A quick analyzation on Pulp Fiction

One of the most surprising scenes in Pulp Fiction involves Bruce Willis’s character “Butch” driving away from a scene after having just killed a man who was sent to kill him. The last thing Butch (or the viewer for that matter) expects is to see Marsellus Wallace, the man who put the hit on him, casually walking across the street, carrying what looks like a box of donuts and a cup of coffee. What ensues there after, are a chaotic group of events involving Butch hitting Marsellus with his car, a random passerby crashing into Butch, a dazed and injured Marsellus chasing after an equally dazed and injured Butch, and an eventual fight that leads to yet another oddball surprise. It’s the initial scene that is such a surprise though. Moments before Butch comes to the corner where Marsellus is walking, he proclaims to himself “That's how you're gonna beat 'em, Butch. They keep underestimating you” and low and behold, he comes across the man who wants him dead, casually walking down the street in broad daylight. This type of darkly humorous, almost cartoon-like scene is a perfect example of Pulp Fiction’s narrative in that the film consists of several seemingly random and strange stories about people we either don’t know or probably wouldn’t exactly want to know in real life. It also informs us on the characters Butch and Marsellus, one, an underdog who knows how lucky his been up till now; the other an overzealous gangster who thinks himself untouchable.

Butch runs into Marsellus

Ask anyone who’s seen Pulp Fiction what they might think was the most suspenseful scene the movie, and odds are, they’d almost immediately bring up the overdosing/syringe-to-the-heart scene. In that particular scene, Uma Thurman’s character, “Mia” is overdosing on cocaine, and Vincent (played by John Travolta) takes her to the drug dealer who he originally purchased the cocaine from. The scene is set up with the Lance (the dealer) receiving a phonecall from Vincent, who is frantic about Mia dying while under his care. Shortly there after, Vincent arrives at the Lance’s house with an unresponsive Mia. An argument between Lance and Vincent then brakes, leading to yet another argument between Lance and his wife. This all builds up to a tense and very unnerving scene where Vincent has to muster the courage to stab Mia directly in the heart with a very long needle. The buildup to the scene was so tense, that a during one of it’s original premieres at the New York Film Festival, when the shot to the heart finally struck down, a member of the audience famously passed out. * The scene also portrays Vincent in the recurring role of the bumbling and unlucky fool who can't seem to catch a break. It also shows his character in that he doesn't seem to actually care that Mia is dying, but more about the fact that if she dies, his employer will likely have him killed.

Vincent takes Mia to his dealer's house for help.

The tracking shot, in which Vincent and Mia enter Jack Rabbit Slim's and are eventually seated, is accompanied by diegetic music in the form of Ricky Nelson’s “Waitin’ in school” being sung by an entertainer/Ricky Nelson impersonator. The scene itself fits with in the overall motif of the film paying homage to all manner of older popular culture, in this case, it being the introduction to the 1950’s themed Restaurant that Mia insisted on eating at. The music sets the mood of the scene (Vincent entering the restaurant, scanning things as he passes, subtlety noting the waiters and waitresses he later mentions with a conversation with Mia, and the song’s cue “Come on, baby, let’s get somethin’ goin’” as he pauses to examine the Marylyn Monroe look-a-like) and along with the visuals, let’s the viewer know that this isn’t any regular restaurant.

(Not in English, but the scene doesn’t require dialogue anyway)

An example of non-diegetic material in this film would be Mia’s “Don’t be a” (square) comment aimed at Vincent as they both pull up to Jack Rabbit’s Slims and Vincent inquires about the restaurant. Like the rest of the film, and to coincide with the previous “referencing popular culture” statement, the outlined graphic effect is there to add that “hip, cool and strange” feeling the rest of the movie has. Tarantino could have just as easily had Mia simply say “Don’t be a square” or motion the square shape without any sort of effect; but instead, the outlined graphic square effect is placed to add to the aforementioned movie tone. (Outlining a square as a means of calling one a “square” was in fact, something that was used in popular culture in late 50’s, and 60’s television)

The “Don’t be a” (square) scene.

Example in popular culture:

At 1:04, Kermit explains that he doesn’t like jazz…a square is then outlined around his face.

Although Pulp Fiction is a series of varied stories, and its character’s all go through very different scenarios, (some intertwining and not all in chronological order) the Macguffin of the film is the briefcase, or to be more exact, what’s in it. The opening scene begins with Jules and Vincent on there way to retrieve it (the briefcase and its contents) from a group of men who have apparently done something wrong against the man who employs both Jules and Vincent. Later on, we see Jules and Vincent delivering its contents to this man, which is followed by two other instances wherein Jules and Vincent are still in the middle of trying to get the contents to their boss. In fact, the movie's last major conversation begins when a would-be robber tries to take the briefcase, only to be shown it's contents, be sent along his way and have Jules and Vincent walk out of a robbed restaurant, briefcase in the position of Jules.