Pulp Fiction: This Is A Tasty Burger!

Next is the cult classic Pulp Fiction (dir. Quentin Tarantino 1994). This neo noir film filled with black comedy is highly stylized and features a very non linear storyline. In the pivotal apartment scene we see hitmen Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) on the way to retrieve a briefcase for their boss Marsellus Wallace. What transpires is a tense interrogation broken up with Jules' hamburger conversation followed by the now infamous bible verse speech ending in the assassination of the apartment dwellers.

Big Kahuna Burger

"Say what again"

 Tarantino utilizes mise en scène in this passage to flesh out his world in similar ways to Reservoir Dogs (1992). The suits and guns are again, periodically correct. This attention to detail is a staple of Tarantino films, as they are the best way to create "authentic locations"(64). However in tandem with this we see Tarantino utilize what Corrigan describes as "private mise en scène". Described as "how a person arranges and decorates a room"(64), this feature is utilized through showing mess and clutter to illustrate a natural apartment environment.  The hamburger, while used as a narrative device for Jules to raise the tension is also indicative of a young flat environment. The use of a real apartment set and natural lighting only help in fleshing out this world. With Corrigan confirming sets as some of "the most fundamental features of mise en scène" (70), it is understandable that Tarantino would focus in on this feature of the film.

Vincent Vega and the briefcase

Tarantino uses the briefcase Jules and Vincent come to retrieve as a "metaphorical prop". Corrigan elaborates on this idea as "objects reinvented or employed for an unexpected, even magical purpose"(72). With conflicting reports and without it being stated within the film the briefcase contents have remained unknown. While some have claim it is Marsellus' soul, or just a sum of money illuminated, it can only be truely identified as an object of desire for Marsellus Wallace. This prop helps to add an element of mystique and mystery to Tarantino's world as everything up to this point has been within the realm of the realistic. This is interesting due to the bible passage that directly follows Vincent opening the briefcase. That would attribute religious connotations to the briefcase. Directly following the bible passage we can see Jules and Vincent utilize their guns as "instrumental props" (72) as bullet casings fly from the gun, further adding to the realism and authenticity of the scene.

Through Tarantino's utilization of mise en scène we are afforded a richer understanding of the world he is building and in our next instalment we will be investigating how he uses these functions to create a world in stark contrast to his neo noir films. Next up is Kill Bill.