Pulp Fiction Opening

The opening scene of this film is strange compared to the other ones I have analyzed because this is not part of the story line to the film, until the very end where the characters appear again in another restaurant robbery. The opening is told through the narrative of a couple sitting in an American diner drinking coffee, the opening gets the audience more involved as there is no music being played only diegetic noise can be heard.

Before the action starts, there is an epigraph, like that in 'Ronin' it explains the meaning of the name with a dictionary interpretation of the word Pulp. It also gives us an indication of what the film is like when it says 'a magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper' suggesting that this film is vivid, shocking with the characters and settings being rough and untamed. This added with the first scene reinforces those thoughts.

From the black screen with the dictionary definition the camera cuts to a shot of two people a man and a woman sitting in an American diner. the camera is placed at the end of the table so the lurid orange chairs can be seen and so the two people are seen talking to one another, in front of a large window with slatted blinds (thriller signifier). The two people are talking about doing something risky when their conversation is cut short and we see a close-up shot of a waitress's face asking if they want more coffee this distracts from the conversation and is quite a jumpy shot designed to make the audience feel insecure and unsafe. The next shot is from the point of view of the man looking at the woman opposite and the waitress's hand in between pouring the coffee. The woman he is looking at appears dreamy and angelic, showing his love and care for her.

It then returns to the original shot used at the end of the table to create the full picture as the waitress stops pouring and we see her midriff walk past the screen. The topic of conversation has progressed to robbing banks so the characters are slowly revealing what they were mysteriously talking about earlier. We see the woman from the man's point of view as a mid shot of her at the other side of the table makes it feel as if she is asking the audience 'You wanna rob banks?', however the audience is now detached from the action as the narrative keeps swapping when they are talking with simple mid shots from each others point of view as they ask and answer questions. this effect is to get the audience interested in what the people are saying but not to get them too involved with the characters because they are not the main protagonists.

The shots become more sophisticated now with an over the shoulder shot looking at the man talking about the phone and the bank and then an over-the-shoulder shot behind the man looking at her response that she does not wish to kill as she lays her head on the table she is almost childlike. there is now an added zoom on the first over the shoulder shot to emphasize that the man is saying he will kill if he has to, also the slow zoom keeps all focus on him as if he is all the woman wants and has in the world.

The next shot shows the point of view as if you were sitting behind them both, in another booth, and taking an objective view of the couple yourself. We are back to the recurring shot from the start where we see them both clearly from the end of the table and a waitress walks past; we hear her speak and we watch her midriff walk past but that is it. The couple carry on talking and the narrative is swapping again from the woman's to the mans point of view as we see what they see when they are being asked and answering questions. This technique is very unusual, Tarantino has used it purposefully to make sure the audience do not get to involved with either one of the characters and also to symbolise that these two come as a pair and they do not work alone.

As the action gets closer the shots get a little faster with the first being that of an extreme close-up of a gun slammed on the table by the man which is the first sign of real danger from the couple. Then a close-up intimate shot of them kissing over the table top in front of the slatted blinds suggests the adrenaline they are feeling and their urgency at their proposed task. From a long shot of the table we watch in the point of view of a customer as the man jumps on to the chair waving a gun as the view pans up and shouting 'This is a robbery'. This is the last shot as the woman walks to the forefront of the shot shouting shrilly that no one should move lest they be shot, her voice is scary leaving the audience with the feeling that they want to get out of there as the customers are probably feeling as well. The shot stands still and 'Pump it' by the Black Eyed Peas starts playing in a kick ass manner with its fast pace and jumpy tune keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. as the credits roll.