would be to discuss the 'realistic' dialogue that the characters are given (certainly compared to dialogue in more mainstream movies which seems to serve only to move the narrative along). Tarantino's characters chat about random things which often have no bearing at all to what is happening in the narrative (think Vincent and Jules' conversation about burgers in the car on the way to the apartment, their discussion about eating pork in the diner and Butch and Fabienne's conversation about 'pot-bellies'). Remember, though, that whilst this may seem more realistic, it is almost hyper-real as these conversations are littered with popular culture references and seem more stylised than the mundane nature of many 'real' conversations. Also, it is worth pointing out that many of these popular culture references are to items that are not real - they have been created by Tarantino - but presented in such a way that they feel real (Red Apple cigarettes, Big Kahuna Burger, the TV pilot Mia starred in called Fox Force Five, Ezekiel 25:17 - a passage from the Bible that doesn't exist).
We have already mentioned some of the intertextual references to other films and TV shows that characters in Pulp Fiction make explicit reference to by naming them (Caine from Kung Fu, Arnold the pig from Green Acres etc). Tarantino goes much further than this, however, by making specific references or allusions to films in certain scenes and through certain shots (these references are often visual rather than referenced explicitly through dialogue) and by creating fictional popular culture products and passing them off as real. A clear hallmark of postmodern cinema is copying, pastiche or homage and not only are these elements found in Pulp Fiction, they appear across many of Tarantino's films and can therefore be seen as a stylistic element of Tarantino's auteur signature.
There are numerous allusions to other movies in Pulp Fiction and whilst it is not necessary to mention them all, it is important that you choose two or three from the list below to give as examples:
- Marcellus Wallace stepping out onto the crossing and recognising the fugitive Butch is a direct reference to Marion Crane's boss spotting her as she tries to leave town in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
- During the scene where Vincent gives Mia the adrenaline shot, Tarantino cuts between the characters (in close up or medium close up), the needle and Mia's chest, using slow zooms; the style of this sequence is identical to the style used in Mexican stand-off scenes in spaghetti westerns directed by one of Tarantino's directing idols, Sergio Leone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West)
- Vincent's dancing in Jack Rabbit Slim's alludes to all of the films in which John Travolta is given a moment to show off his dancing talents, including Grease (the reference to 'cooties' when Mia and Vincent share a milkshake over dinner also alludes to a famous line from the film) and Saturday Night Fever
- The scene where Marcellus and Butch are bound and gagged as Zed and Maynard plan to take turns raping them references the redneck-rape scene in John Boorman's Deliverance (apparently one of the first films Tarantino ever saw)
- When Marcellus rises up off the ground after being run over by Butch it is filmed in exactly the same style as the endless return of the psycho-killer/serial-monster in slasher movies such as John Carpenter's Halloween
- The story that Captain Coons (played by Christopher Walken) tells at the beginning of 'The Gold Watch' section where he tells of his incarceration in Vietnam makes reference to The Deerhunter - which starred Walken as a Vietnam prisoner of war
- The glow that comes from the briefcase that Vincent and Jules retrieve for their boss Marcellus (shown a number of times in the film, for example in the apartment and in the diner) is a direct reference to a similar shot of the same prop in Robert Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly
- The 'trunk shot' when Jules and Vincent take their guns out of the boot of their car just before they enter the apartment to retrieve Marcellus' briefcase (a shot that features in many of Tarantino's films and can therefore be considered part of his auteur signature) alludes to a shot in Repo Man directed by Alex Cox
- Winston Wolf played by Harvey Keitel is based on a similar character (a 'cleaner' of death scenes) played by the same actor in The Assassin (which is a remake of Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita)
- The scene where Butch is asked to take money to throw a fight directly references scenes from a number of film noirs including Body and Soul, The Set Up and On the Waterfront (the name of the fighter that the central character is supposed to take a dive against is Wilson; the name of Butch's opponent)
- When Mia overdoses after snorting Vincent's heroin, the scene where Lance explains to Vincent how to administer the adrenaline shot in 'a stabbing motion' make a number of references to John Carpenter's Halloween. Lance's actions are reminiscent of the attacks by the killer in the film, as is the low angle close up of the needle as it is about to be plunged into Mia's chest (which mirrors a shot of the knife before it is plunged into a victim in Carpenter's movie)
- When Butch looks for a weapon to kill Zed and Maynard, his handling of a chainsaw makes reference to cult horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre whilst his choice of a samurai sword makes reference to The Yakuza
- Several of Mia's dance moves during the twist sequence at Jack Rabbit Slims are taken directly from the 1929 movie Pandora's Box
- Mia's line to Vincent when she asks for a cigarette during dinner ('Could you roll me one of those, cowboy?') is taken directly from the 1941 movie His Girl Friday (this film is a clear influence on Tarantino as in the script he described Honey Bunny and Pumpkin talking in the diner in 'a His Girl Friday style')
- In the same scene Mia's backstory for her character in the TV pilot for the fictional show Fox Force Five (where she became a master of knives as a result of her upbringing amongst circus performers) refers to the 1935 film Mad Love where the central character has the same backstory
- The long shot in the hallway outside of the apartment when Vincent and Jules discuss whether Marcellus' reaction to Mia receiving a foot massage was extreme mirrors shots in the French New Wave film from 1965, Alphaville (containing the same hallways, shot set-up and long takes)
- The use of rear projection in the 'heroin montage' scene as Vincent drives to pick Mia up whilst high, is shot identically to a scene in the 1944 film noir Murder, My Sweet
- The killing of Brett in the apartment by Jules and Vincent is shot in exactly the same way as a hit in the 1946 film The Killers, which also features flashing muzzle flare from the guns and two hitmen firing simultaneously
- In Jack Rabbit Slims Marilyn Monroe's skirt blows up around her exactly as it does in Billy Wilder's movie featuring Monroe, The Seven Year Itch
There are many more allusions to other films, some cult some more mainstream, and this is something that happens frequently throughout Tarantino's movies. Therefore, in any essay about Tarantino as an auteur you should mention the referencing of other films as part of the director's auteur signature and use some of the examples above.
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