Pulp Fiction
Overview: Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega are two hit men who are out to reclaim a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss Marcellus Wallace. Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia out a few days later when Wallace himself will be out of town. Butch Coolidge is an aging boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his fight. The lives of these apparently unrelated people are joined together containing of a series of funny, strange and uncalled-for incidents.
Genre: The genre of Pulp Fiction is a crime thriller/ gangster and has relations with other genres of film in which Tarantino has created. Quentin Tarantino has attracted a specific type of audience and Pulp Fiction was one of the first films to have multiple story lines based on the point of views of other characters.
Target Audience: From looking at the cover of Pulp Fiction you would assume that the film is for adults. There are many reasons for this, such as the seductive looking woman wearing a revealing top which shows her cleavage. The woman on the cover also appears to be smoking and has her hand over a pack of cards, this could suggest gambling. These activities are aimed at adults and a younger audience would not be able to relate to the story. This means children are not the ideal target audience. In the picture, there is also a gun which would indicate that this film contains violence and not suitable for younger viewers. The provocative woman on the cover would attract the male audience there for making the ideal target audience males or adults aged 18 or over.
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Active Spectatorship: Active spectator-ship theory demonstrates each viewer is individual and often people in the audience will question the film and respond to it in distinctive ways to others, not just naively adopting the messages. Active spectators do not just absorb what they are told to watch by marketing that is targeted for them but alternatively choose other films to watch for diverse reasons.
Pulp Fiction is shown in a non – linear style which encourages the audience to be active spectators and makes them think about the film and how they decode the messages in their own way. Given that they are active spectators it means they analyse the film and react differently due to personal experiences or meanings.
Pulp Fiction is shown in a non – linear style which encourages the audience to be active spectators and makes them think about the film and how they decode the messages in their own way. Given that they are active spectators it means they analyse the film and react differently due to personal experiences or meanings.
Fandom: Film spectators can often become fans of certain genres, stars or even a specific film or franchise. A film can be viewed by many as a cultural phenomenon.
Pulp Fiction has quite a big cult status, so big in fact that the fans come up with their own theories about the film. For example, every time Vincent Vega goes to the bathroom, something bad happens. We know this because when he was preparing himself at Mia Wallace’s house, he comes out the bathroom to find she has overdosed on heroin. Another time, at the diner Vincent was reading in the bathroom, meanwhile the diner was being robbed and things would have gone down differently if Vince was still sitting with joules instead of being in the bathroom. Another theory is when Vince and Mia are at Jack Rabbit Slims restaurant. Mia tells Vincent about the Pilot she starred in called ‘Fox Force Five’. She describes the characters as the Blond being the leader, The Japanese fox was a Kung Fu Master, the black girl was a demolition expert, the French Fox’s speciality was sex and her own character was Knives. All these characters later appear in one of Tarantino’s films called ‘Kill Bill’, where Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace) plays the character that she talks about. |
Frameworks of interpretation: Frameworks of interpretation is the way we translate the message in the film. Things like age, sex, ethnicity, education and class will change the way we view the film and how we decode the messages.
For example, I am a young white British female who is approaching higher education and would probably be considered as middle class. I would interpret the film differently to someone is of a different background and age to myself. While a younger audience would be more used to seeing the violent nature and humour in this film, it would shock an older audience.
For example, I am a young white British female who is approaching higher education and would probably be considered as middle class. I would interpret the film differently to someone is of a different background and age to myself. While a younger audience would be more used to seeing the violent nature and humour in this film, it would shock an older audience.
Conventions: During the opening sequence for Pulp Fiction we see the production company’s name (Miramax Films). The company is often associated with thriller films and by showing the name in the title sequence it gives the audience a rough idea of the genre of the films is. Tarantino’s name also appears in the title sequence and Tarantino is often associated with crime films which tend to be quite violent and gory.
Pulp Fiction is described as a crime thriller and crime films usually focus on the lives of criminals. The typical things that would appear in a crime film would be: The consumption of alcohol and illegal substances, the use of weapons, criminal acts, robberies and they also tend to contain a lot swearing in the language. Pulp Fiction contains a lot of the conventions used for crime/ thrillers as it involves murders, drugs, sexual acts, weapons and profanity. Strangely, although its called a crime thriller there are no actual police that appear in the film.
Pulp Fiction is described as a crime thriller and crime films usually focus on the lives of criminals. The typical things that would appear in a crime film would be: The consumption of alcohol and illegal substances, the use of weapons, criminal acts, robberies and they also tend to contain a lot swearing in the language. Pulp Fiction contains a lot of the conventions used for crime/ thrillers as it involves murders, drugs, sexual acts, weapons and profanity. Strangely, although its called a crime thriller there are no actual police that appear in the film.
Intertextuality: Intertextuality is the connection between texts, cross referencing them. This is done all the time in the film industry. There are many references that Quentin Tarantino uses in his films, including Pulp Fiction. In Pulp Fiction, there are cross links to other Tarantino films such as Reservoir Dogs and The Assassin. During Pulp Fiction, there are many intertextual references, for example: The waiting staff at Jack Rabbit Slims are celebrity impersonators, impersonating Marilyn Monroe and Buddy Holly. The dance scene in Jack Rabbit Slims is a reference to John Travolta’s early dancing movie roles like Grease and Saturday Night Fever. When Butch Coolidge goes to get a weapon, he picks up various weapons including a chainsaw which could be a reference to the film ‘Chainsaw Massacre’.
Social Networking: Social networking is a used to advertise a movie or TV programme to the target audience. Through social networking such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The studio can promote through the films official account and upload the trailer so that the millions of people around the world can see the films trailer and possibly go to see it in the cinema.
In May 1994 Pulp Fiction was screened for the first time at the Cannes Film festival where it won the Palme d’Or, the top award. In the weeks after Pulp Fiction went to other film festivals and then into general release.
When Pulp Fiction was released, the internet was quite unknown to the public so there were only a few ways in which the film could be advertised. There were some television adverts for it but it mainly got popular due to great reviews, word of mouth and people who were fans of the Tarantino’s film, Reservoir Dogs.
In May 1994 Pulp Fiction was screened for the first time at the Cannes Film festival where it won the Palme d’Or, the top award. In the weeks after Pulp Fiction went to other film festivals and then into general release.
When Pulp Fiction was released, the internet was quite unknown to the public so there were only a few ways in which the film could be advertised. There were some television adverts for it but it mainly got popular due to great reviews, word of mouth and people who were fans of the Tarantino’s film, Reservoir Dogs.
Conclusion: In conclusion, I like this film/ franchise because it allows me to think while watching as it is set in a non – linear style. Every time I re-watch this film I watch it differently and I look out for references or things I hadn’t notice before. The narrative style kept me engaged with the film as I wanted to know what was going to happen in each scene and There are strong themes that bring the story together. Overall I think this is a good film to watch if you are an active viewer and you like to be kept on the edge of you seat.
http://drfilmblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/intertextuality-in-pulp-fiction.html
http://solgoss.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/intertextuality-in-pulp-fiction.html
http://www.shmoop.com/pulp-fiction/fans.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/03/making-of-pulp-fiction-oral-history
https://philosophynow.org/issues/19/Symbolism_Meaning_and_Nihilism_in_Quentin_Tarantinos_Pulp_Fiction
https://tarantinogenre.wordpress.com/pulp-fiction/
http://solgoss.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/intertextuality-in-pulp-fiction.html
http://www.shmoop.com/pulp-fiction/fans.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/03/making-of-pulp-fiction-oral-history
https://philosophynow.org/issues/19/Symbolism_Meaning_and_Nihilism_in_Quentin_Tarantinos_Pulp_Fiction
https://tarantinogenre.wordpress.com/pulp-fiction/