Textual Analysis 3 - Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction
The film begins with a dictionary definition of the film title. There is no music and the text is plain and white on a black background. This once again draws attention to what the words have to say instead of the words themselves. The diegetic sound of the scene fades in fades in before the footage itself appears on screen at the moment of the man beginning to speak. This gently sets the scene without the audience becoming consciously aware of it. The use of taboo language and the subject matter of the opening few lines connotes that they are criminals, or at least not the average citizens. The fact they are talking in this way in the middle of a busy diner shows their disregard for the opinions of those around them and a feeling of confidence. The prop of a cigarette is used to instil the ideology that the man is an unsavoury character. The woman’s giggling at what he has to say shows she clearly does not fear his exterior and knows him very well. Her playful teasing of him shows there are mutual feelings of affection shared between them. The tone of conversation of the man is very business-like compared to the woman’s cheerful banter. It shows their relaxed attitude towards crime. When the waitress arrives to serve them coffee they break conversation to attempt to appear normal citizens, showing that there is some severity to the supposed joking of their conversation. It is clear that the man is the leader of their operations as the woman asks him a lot of questions and he is the answer provider – he is clearly the brains of the operation – and appears to become slightly annoyed by her barrage of questioning. The mise-en-scène of the shot displays that they are small time criminals as they are in a cheap restaurant in cheap clothes eating cheap food discussing their robberies of liquor stores. The man is clearly quite intelligent because although his use of language is that of a stereotypical common criminal what he has to say is very clever and detailed. He then reveals to the woman his plan to rob the coffee shop they are sat in which gives the film it’s first sense of danger thus far and first stereotypical thriller plotline. As the excitement builds between them at this new idea the tension builds along with it culminating with a medium close up of the two kissing over the table and preparing their guns. It should be noted how just before all this anarchy should be unleashed there is an exchange of “I love you”s between the two, providing comic relief and also affirms to the audience that they are not completely confident with their plans and cannot be sure of what will happen to them. The man, very much the same as the character we were introduced to, stands up on his seat and announces the robbery – triggering the woman to change character completely into a screaming threatening gun-wielding maniac. The scene ends with a freeze frame medium/close up shot of the two looking very serious aiming their guns around off camera.