As my task for this project is to create a film opening, for part of my research i am now going to break down and analyze what makes the opening scene of pulp fiction, a successful and effective one. A couple is trying their hand at robberies, a washedup boxer rips off the mob, and two gangsters try to protect the contents of a briefcase. Jul 21, 2016 the best way for filmmakers to learn screenwriting and screenplay structure is to breakdown and analyze movies. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of pulp fiction directed by quentin tarantino. The screenwriting in pulp fiction draws from old forms of storytelling, generally from the crime genre, and unfolds in a manner that twists and goes awry. Only after witnessing the varying behaviors of the main characters in both their work and social environments can the audience truly grasp the complex. When pulp fiction hit the big screen over 20 years ago, it was a revelation. With pulp fiction, tarantino aspired to revitalize and combine the hoariest cliches and archetypes of cinema, pulling them not only from alevel studio genres like the film noir and the action heist, but also from a diverse range of exploitative, sensationalistic genres that began to emerge after 1970, such as blaxploitation, the gangster film, and the ultraviolent rapeandrevenge flick. Pulp fiction is as odd and unconventional as any movie in recent memory. Oct 29, 2014 pulp fiction is as odd and unconventional as any movie in recent memory.
Wallace wants butch collidges ass on a platter after he refused to throw a fight after taking wallaces bribe money. By the standards of most unitary feature film narratives, pulp fiction is an intentionally openended and shapeless mass. Pulp fiction opening scene analysis as media studies. The first story revolves around the character of vincent vega who is the lead character and hit main in the movie.
Genreanalysis looks at the core codes and conventions that a genre may incorporate, auteurtheory examines when a film maker decides to change the codes and conventions whencreating their film. Most frequently used to describe detective, western, or science fiction writin of the period. Description, analysis, and more, so you can understand the ins and outs of pulp fiction. Read this essays introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion below. Postmodernism in pulp fiction the film pulp fiction was an immediate box office success when it was released in 1994 and it was also well received by the critics, and celebrated for the way it appeared to capture exactly a certain premillennial angst and dislocation in western capitalist societies.
Pulp fiction meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Pulp fiction by quentin tarantino analysis uk essays. Substance and style incarnate quentin tarantinos pulp fiction is considered by many modern critics and audiences alike to be one of the most influential and iconic films of all time. Putting the pulp in pulp fiction artifacts journal. Jul 04, 2018 pulp fiction is precisely a genre down to the tee. Tarantino usually defies the natural conventions of the gangster genre by presenting his characters as average and informally dressed in. Textual analysis of pulp fiction quentin tarantino, 1994 posted on september 29, 2015 by jnicol98 after thoroughly looking into the opening sequence of the highly stylized film.
Pulp fiction an analysis of storyline and characters sandra radtke term paper american studies culture and applied geography publish your bachelors or. In that same scene, vincent vega john travolta and jules winfield samuel l. It is literally a pulp novel, though it does not fall into the hardedged genre most associated with pulp fiction. Lets take a look at individual scenes scene and sets of scenes scenes in the order they appear in the script.
Doll and faller assert that ridley scotts film, blade runner, exhibits elements of two distinct pulp genres, film noir and science fiction. Often the heroes save damsels in distress from some dark and evil danger. Pulp fiction was truly an influential movie for its time and, without a doubt, a classic american film. If each scene is a card, its safe to say tarantino shuffled his deck. Pulp heroes and their authors have influenced every medium including comics, movies, and television. Termed pulp magazines because of the low quality paper used between the covers, these publications proliferated in the nineteenthirties and nineteenforties to the point where they blanketed newsstands in just about every popular fiction genre of the time.
Jackson enter the scene wearing faded tshirts and boxers. Pulp fiction opening scene analysis pulp fiction is a deliberately countertypical gangstercomedy film from 1994. The genre crosspollination is a reflection of philip k. Mob contract killer vincent vega is the protagonist of the first story, prizefighter butch coolidge is the protagonist of the second, and vincents partner jules winnfield is the protagonist of the third. A literary analysis of pulp fiction film studies essay. The kind of shocking and sensational fiction found in a pulp magazine. Pulp fiction magazines were the main source of everyday entertainment for the masses during the first half of the 20th century.
The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangsters wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. Tarantino, though not old enough to remember this genre of pulp fiction, has put his film together as if he had that structure in mind. Scarface 1983 is an example of this the story also focuses mainly on the present. Narrative and genre features in the opening sequence of pulp fiction a narrative is the story itself and generic features are elements expected to be contained within a certain category of film. Dialogue drives quentin tarantinos pulp fiction, dialogue of such high quality it deserves comparison with other masters of spare, hardboiled prose, from raymond chandler to elmore leonard.
Only the very beginning takes time to introduce tonys back story. The camera then fades to show a couple sitting in a diner having a discussion about robbing banks and liquor stores. Jun 10, 2001 dialogue drives quentin tarantinos pulp fiction, dialogue of such high quality it deserves comparison with other masters of spare, hardboiled prose, from raymond chandler to elmore leonard. The term pulp derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. The best way for filmmakers to learn screenwriting and screenplay structure is to breakdown and analyze movies. The songs of pulp fiction take a songbysong tour of the groundbreaking films bestselling soundtrack. A rhetorical analysis of quentin tarantinos pulp fiction quentin tarantino first arrived on the movie scene when reservoir dogs, which he wrote and directed, was released in 1992. Seeing this movie last may at the cannes film festival, i knew it was either one of the years best films, or one of the worst. In response to a comment by zoethecat re todays daily dialogue featured movie pulp fiction which happens to be ztcs favorite movie, here is some analysis i did on it a few years back, specifically exploring the question of whether tarantinos choice of using a nonlinear approach to the narrative was just to be cool or if it serves a larger purpose. With a dead body in his garage, jimmie warns vincent and jules about an even greater danger, bonnie. There are 2 different ways of analysing film, genre analysis and auteur theory. The camera then fades to show a couple sitting in a diner having a. Wallace has also asked vincent to take his wife mia uma thurman out a few days later when wallace himself will be out of town.
Pulp magazines were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. Pulp fiction is a term used to describe a huge amount of creative writing available to the american public in the early nineteenhundreds. Pulp fiction is a black comedy crime film written and directed quentin tarantino 1994. The pulps gave rise to the term pulp fiction in reference to runofthemill, lowquali. Like them, qt finds a way to make the words humorous without ever seeming to ask for a laugh.
Pulp fiction study guide contains a biography of director quentin tarantino, literature. Rather than employ a traditional causeandeffect plot, writerdirector quentin tarantino sequences pulp fiction out of order, on purpose. Pulp fiction an analysis of storyline and characters sandra radtke term paper. An example of this is vincent vega and marsellus wallaces wife a longstanding story about the guy who has to go out with the boss mans wife and not touch her. Books in the pulp fiction genre are made up of lurid and exploitative stories that involve one of the main characters being a hero. Pulp fiction movie analysis detachment, manliness, media. The pulp genre started out with short stories in magazines, but has grown to novel length, illustrated works. His new movie pulp fiction is a comedy about blood, guts, violence, strange sex, drugs, fixed fights, dead body disposal, leather freaks, and a wristwatch that makes a dark journey down through the generations. Pulp fiction 1994 movie summary and film synopsis on mhm. One reason i dig this movie is its nonlinear narrative style. To do this, well need to examine each of the three films segments separately, starting with. This sample essay on ezekiel pulp fiction reveals arguments and important aspects of this topic. With its progressive narrative structure, witty and pop culture laden dialogue, great acting. This paper is not about the genius of tarantino, but is made possible by.
Overview pulp fiction is a tragedy without the sadness and a comedy without the comic plot line. Jackson and vincent vega john travolta are two hit men who are out to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss marsellus wallace ving rhames. Pulp fiction can be clearly defined as a crimedramadark humor film, but it is a movie that has the potential to be discussed in multiple dimensions. For example, youll remember a scene in pulp fiction in which marsellus wallace ving rhames pays butch bruce willis to lose his next fight.
In contrast, magazines printed on higherquality paper were called glossies or slicks. The 1920s saw the transformation from general fiction to genre fiction. The use of random unnecessary violence saturated with real life dialogue creates comical morbid scenes that appear comical. Tarantino said he started out with the cliche crime. Pulp ficiton formal analysis tarantino 1994 pulp fiction. Like them, he combines utilitarian prose with flights of rough poetry and wicked fancy. Pulp fiction the opening sequence summary and analysis. Nonlinear storytelling in pulp fiction go into the story. The unwillingness to abide by traditional standards both technically and contentwise plays no small part in polarizing its audience. In quentin tarantinos pulp fiction 1994, the audience observes a world portrayed from the gangsters point of view. Pulp fiction definition, fiction dealing with lurid or sensational subjects, often printed on rough, lowquality paper manufactured from wood pulp.
He is an honors student, a contributing writer for vox magazine, and will be an assistant city. Narrative structure of pulp fiction 4 words bartleby. Written and directed by the equally saucy, hyperstylized tarantino just a few years removed from the equally astonishing reservoir dogs, pulp fiction takes cinematic conventions, ties them up and. Pulp fiction was so hip and cool when it came out in 1994, it inspired countless imitators, and influenced other great moviemakers. The main function of this movie part is to introduce the gangster genre. Pulp fiction was the industry disrupter of the time, redefining what could and couldnt be put in print. Three storylines intertwine to provide an insiders view of a series of crimes. It is impossible to confine it within a genre, and even more impossible to come to a consensus of what it actually means. Aug, 2016 this video essay is an analysis of what makes pulp fiction so great.
Pulp fiction takes cinematic conventions, ties them up. Mar 12, 2012 the plot involves 12 main characters and follows three separate story lines that intertwine at various key points throughout the film. These magazines delivered action and heroes that were some of the most creative in literary history. Quentin tarantinos 1994 film, pulp fiction, has become the touchstone usage of the. As it often is in the classic pulp genre, pulp fiction is first and foremost a crime movie. A rhetorical analysis of quentin tarantinos pulp fiction.
Quentin tarantino is obviously a master of his art, a genius. Adventure house, girasol collectables, and wildside press are some of todays top publishers keeping us awash in pulp fiction. Pulp fiction central is your source to great pulp fiction reading with pulp replicas, pulp reprints, electronic pulps, articles, fanzines, and. Quentin tarantinos pulp fiction is considered by many modern critics and audiences alike to be one of the most influential and iconic films of all time. The pulp fiction era provided a breeding ground for creative talent which would. When sets wont do take a virtual tour of all the different filming locations used for pulp fiction. Pulp fiction pulp fictions legacy and influence gradesaver. Pulp fiction essays are academic essays for citation. Pulp fiction is an american crime film written and directed by quentin tarantino that connects the intersecting storylines of gangsters, cri.
Pulp fiction an analysis of storyline and characters. Pulp fiction definition whats the best definition for the pulp fiction genre. Only after witnessing the varying behaviors of the main characters in both their work and social environments can the audience truly grasp the complex essence of tarantinos characters. Pulp fiction became a huge commercial hit, especially for an. A literary analysis of pulp fiction film studies essay uk essays. How a phenomenon was born quentin tarantinos homage to disreputable genres stormed cannes 20 years ago. And at the same time as it portrays itself as a champion of those who want to escape the world of political correctness and limitations, it also mocks the dissociative culture that tends to come along with it, lamenting the american wasteland. In pulp fiction, two hit men, jules winnfield and vincent vega work as hit men for crime boss marcellus wallace. Pulp fiction analysis pulp fiction analysis storytelling the main structure of the movie can be divided into three different stories going on in the movie and are interrelated to one another. He became the darling of the independent movie culture, and his followup movie pulp fiction cemented the place in film history he has continued to build on. Pulp fiction an analysis of storyline and characters grin. Pulp fiction s narrative is told out of chronological order, and follows three main interrelated stories.
His major is journalism print and digital news with an emphasis in news reporting. Narrative and genre features in the opening sequence of pulp fiction 898 words 4 pages. Faced with lifes cruel irony, the unpredictable stories of a welldressed pair of lowlevel hitmen. Apr, 2010 the following is a paper i wrote for film analysis. Pulp fiction genre analysis may 11, 2015 by joshua j. Audiences were floored by the irreverent, nonlinear narrative, the whipsmart dialogue, and the compelling characters that made it an instant classic. Pulp fiction quentin tarantinos use of genre in film. And no, jack rabbit slims is not a real restaurant, it was a set.
Indeed, many of the forbears of pulp genre fiction appeared in the slick. How tarantino breaks the mold of the reactionary gangster. Pulp fiction and the art of nonlinear storytelling kyle. What you could publish in the united states and britain in 1965 was radically different from what you could publish in 1945, and pulp paperbacks were part of the reason. Vincent vega john travolta, jules winnfield samuel l. Textual analysis of pulp fiction quentin tarantino, 1994. Plot summary as the credits end a title card is shown which gives two dictionary definitions of the word pulp. Pulp fiction stories typically began in the front of the magazine, competing for the readers attention, and were then continued in the back. American pulp fiction first appeared on cheap, wood pulp paper.
However, it is not until close inspection of his masterpiece, pulp fiction, that one can truly understand how good he is. Pulp fiction definition complete list of book genres. Movie analysis of pulp fiction by quentin tarantino scenario. May 11, 2015 pulp fiction genre analysis may 11, 2015 by joshua j. Trailer analysis genre crime fiction thriller indiedrama pulp fiction. Genre analysis consists of 7 key areas, one being what i have already. Pulp fiction, i can take a closer look into the crime genre which is what i will be pursuing in the upcoming coursework. Pulp fiction evaluates the characteristic style of the director, quentin tarantino, showing that he violates the normal conventions of an action movie in order to convey his extreme ideology in an appealing way. This video essay is an analysis of what makes pulp fiction so great. So, lets break pulp fiction down into its basic parts to see how a film, trademarked as tarantinos mishmashmasterpiece and defined as pulp, can still fit seamlessly into the 5 plot point structure. The films narrative follows the unpredictable actions and reflections of two hit men who philosophically meditate out loud about the bible, loyalty, and mcdonalds hamburgers corrigan, white, 368. Butch coolidge bruce willis is an aging boxer who is paid by. Pulp fiction draws briefly from the biker film subgenre, as well as the blaxploitation movies of the 70s, like shaft and cleopatra jones, which had all the same characteristics of exploitation films but were made with an urban black audience in mind.
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