American Cinematographer - October 2002 - 21

and

notoriety that all filmmakers dream

of, but few

ever

matic

impact.
This DVD doesn't offer audio

achieve.

Many critics hailed Tarantino as
cinema's Second Coming, breathlessly
comparing him to titans like Coppola,
Scorsese and even Welles. As Roger
Ebert noted while analyzing Tarantino-

commentaries, but it does present an
abundance of extras that vary

had left his clothes at the

in value. A
"documentary" titled Pulp Fiction: The
Facts presents fewer facts than flattery
for Tarantino, who is, predictably, hailed
as a genius by his collaborators. Some¬
what more interesting is a Siskel & Ebert
show devoted entirely to the Pulp
phenomenon. Ebert opines that Taran¬
tino, like Welles, "makes good movies
and has a flair for self-promotion," while

The dissenters'

the late Gene Siskel observes that "like

mania, "He's been called the first direc¬
Others,
however, were not so easy with their

tor who's a rock 'n' roll star."

praise, and
to

some even

had the audacity

suggest that this particular emperor

dry cleaner's.
perspective was perhaps
best articulated by LA. Times critic
Kenneth Turan, who deemed Pulp Fiction
"not worthy of sustained veneration."
The recent release of

a

two-disc

Collector's Edition DVD

gives us a
chance to reassess Tarantino's signature
film. The picture is essentially a flashy
blend of 1970s pop-culture references
and classic film-noir plot contrivances
(the boxer who's bribed to throw the big
fight, the gangster who's tempted by his
boss's wife), but these familiar motifs
have been reconfigured in a way that
manages to both stimulate and flatter
the hip, postmodern sensibility. Beneath

the ironic veneer, however, is a story
with moral/Biblical overtones that

explores the consequences of sin and
the possibility of redemption. While the
film indisputably boasts strong perfor¬
mances and some very tasty dialogue
(the screenplay earned an Oscar for
Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary),
the pacing of the 2 1/2-hour tale can
seem a tad leisurely now that the story's
inventive twists

are

so

familiar. But

Tarantino's sheer love of movies

-

push their creative potential
through.
Fans will be pleased that the
picture has finally received a true
widescreen transfer that does justice to
the film's richly hued, pin-sharp images,
which were crafted by underrated Polish
cinematographer Andrzej Sekula.
Sekula's photography lends the film a
crisp, grain-free look with colors that
truly pop onscreen, and the effective use
of Steadicam and low, wide angles (for
still shines

both dramatic and comedic effect)
contributes greatly to the picture's cine¬

pictures

[Pulp Fiction] critiques

Also included is

an episode of The
during which the
hyperkinetic Tarantino discusses his
history and cinematic influences (who

Charlie Hose Show,

vision

include Hawks, De Palma, Fuller, Scors¬
ese,

Leone, Godard and Melville). Quickly

debunking the popular myth of his
"overnight success," the filmmaker
admits that "whatever
has

success

I've got

from like

eight years of nothing
working out." When Rose points out,
"You've taken novelistic techniques and
come

Acting
Cinematography
Directing
Documentary
Music Videos

Producing

translated them to cinema," Tarantino

Screenwriting

nothing that "novelists have
always had just a complete freedom to
pretty much tell their story any way they
see fit. That's kind of what I'm trying to
do. Now, the thing is, for both novels and
film, 75 percent of the stories you're
gonna tell will work better on a
dramatically engaging basis... [if they're
told in] a linear way. But there is that 25
percent out there that can be more reso¬
nant by telling [the story] this way."

Special Effects

agrees,

and

AA

more...

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Other bonus material includes

and

his desire to

-

all great films,
other movies."

motion

deleted

scenes,

behind-the-scenes

footage of the stylish Jack Rabbit Slim's
dance sequence and the tale's jarring
"T-bone"

film's

car

crash,

a

featurette

on

the

production design,

some giddy
by Michael
Moore as Pulp cleaned up at the Inde¬
pendent Spirit Awards, a clip of Taran¬
tino's Palme d'Or acceptance speech at
Cannes (during which he gives the
finger to a persistent female heckler), a

interviews

collection

conducted

of

reviews

and

articles

analyzing the film, and trailers.
Stephen Pizzello »-

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American Cinematographer - October 2002

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - October 2002
