StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism - Movie Review Example

Cite this document
Summary
In the paper “Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism,” the author compares Pulp Fiction to film noir due to its populace of low-lives, and boxers. While the film does play around the edges of the tradition of film noir, it cannot be claimed as a traditional example of film noir…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.8% of users find it useful
Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism"

Download file to see previous pages

The most obvious break from traditional film noir that Pulp Fiction makes is by being shot in color. The iconic image of this style of filmmaking is a perception arrived at through its very name. Film noir means dark film and one of its visual hallmarks is the symbolic use of shadows and key lighting. Pulp Fiction introduces a new genre and closes the gap between itself and traditional. A film noir without a femme fatale is hardly a film noir at all. Mia Wallace fulfills the role of femme fatale from the start by almost literally acting as a siren who calls forth Vincent Vega into her lair.

The classic femme fatale is a dangerous temptress within whose trap a not-terribly-bright man falls and Mia is certainly seductive enough toward Vince to get him trapped almost to the point of devastation once they return back home. It is exactly at this point that the standard conventions of film noir begin to fall apart. Film noir has a foundation of uncertainty and doubt that gives way to the darker impulses of the human mind. Upon returning back to Mia's house Vincent goes to the bathroom and engages in an interior debate over the intelligence of having sex with his boss' wife.

In a standard film noir, any doubt naturally gives way to impulse rather than rationality. Vincent makes the decision to leave with a goodbye and it is only through the action of having doubts and that interior monologue that the subsequent events of the story take place and Mia goes into overdose. Film noir differs from the conventional gangster, mobster, and detective movies through the introduction of shadows on the fringes of expected behavior; crooks can show goodness and law enforcement officers can become corrupt.

The end is forecast equally well for both: destruction, probably in a violent way. Vincent's decision to give up the satisfaction of giving in to the attraction with Mia can be read as a foreshadowing of what eventually becomes the thematic power of the film. Pulp Fiction's narrative is a distinctly non-linear manner shot out of chronological order. Jules seems balanced to become an important character only to disappear entirely for an hour and then make a reappearance in exactly the same scene with which he was introduced.

That scene includes something rarely found in the dark world of film noir: a reference to the Holy Bible. Jules likes to quote from the Bible before he assassinates and there is in this custom a link back to the wrath of God against sinners. The absence of Jules from the middle section of the film is a necessity that accounts for the non-linear construction. Vincent breaks with film noir tradition by rejecting the advances of a femme fatale, which is something that never happens in a classic noir film.

Vincent's rejection is an indication of a more optimistic tone to be found in Pulp Fiction; a tone that contradicts the very root of film noir mechanics. Vincent's rejection of Mia is then compounded by the decision of Jules to reject his lifestyle. The middle part of the film of Pulp Fiction takes place after Jules has come to his decision to take his inexplicable escape from death in the opening of the film as a sign from God that it is time to walk away from his life as a hired assassin. If arranged chronologically the power of the scene in the diner would be taken away.

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism Movie Review, n.d.)
Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism Movie Review. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1518230-pulp-fiction
(Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism Movie Review)
Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism Movie Review. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1518230-pulp-fiction.
“Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism Movie Review”. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1518230-pulp-fiction.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Pulp Fiction and the Rejection of Film Noir Pessimism

Science fiction and films

However, the expression of humanity, detachment and precious nature of life involved inherently in the film give it a combined colour of film noir sub genre in addition to cyber punk sub genre for a science fiction genre film.... As the inherent activities of replicants are related to crime and horror, the lead character also express some attributes of film noir with a trench coat and a gun.... The Cyberpunk and film noir nature of the blade runner lies in the science fiction genre it belongs to....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Historical Film Movement Film Noir as the Forerunner of the Present-day Crime and Action Movies

This essay "Historical Film Movement 'film noir' as the Forerunner of the Present-day Crime and Action Movies" focuses on the early forties, European film talent infiltrated the American industry, and in this influx was a new type of mystery/suspense movie known as the film noir.... hellip; film noir was a style of black and white American films that became prominent in the post-war era.... The primary moods of classic film noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Macro analysis of Pulp Fiction (1994)

The movie viewer, expecting the tension, the drama and suspense of the Crime & Gangster genre and the mood of film noir, is not disappointed because Tarantino shows respect for the genre and the noir style.... The narrative structure of this film sequence from Quentin Tarantinos "Pulp Fiction" (1994) seems to be a pretty straightforward example of the Crime & Gangster genre in film noir style: the scene starts with a promise of danger and murderous action.... "pulp fiction" is never campy or over the top....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Characteristics of Film Noir

Dramatic stories… Film noir scenery was established by high-order film makers to include a dark distressing visual disposition of post-war 1940s Characteristics of film noir ic movies were attributed with the style of film noir which used astring of subdued, action and resolute offense movies (Hirsch 24).... Dramatic stories frequently differentiated by misdeed and sexual exploitation were the heart of film noir and this brought out storytelling and film making aspects (24)....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Content of Pulp Fiction

pulp fiction is a postmodern crime film often classified by critics as a drama movie with eclectic scenes consisting of the violent and the humorous, and is a 154-minute masterpiece by director Quentin Tarantino.... pulp fiction presents a story that connects the lives of different people with different evil agenda acting their roles in a society with no values.... The characters in the movie are a mixed breed, thus attesting to the senseless pulp fiction quality of the movie....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Plot Segmentation of Pulp Fiction

The "Plot Segmentation of pulp fiction" paper aims to analyze the plot segmentation of the movies "pulp fiction".... Doing the plot segmentation was important in understanding the structure and narrative of the film.... The film begins with where it will end.... The Dinner (From the start of the film) A....
1 Pages (250 words) Movie Review

Psychology: Optimism, Pessimism, and Behaviour Control

This paper "Psychology: Optimism, pessimism, and Behaviour Control" gives excellent examples of articles, researches and reports that aim to view the human's behaviour, how to control it, describes physiologic conditions, and also researches the term of loneliness and its affection on our health....
10 Pages (2500 words) Annotated Bibliography

The Genre Film Noir

From this work it is clear about some examples of film noir such as The Setup and the Big Sleeper and some contemporary examples are Twelve Monkeys and Seven.... This work called "film noir" describes classic Hollywood crime dramas that were made during the '40s and '50s.... film noir is primarily characterized by dark visual that matches the theme and the plot of the movie.... is one of the best examples of a film noir as it embodies all characteristics and elements of one....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us