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Anatomy of a Tarantino Film

“As you know, I’m quite keen on comic books, especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favourite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology… The mythology is not only great, it’s unique. Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne; Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S”, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He’s weak… he’s unsure of himself… he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race. Sorta like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plimpton.”
Bill from Tarantino’s Kill Bill Volume 2

The above excerpt from the super revenge-flick Kill Bill Volume 2 is one of the juiciest examples of what Quentin Tarantino is all about. His pulp-noir world draws inspiration from elements as diverse as Pulp novels, Grindhouse cinema, comic book superheroes and Far eastern weaponry. Though held responsible for borrowing heavily from the works of other well-known and lesser-known filmmakers, Tarantino is attributed with developing one of the most exciting and original styles of filmmaking. As for the accusation of ‘borrowing’ styles, Tarantino can find shelter in the shade of the likes of Elvis Presley, as Tarantino himself is heard declaring:

“I lift ideas from other great films just like every other great filmmaker.”

With that topic taken care of, let’s take a look at the style of Quentin Tarantino.

The Tarantino World

The layout of a Tarantino world finds itself somewhere in the intersectional setting of a classic Film-noir and a cult Pulp novella. All his stories take place in a single big city, a tradition which he broke with his Kill Bill duology. There is always an air of crime in the atmosphere, with all characters with a default inclination towards crime and fearlessness. All these elements essentially form the perfect characteristics of a black city.

The characters are very basic and the typical lot you’ll find in any crime-movie with the exception of a certain added depth to their persona. There is the usual gangster duo or team often dressed in sharp black and white, there is the femme fatale, the ruthless big-boss and a McGuffin. This basic layout spreads over several Tarantino films in the following manner:

The objects in the Tarantino universe are also quite characteristic. The black and white suit worn by Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction finds its way to Jackie Brown; similarly Butch Coolidge’s white Honda from Pulp Fiction becomes Jackie’s Honda in Jackie Brown. The Samurai-sword used by Butch in Pulp Fiction is re-incarnated alongside several others used by all the major characters in the Kill Bill movies. Fictional consumer products and services are common to all Tarantino films. Characters always smoke Red Apple cigarettes, eat Fruit Brute cereal or Big Kahuna Burgers and listen to K-Billy Radio Station.

The Tarantino Story

Pointless Conversations

In every Tarantino film, we find the characters often involved in one or more conversations that seem completely pointless. What initially seems like a cheap parlour trick to extend the running time of the film later turns out to be an essential part of a sudden shift of mood. Examples include Vincent and Jules discussing the science of foot-massage followed by the killing of three double-crossing thieves from Pulp Fiction and The Bride and Vernita Green discussing a setting for their battle followed by The Bride assassinating Vernita Green in Kill Bill volume 1.

But there are other times when these pointless conversations don’t lead to a following change of mood; instead they tend to push the story forward. Examples of this variation include Mr. Brown explaining his take on a Madonna song in Reservoir Dogs, Ordell explaining Louis about ‘Chicks with Guns’ in Jackie Brown and The Bride and Hattori Hanzo discussing ‘Sake’ in Kill Bill volume 1.

Toilets

Tarantino uses toilets as an important point in the story where the main characters go and upon their return find themselves in an unexpected change of events. Pulp Fiction uses several instances of this point, all involving Vincent Vega. When Vincent goes to the toilet the first time, he comes back out to find an unconscious Mia Wallace. The second time he goes to the toilet, he comes back out to find Pumpkin and Honey-Bunny holding up the Diner they’re in. The final time Vincent visits the rest-room and comes back out, he finds Butch Coolidge pointing a gun at him which eventually leads to his death.

Instances in other Tarantino films include Mr. Orange finding three policemen and a dog in Reservoir Dogs (but nothing happens here because Mr. Orange is lying about this incident), Inspector Ray Nicolette hiding inside the toilet to come out and shoot Ordell down in Jackie Brown and The Bride visiting the restroom in Oren Ishii’s club to prepare for her oncoming assault on the Crazy 88s.

Non-chronological Narrative

Almost all his films have an unconventional narrative structure. Reservoir Dogs makes massive use of flashbacks, Pulp Fiction follows a severely fractured timeline, Jackie Brown, though initially seems like a straightforward narrative, makes effective use of Time-twisting towards the end and Kill Bill is entirely told in anachronistically placed chapters.

Tarantino the Director

In the role of the director, Quentin Tarantino achieved a certain kind of boldness that is both astonishing and unconventional at the same time. He made up for his severe lack of text-book knowledge by observing the methods of his long list of favourite filmmakers.

The Trunk Shot

This signature shot, even though not invented by Tarantino, was perfected by him. This infamous shot, now closely attributed to the director finds itself in several instances through Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill.

Passenger-side Window Shot

Tarantino frequently places the camera at an angle through the passenger-side window of a car. This shot occurs with the characters Nice-Guy Eddie, Pink, Orange and White in Reservoir Dogs, Vincent and Jules in Pulp Fiction, Ordell and Louis in Jackie Brown and The Bride inside the Pussy Wagon in Kill Bill.

Dead Body POV

Most Tarantino films feature a shot from the point-of-view of a dead body with several characters around the body speaking either directly to the body or among themselves. The shot from Ordell’s point-of-view after he is shot in Jackie Brown and the members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad talking around The Bride’s comatose body in Kill Bill are two such situations where this shot was effectively used.

Long Takes

Tarantino uses the phenomena of long takes like none other. The incredible long take in Jackie Brown towards the end in the mall, follows the lead character from one point in the mall to another and for some reason absolutely hypnotises the viewer in its immaculate camera work, leaving one wondering how such a take was achieved. The same applies to the follow-shot of The Bride entering the club preceding the climatic scene in Kill Bill volume 1. Yet another example would be the camera following Mr. White and Mr. Pink back and forth between the two rooms in the warehouse from Reservoir Dogs.

Film Stock

Tarantino reportedly uses 50ASA film stock (Pulp Fiction) which “is the slowest stock they make. The reason we use it is that it creates an almost no-grain image, it’s lustrous. It’s the closest thing we have to 50s Technicolor”.

Death Proof and Upcoming Projects

Tarantino’s latest film Death Proof is omitted from this study because it marks what seems like a new era in the career of Quentin Tarantino. It’s seems like the first of a new direction that Tarantino is taking. He even modified his signature Trunk shot in ‘Death Proof’.

Looking at the projects that currently lie on Tarantino’s table like the WW2 epic saga ‘Inglorious Bastards’ and the English language re-make of the far-eastern 1966 classic ‘Come Drink with Me’, it feels like Tarantino is making a bold move away from his beloved Pulp-Noir world and into new territories. Needless to say, the spirit of Tarantino will make a documentary on Kangaroo Rats seem like a roller-coaster ride. And with this faith, we await his upcoming endeavours.

In closing, here’s a brilliant long take from the film Kill Bill volume 1, reportedly filmed in one single take.