Can Quentin Tarantino’s use of
non-linear narrative qualify the director as an auteur?
Projector: Projector slide showing the two quotes.
Speaker:
“The Oxford dictionary defines an auteur as ‘a film director
who influences their films so much that they rank as their author,” (item 11)
which implies “that a director can use the commercial apparatus of film-making
in the same way that a writer uses a pen or a painter uses paint and a
paintbrush. It is a medium for the personal artistic expression of the
director,” (item 14).
This applies to American director, Quentin Tarantino.
Projector: Watch Mojo.com (item 8) [time: 00:00- 00:12]
Speaker: “The self-taught, writer-director uses intertextuality, an
aestheticization of violence, non-linear narrative and pop-culture references
throughout most of his ten films,” (item 13). Pulp Fiction (item 1), Kill Bill
(item 2) and Reservoir Dogs (item 3) are examples of Tarantino’s films that
contain aspects of these themes within them. “In all the movies that Tarantino
has directed, he always uses the same fundamental themes and techniques that
put his ‘signature’ on his work,” (item 11).
In this presentation script I will discuss Tarantino’s
non-linear narrative style as an auteuristic trait of his.
Projector: Pulp
Fiction (item 1), opening scene [time: 00:00:00- 00:04:35]
Speaker:
Non-linear narrative “is very common in movies as it can
give a dramatic start that catches the viewer’s attention,” (item 12) this can
be said about the opening and ending scene of Tarantino’s 1994 film Pulp
Fiction as the audience that the end scene picks up where the opening scene
finishes.
In the opening scene, a wide shot is used to capture the
characters Hunny Bunny and Pumpkin having a conversation over breakfast, in a
diner. Through the mise-en-scene we can see this is a road diner, due to the
cars you can see through the windows. The menus, food and salt and pepper
shakers on the table also show that this is a diner. When close ups are used on
Pumpkin, you can see other booths with red leather seats. Their topic of
conversation is robberies, Pumpkin talks about various shops and how robbing
them isn’t the same as it used to be because of the foreign owners. As the
conversation escalates to talk about robbing the diner, close ups are used to
show Hunny Bunny gradually leaning in closer, showing she is intrigued about
the idea. The technique shot, reverse, shot it used to cut between the two as
they plan, after this a straight cut is used to show a close up of a gun, which
Pumpkin pulled from his trousers, which instigates the robbery. A low angle is
used to capture the two, both with guns out, shouting at the people and staff
in the diner. The scene then cuts to the title sequence with the use of a
blackout and with the pop song ‘Misirlou’ playing.
Projector: Pulp Fiction (item 1), end scene [time: 02:07:53-
02:11:50]
Speaker:
At the beginning of this scene (end scene) a mid-shot is
used to show Vincent Vega and Jules eating breakfast in a diner. Through the
mise-en-scene you begin to recognise and speculate the diner used previously in
the opening scene, as you can see through the windows in the distance a road
and the red leather booths. Jules and Vincent are having a conversation about
the miracle/ freak occurrence that they both witnessed, a straight cut is then
used. This straight cut confirms it is the same diner as before and clearly
shows non-linear narrative as the straight cut captures Pumpkin and Hunny Bunny
shouting for more coffee- an action you watch Pumpkin do in the opening scene.
As the audience have already watched the opening scene they know in advance the
events that are about to unfold- the robbery.
Non-linear narrative structure is used “to achieve specific
admired effects,” (item 4) such as advanced disorientation within the audience,
the non-linear narrative “radically alters the sequence” (item 5). This is the
effect that occurs when watching the end sequence of Pulp Fiction (item 1) as
you see the robbery from the opening scene. It’s as if the film is a
“collection of short stories rather than a single narrative” (item 4).
Another example of non-linear narrative within Tarantino’s
Pulp Fiction (item 1) is the scene where you see gangster Vincent Vega get shot
and killed by Butch.
Projector:Pulp Fiction (item 1), Butch Kills Vincent [time: 01:25:45- 01:28:30]
Speaker:
This scene appears almost halfway through Pulp Fiction and
you clearly watch Butch kill Vincent with a gun.
A tracking shot is used to show Butch walking to his
apartment and a close up is used to capture him unlocking the door. A wide shot
and tracking shot are used to capture Butch as he walks through his apartment
as his goes to retrieve his father’s watch. A wide shot is used to capture
Butch in the kitchen as he reaches for the cupboard door, a close up is then
used to show him pulling out ‘Toaster Pastries’ and as he puts them into the
toaster. Butch is then captured using a mid-shot as he sees the object on the
counter; the camera zooms into Butch which creates tension as the audience
haven’t been shown the object. Then a straight cut and a close up is used to
capture a gun on the kitchen side. A low angle captures Butch as he holds the
gun in his hands, showing his power. Diegetic sound of the toilet flushing can
be heard- confirming the presence of another person in the apartment- and a
mid-shot of Butch is used to show him turning towards the noise pointing the
gun towards the door. A sudden straight cut and close-up of the toaster is used
to show the pastries popping out and then a mid-shot of Butch can be seen as he
shoots Vincent Vega after coming out of the toilet. Vincent is seen dead in the
bath by the camera tilting from his feet to his head using a close-up shot.
The non-linear narrative structure is clearly seen in a
following sequence, depicting the ‘miracle’ Jules and Vincent Vega witnessed.
The effect that the use of non-linear narrative achieves in this scene is
confusion and disorientation within the audience as you saw Vincent Vega shot
dead in a previous scene.
Projector: Pulp Fiction (item 1), ‘Miracle II’ [time:
01:47:06- 01:48:58]
Speaker:
The same scene is seen previously in Pulp Fiction (item 1)
however is repeated here from the perspective of the man who shoots at Jules
and Vincent. Diegetic sound of people talking can be heard in this scene whilst
the shooter is hiding in the bathroom. One of the people you hear speaking is
Vincent. As well as this, the audience already recognise the man in the
bathroom as they saw him earlier on in the film shooting towards Vincent and
Jules, so they realise that Vincent isn’t dead/ hasn’t been killed yet showing
another example of Tarantino’s non-linear narrative.
There is a constant use of non-linear narrative structure in
Pulp Fiction, used to create and achieve certain and desired effects. “A
version of the film cut together to represent the events in the order in which
they happen may be more ‘correct’ but it would be less satisfying dramatically,”
(item 4).
The common use of non-linear narratives within films and in
Pulp Fiction (item 1) depicts shocking sequences and creates a “dramatic start”
in the narrative, catching the audience’s attention. This can be said about
specific scenes within Pulp Fiction as Tarantino places Vincent Vega’s death
scene mid-way through the film and then during the end scene you see Vincent
eating in the diner with Jules, creating confusion with the audience as they
saw Vincent shot dead in a previous scene.
Projector: Frame by Frame (item 10) [time: 00:00- 02:43]
Speaker:
In this short video you hear Wheeler Winston Dixon discuss
auteur theory. He discusses within this video, “that the director is the
primary creator of the film and that each director’s individual signature is
distinct,” (item 10). “Today, some film critics use the term auteur to describe
a well-respected director who embodies repetitive techniques, meaning and
structures,” (item 13). Non-linear narrative can be said to be an auteuristic
trait of Tarantino’s as it’s an aspect of film and narrative he uses repeatedly
throughout Pulp Fiction and other films.
Tarantino’s non-linear narrative technique can be seen in
his 2003 original screenplay, Kill Bill Vol.1 (item 2).
Projector: BBC Four Quentin Tarantino Interview (item 15)
[time: 02:31- 02:58]
Speaker:
Kill Bill Vol.1 (item 2) is said to be “fascinatingly, very
reminiscent” (item 4) of earlier works, as the “plot is defiantly anti-linear” (item
4). Non-linear narrative isn’t a
constant like that in Pulp Fiction (item 1) however is noticeable through the
use of mise-en-scene.
Projector: Kill Bill Vol.1 Clip (item 2) Chapter 18, [time:
01:37:46- 01:38:25]
Speaker:
During this scene in Kill Bill Vol.1 (item 2) a wide shot
captures the Bride on a plane, with a samurai sword and a notepad. A close up
and point of view shot is used to capture the Bride writing a list with the
title ‘Death List Five,’ she is then captured writing the names of the five
deadly vipers she intends to kill.
This isn’t the only scene where you see the list; it is also
captured with a close-up during the first chapter, showing another example of
Tarantino’s non-linear narrative technique.
Projector: Kill Bill Vol.1 Clip (item 2) Chapter 3- 4 [time
00:05:08- 00:15:17]
Speaker:
In the first chapter of Kill Bill Vol.1 (item 2) an
establishing shot is used capturing a suburban house accompanied with a caption
revealing its location- California. A mid-shot then captures the Bride pulling
up in a van outside a house, a wide-shot is then used to show her as she walks
across the front garden to the front door.
An extreme close up is then used to capture the Bride
ringing the doorbell. When the door opens a mid-shot is used to show the
woman’s reaction to the Bride appearing at her door. An extreme close-up is
then used to capture the Bride’s eyes in a red filter, accompanied with
non-diegetic sound of sirens, implying this is an enemy of the Bride’s. Through
the use of a voice over the audience are told that this woman is Vernita Green.
A flashback to the chapel sequence is then seen, which
captures Green at a low angle after the Bride was beaten by her and four
others. Low angles, wide shots, close-ups, high angles and diegetic sound are
used to capture the two fighting in the house. At the end of the fight scene
–after the Bride kills her nemesis, she goes back to the truck. A mid-shot is
used to show the Bride in the cab of the truck and capturing her as she
retrieves the notepad. A close-up is then used to show the Bride drawing a line
through the name of number two on the list -Vernita Green, showing the killing
of one of the vipers is complete. The use of the close-up also reveals a line
through the first name- O- Ren Ishii- this character is a character who is
introduced later on in the film where she is killed by the Bride. However, the
line that is captured by the close-up through her name implies that she has
already been killed, which shows another example of Quentin Tarantino’s
non-linear narrative technique.
Speaker:
“Non-linear narratives often use flashbacks or flash
forwards in which past or future events are revealed through memory or other
methods during exposition of a current event,” (item 12). This technique is
used throughout the film whilst the Bride is on her revenge seeking quest.
Flashbacks can be seen in Kill Bill (item 2) when she meets/ sees characters
who are linked with the day she was shot and her unborn child killed.
Projector: Kill Bill Vol.1 Clip (item 2) chapter 13 [time
01:03:48- 01:04:47]
Speaker:
This scene depicts an example of a flash back within a
non-linear narrative, in Kill Bill (item 2). A wide shot is used to capture a
car and a motorbike pulling up to a junction/ red light. Diegetic sound can be
heard of the engine of the motorbike as the Bride revs it. A close up and
shallow depth of focus is used to capture the helmet (of the Bride) turning to
look at the driver of the car, at this point the focus changes leaving the
Bride out of focus and the driver and the car in focus. The red light from the
traffic light reflects onto both of them showing connotations of danger. A
close up is used to capture the lady on the phone in the car, a straight cut to
a closer shot of her is then used and then a straight cut to an extreme close
up of her mouth can be seen, accompanied with these shots are non-diegetic
‘boom’ sounds exaggerating the cuts, implying the Bride recognises her.
This is where the flashback can be seen, as a straight cut
and wide shot is used to capture the Bride being flung across the chapel floor.
Diegetic sound of a mobile phone ringing is then heard and a low angle is then
used to capture O-Ren Ishii’s second in command on the phone- who is the lady
in the car.
Flashbacks are common in non-linear narrative to portray a
memory, which gives you more information to link with the events happening. The
use of these flashbacks can be considered as a ‘signature’ of Tarantino’s as he
incorporates them in to Kill Bill (item 2) and also into his 1992 film
Reservoir Dogs (item 3) in a similar way to those used in Kill Bill (item 2)
Projector:
Reservoir Dogs film poster (item 16)
Speaker:
“I came up with the idea of having a heist film where you
never actually see the heist,” (item 4). This is said by Tarantino when asked
about Reservoir Dogs (item 3). Tarantino “wants the audience to acquire only
information he wants them to have,” (item 4).
Reservoir Dogs (item 3) is “not as non-chronological as a
first time audience might initially assume,” (item 4), this is because of the “large
stretches of the picture” (item 4) however accompanied with the flashbacks, it
captures Tarantino’s non-linear narrative structure. Flashbacks used in
Reservoir Dogs are used to reveal the back story of the characters in focus.
Projector: Reservoir Dogs clip (item 3) [time:
00:25:22-00:25:58 ]
Speaker:
A straight cut is used to show a close up of Mr White (Larry)
in a different building from the shot before; this is seen through the
mise-en-scene as the room in the previous shot had white tiled walls whereas
the room he is captured in afterwards has red walls with lots of wooden
furniture. Also you see that he is wearing a red polo shirt whereas before he
was wearing a black suit and tie. Shot, reverse, shot is used to capture Larry
talking to Joe, a businessman and old friend of Larry’s. A straight cut to a
black screen with the caption ‘Mr White’ is then seen showing the audience that
this next sequence is about him. During this scene close ups are used on Mr
White and Joe as the discuss Joe’s next job- a diamond heist.
These flashbacks are also used to show Mr White’s (Larry),
Mr Blonde’s (Vic Vega) and Mr Orange’s (Freddy) back stories, throughout Mr
Orange’s flashback you discover that he is a cop and is the ‘rat’ of group.
Projector: Reservoir Dogs clip (item 3) [time: 00:36:12- 00:37:06]
Speaker:
During this flashback you are introduced to Mr Blonde’s real
name- Vic Vega. It has been said that Vic Vega is the brother of Vincent Vega
from Pulp Fiction (item 1).
Projector: The Times Interview (item 15) [time: 04:48- 04:56]
Speaker:
In the first five minutes of this interview you hear
Tarantino discuss two ‘Quentin Universes’ where his films take place. He
describes the first universe as one “having all the fun of a movie, movie, all
the fun of a genre movie but in some ways is more realistic than life itself,”
(item 15). This is the world where Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs take place.
This also implies and backs up the point that Vic Vega and Vincent Vega are
brothers as they live in the same ‘Quentin Universe showing the likeliness of
the connection. The other universe Tarantino talks about is his “movie, movie”
universe which isn’t about real life, this is the universe where Kill Bill (item
2) takes place.
As well as Tarantino’s repetitive use of non-linear
narrative, other techniques of his such as the ‘Quentin Universes,’ distinguish
his signature styles and themes that occur within his films. For example the ‘Trunk
shot’ is repeatedly used in his films.
Projector: Pulp Fiction photograph (item 6)
Speaker:
In Pulp Fiction (item 1) the trunk shot is used to capture
Vincent and Jules retrieving their guns from the trunk.
Projector: Reservoir Dogs photograph (item
6)
Speaker:
In Reservoir Dogs (item 3) the trunk shot is used as a point
of view from the cop that Mr Blonde captured from the heist and tied up in
there, ready to interrogate.
Projector: Kill Bill photograph (item 6)
Speaker:
In Kill Bill (item 2) the trunk shot is used to capture
Sophie (O-Ren Ishii’s second in command) trapped in the back.
These shots are a point of view shots from the person/
objects in the trunk, which gives the people looking in to the trunk a sense of
power as they are captured towering over them.
This type of shot can be considered a trademark and
influence of Tarantino’s as its repeatedly used within his films much like his
use of non-linear narrative and an auteur is “a film director who influence
their films so much that they rank as their author,” (item 11) and a director “that
produces a distinctive approach to film creation through visual signature and
thematic and narrative consistency,” (item 13). His non-linear narrative is a
consistent element within his works as it is used in all three of his films I have
looked at and others, showing auteuristic traits of his.
Projector: Photograph of Tarantino, Auteur
of Bust? (Item 7)
Speaker:
In conclusion “auteur theory suggests that the best films
will bear their makers ‘signature’. Which may manifest itself as the stamp of
his or her individual personality or perhaps even focus on recurring themes
within the body of work,” (item 14). This is a clear link with Tarantino’s
non-linear narrative style as it’s a common convention of his films and is a
technique that he has repeatedly used and developed over many years to be considered
as his signature; this shows that his use of non-linear narrative does qualify him
as an auteur.
