Pulp Fiction and Auteur

• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'

  Point 1: Gory, over the top violence. Childhood influence - mother would take him to watch violent movies as a child. Comedic, cartoon effect. Reminds people that they are watching a construct. Example - Marvin Nash getting his head shot off in Pulp Fiction. Examples in other films - Inglorious basterds theatre burning scene, Reservoir Dogs torture scene STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE?
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'

  Point 2: Excessive swearing. Also stems from his childhood - shocking but also funny. Examples - over 450 swear words in Pulp Fiction, 200 of which are the word 'fuck'. Tarantinos highest number of swear words in a film, Reservoir Dogs in close second with 400. Links in with excessive dialogue 
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'

  Editing - ostentatious editing and long takes with no cuts

  Examples - Gold flare effect in the apartment, and when Butch goes to retrieve his father's watch

  Experementalism - we are watching a construct.
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'


  Needle Drop score - Tarantino wants 100% control over his films - makes the characters look 'cool'. Examples in Pulp Fiction include 'Jungle Boogie' and 'Son of a preacher man'. Examples in other movies include 'Who did that to you' in Django Unchained
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'


  Tarantino likes to blur the lines between diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. 'Flowers on the wall' when Butch is driving - coming from the radio but also being overlayed
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'


  Strong female lead roles - influenced by his upbringing as a child with a single mother. Subverts stereotypes - Mia in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown in Jackie Brown
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'


  Likes to cast the same actors in different movies - Uma Thurman,Samuel L. Jackson and Tim Roth all feature in previous Tarantino movies
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'


  Theme of revenge - gives the audience satisfaction. Butch and Marsellus getting revenge on Zed and Maynard - "imma get medieval on your arse'
• 'Experimental auteurs often demonstrate a free and playful approach to filmmaking'


  Intertextuality and Tarantinos love of obscure pop culture - Jack Rabbit slims in Pulp Fiction