On October 14, 1994, the writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, a crime drama featuring multiple storylines and a large ensemble cast including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis and Harvey Keitel, opens in theaters.
Made for less than $10 million, Pulp Fiction earned more than $100 million at the box office and was also a huge critical hit, winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and earning seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Tarantino and Roger Avary shared the Oscar for Best Screenplay. Some critics have called Pulp Fiction, which spawned a slew of imitators, the most influential movie of its time.
It contained such Tarantino trademarks as clever dialogue, graphic violence and numerous pop-culture references. The film is also credited with reviving the movie career of John Travolta, who as the pony-tailed hit man Vincent Vega shares a memorable dance with his boss’ wife (Thurman) and famously discusses with his partner (Jackson) how in France a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese is called a “Royale with cheese.”
Quentin Tarantino was born on March 27, 1963, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He dropped out of high school, studied acting and worked at a video-rental store in Manhattan Beach, California, where he reportedly spent all day talking about movies. In the late 1980s, he appeared as an Elvis impersonator on an episode of the TV sitcom The Golden Girls.
Tarantino made his directorial debut with the 1992 indie film Reservoir Dogs, about the events surrounding a bungled jewel heist. Written by Tarantino, the violent film featured characters with names such as Mr. Pink and Mr. Blonde and co-starred Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Michael Madsen and Lawrence Tierney. Initially released in a small number of theaters, Reservoir Dogs garnered more attention and became a cult hit after Pulp Fiction turned Tarantino into a Hollywood darling.
His third feature film, 1997’s Jackie Brown, starred Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton. Inspired by the Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch, Jackie Brown was also an homage to the so-called “blaxploitation” films of the 1970s, a number of which featured Grier.
In addition to directing his own movies, Tarantino also penned the screenplay for 1993’s True Romance, which was helmed by Tony Scott and co-starred Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette. He was also credited with developing the story for director Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994), with Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. Tarantino has also continued acting, appearing in several of his own films and co-starring opposite Keitel and George Clooney in 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn.
Tarantino’s fourth feature project as a director was Kill Bill, which was released as two films, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 in 2003 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 in 2004. Both movies starred Uma Thurman as a violent, revenge-seeking character called The Bride. Tarantino’s other projects include 2007’s Death Proof, 2009’s Inglourious Basterds, 2012’s Django Unchained, 2015’s The Hateful Eight and 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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To me, it was the film that made torture scenes acceptable in mainstream film.
I decided, after watching it on DVD in about 1998, to never watch another Tarantino film again. I kept my word.
You’re missing out on some serious talent.
It requires no talent to be(come) principle-less…
Edit:
But I would never ban it, or propose such. I am a stout believer that one cannot force people into their “happiness” (actually: a meaningful life)…
I must be without principles. I’ll pray harder tonight and hope I see the light one day.
I think you mean Reservoir Dogs
Tarantino is utter degenerate scum.
In a healthy society he would have been tarred, feathered, and banished from society for good.
Instead he is hailed as an artiste. “Whatever is going wrong with society!?” wail the fools who cannot make the connection between what people feed their minds and spirits and the society such people must and will inevitably create.
Ivor…Pulp Fiction is my second favorite movie ever. Quentin is one of my favorite directors. I think he’s incredibly creative and brilliant. (Fact…he can barely read/write) He may be scum in real life…I don’t know. But I see creative genius in his work.
Of course, a child cannot watch his movies, but an adult can distinguish reality from fiction.
I don’t consider myself a fool or of unhealthy mind for liking his work. I know you read and listen to others who are not exactly wholesome to the mind and soul.
If I had the power to ban this kind of cinematic Mind Rot I would, without hesitation. I would literally burn it in the public square.
Do you believe this kind of ‘entertainment’ would have been allowed in, say, 1875? When Charles Dickens was still had the adulation of a modern rock star?
In Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens describes a murder that takes place in a remote country lane. The whole scene is left to the reader’s imagination; nearly all the prose is spent showing the internal jealousy and rage that impels the murderer to the act, and the mind- destroying guilt that follows the deed. Of the actual act itself there is nearly no mention at all.
People are desensitized to evil and corruption by the things they feed their minds on. This is such a truism it cannot be denied.
Just as the first poster mentioned, Tarantino was the first to present torture as entertainment. This was a new low on our path to abandoned degeneracy. Saw quickly followed, along with its sequels.
A culture that feeds its minds, to say nothing of the minds of its children, on such evil garbage doesn’t deserve to survive.
You can have a culture with a viable future or you can have degeneracy and death. Tarantino’s popularity is a sign of total decadence, just as rap music and trannies are.
They all spring from the same poisoned well of minds desensitized and polluted.
Tarred and feathered, I reiterate, and driven from upright society for good.
“If I had the power to ban this kind of cinematic Mind Rot I would, without hesitation. I would literally burn it in the public square.”
Then how much do you truly believe in free speech and expression? There are some movies I cannot watch because it’s too much for me, so I don’t.
But, where do you draw the line on free speech? If we truly want free speech in our society, then we’re going to have to accept that we won’t like what everyone has to say.
Free speech is intended to protect political opinion and criticism of existing power structures.
Free speech is not any defense for child pornography, rap music, or Tarantino filth.
Would you take a loaded revolver away from a toddler? Those who lack the insight to police their own physical and spiritual wellbeing must be protected by those with superior wisdom.
Ivor…I think you know they are banning classical literature from schools at a rapid pace…because the banners don’t agree with the author’s words or perspectives. How is your stance any different?
“Those who lack the insight to police their own physical and spiritual wellbeing must be protected by those with superior wisdom.”
I can’t remember if you said you were a Christian or not (I think you are?), but would you force me to be a Christian because you have superior wisdom over me? Kinda like Charlemagne did for his empire?
(btw…that’s not my downvote…I rarely downvote – only in extreme circumstances. lol)
My stance isn’t different; it is identical. The real fact is that “free speech”, at least insofar as it is applied to cultural expression, is a myth. There are always laws and policies that ban blasphemy; the only question is who gets to define what blasphemy is.
I will bet you any amount of money you care to name that the people banning classic literature would all agree with your position that Tarantino is a genius. Does that suggest anything to you?
Should child porn be illegal? If yes, how is your stance any different?
Yes, I am a Christian, and no, I would never force anyone to make the same profession. It is impossible to force anyone to believe anything; at best you can only coerce an outward show of compliance that would damn the soul of the enforcer. However, I would absolutely force you to refrain from proselytizing my children, or to involve them in demon or idol worship.
And this is exactly why I am saying Tarantino should be banished. Teaching young minds to take pleasure in scenes of sexual torture and murder is a crime that a healthy society would not countenance.
It’s cool, you’re allowed to down vote me if ya want 🙂
“…the only question is who gets to define what blasphemy is.”
Yes. That’s the big question. Who is that has superior wisdom to make these decisions?
We are in a fallen world…the world will never be without sin. The darkness will always be there. I don’t see anything wrong with recognizing the darkness and turning away from it. After watching his films, I’m not going to participate in sexual torture or blow someone’s head off. I will understand that these things go on in the world, however, and choose to live differently.
“Teaching young minds to take pleasure in scenes of sexual torture and murder is a crime that a healthy society would not countenance.”
His movies are not for young minds. They’re for adults who know the difference between right and wrong.
I agree with you that the moral imagination of young minds need to be protected at all costs. But, again, Tarantino is not for young minds.
I gotta run off now. Thanks for your responses!
Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Once you go down that difficult road the first time, it’s easier the second time, much easier the third time, and so forth. Next thing you know you’re banning Sleeping Beauty because you consider it necrophilia. Can you not see that?
You — and AP, below — are proud of yourselves, aren’t you? “We gonna ban bad shit for the good of society!!!”. You guys will clean it up, by force if necessary. Th Constitution means nothing to you, does it?
There is absolutely zero difference between what you want to do, and what the Left is doing today. Of course, they are bad tyrants … you and AP would be good tyrants. Like Hitler, right AP?
Ok, AP…so based on this, you don’t believe there is value in fairy tales? Even Hans Christian Anderson and Grimm fairy tales are pretty dark…I’m talking the original version, not Disney’s version. I mean…eating little children??? (Hansel & Gretel)
Even CS Lewis said fairy tales must be read and understood to understand the darkness of the world and turn our faces to the light.
I’m not saying Quentin‘s work is equivalent to a fairy tale, but there is something to be said for recognizing the dark and understanding that’s not what we actually want in society. There is also something to be said with just having a sense of humor and laughing it off for what it is and nothing more.
Are you telling me that EVERYTHING you read and watch is 100% wholesome for your soul? That’s a tad hard to believe.
Abigail, I sometimes enjoy a doughnut. I know it isn’t good for me, and I recognize it would be better if I didn’t eat the doughnut. But as an adult, I can brush my teeth and skip a meal to go to the gym as penance.
In other words, the doughnut is unlikely to do me long term harm.
So should we make unlimited donuts freely available in limitless quantities to children and those with no self discipline?
If you say, “Yeah, but you eat doughnuts too!” you are missing the fact that we are not discussing the effects on me, we are discussing the effects on Society.
And because I do not live in a vacuum, I am forced to live in the Society the Doughnut Eaters will create too.
This life long free donut gig…are they Krispy Kreme’s ? If so I’m in .
First of all, Abigail, I’m glad to see you didn’t actually flounce on the Southwest airlines thread.
The seduction of Tarantino is how he makes revenge, and, even, evil look cool.
From a cerebral point of view, and from the detached comfort of the movie seat, or familiar environs of one’s home, Tarantino flicks are also laugh-out-loud funny.
However, just as Ayn Rand’s idealistic, and two-dimensional, fictional characters don’t translate to real life, neither do Tarantino’s. In reality, Quentin’s characters would not be funny or cool. They would just be psychopaths.
That said, psychopaths do exist and no doubt some of them may even believe they are stars in their own “movie” as they attempt to mimic Tarantino’s “cool” onscreen vibe.
It’s a frightening prospect. But, then again, so is censorship.
My favorite Q.T. film is “Reservoir Dogs” whereby the psychopaths are just as terrifying as the heroes are inspiring.
In many ways, some may consider Pulp Fiction as soul-killing. In other ways, it accurately reflects both insanity and reality. Still, it’s just a movie. Right? Right?
Keep in mind, Stucky, politicians equivocate for purposes of greed, deception, and/or power. I simply vacillate for conversation. 🙂
How long have they existed, and do they serve a purpose?
Probably before the first stories of the Biblical Cain and Abel were told. And, I suppose, some may even argue their purpose is always being served. Even now.
Just as dark is the absence of light – maybe it’s the same with conscience and its lack. Or law and lawlessness.
Again, when it comes to binaries, perhaps the most important question of all is: Who decides?
If I recall, Shakespeare may have had some gory murder scenes. Maybe we should ban his books too.
Who killed Banquo?
There’s a fine line between commenting on society through film, and glamorizing the darker aspects of it. Exhibit A: Natural Born Killers
It certainly is satire, and paints the media blood red, but I wouldn’t call it “art” in any sense of the word. Many films are art, this isn’t, nor is much of Tarantino’s canon.
Thanks for your perspective, Uncola. I really liked Reservoir Dogs too. My very favorite film is Dead Poets Society…so see? I’m not completely deranged.
Abigail- Ever see a flick called “Equilibrium”? In that movie the hero overcomes the 1984 style dystopian regime pretty much by himself. There is some slice and dice in it but not too gory.
I haven’t seen it. I’ll check it out. Thanks!
we are not discussing the effects on me, we are discussing the effects on Society.
That’s getting awfully close to the rationale used by the vaxtards that you need to get the double-tap, I mean double-jab, for the good of Society.
I get your larger point, and AP’s also, but there’s no question that it’s a slippery slope and sets a bad precedent — so I’m inclined to side with AA on this one.
Stupid analogy.
How about violent video games? Rap music? EC Comics? Anime? Anything with evil intent or action? How about being told to kill your son to prove your love, there’s some pretty harsh shit in the Old Testament?
Are you an adult? Where would your censorship end? Until there’s nothing left but Unicorns and Rainbows?
Evil is all around us. It will never be different, never. QT’s movies are almost morality plays. I like them. The last one, Once upon a Time… was excellent entertainment.
Why do you come to TBP? Is it to comment or commiserate on the evils of this rotting society?
While I do not disagree, how was the society of 1875 able to create a world that did not contain child trannies, Desmond Is Amazing, or pronoun wars?
Do you think the society of 1875 was better than the society of 2021? If so, why was it better? Do you think regular people would have tolerated Tarantino in 1875 if he had presented his ‘art’ to them? Are you not aware that a lot of effort went into inculcating purity and morality into children by society at large? Do you think that would produce different results than Pulp Fiction in young, impressionable minds?
So you come to TBP to rail against what society has become, then sneer when obviously detrimental influences on society are denounced?
Do you support the ban on child porn? What!?! You do?!?
So you’re ok with banning child porn, eh?? Are you an adult? Where would your censorship end? Until there’s nothing left but Unicorns and Rainbows?
As I said previously, blasphemy laws exist in all times and places. Those of you framing this debate as though my position represents some dystopian nightmare are in a completely untenable position. The only difference between us appears to be that you require external validation in order to identify what is clearly vicious, harmful, pornographic content with nothing to offer but further subversion and destruction to the moral framework which must underpin a viable civilization.
The self righteousness on the other side is interesting to behokd.
Either you support the dissemination of child pornography or you acknowledge that Yes, society has the right to protect itself against evil influences and “free speech’ is irrelevant to this debate.
Pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the fucking car.
My brother worked on the movie Django including going on location which he rarely does. Quentin rented a bar there in Jackson Hole for them to party at for the Super Bowl and he partied with the crew as well .
My brother said as a director he’s fun to work with and treats folks on the set well .