Quentin Tarantino's Trademarks

“When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, 'no, I went to films'"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXlYnRggsB8

Quentin Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American director, actor, and writer. His career as a film director began when he wrote and directed the amateur film My Best Friend’s Birthday in 1987. It wasn’t until 1992, with the release of Reservoir Dogs, that his career as an independent filmmaker started. Although the film was generally well received, even deemed as the “greatest independent film of all time” by Empire, it was with the major success of Pulp Fiction (1994), his next film, that its popularity increased. Several critics and scholars went as far as labeling his second film as one of the most important works of modern cinema.

Tarantino has developed a personal style which is easy to identify for those who’ve seen several of his movies. Below are some of the director’s principal trademarks:

Explicit Violence:

Tarantino is fascinated by violence and believes “violence is one of the most fun things to watch.” This can easily be seen in his movies— it’s one of the main ways in which the director advances the plot of his films—the climax is frequently very violent and includes several deaths. There is a sort of aestheticization of violence in his films, which are filled with blood, profanities, and destruction.

Tarantino’s main characters almost always have either a blade or a gun, which they are not hesitant to use. Every one of his films shows a gracious act of violence, at times realistic, like in Reservoir Dogs, and others comical or artistic, as in Kill Bill (2003).

The violent characteristics in his films come from a combination of different genres. For instance, even though Kill Bill has a modern revenge plot, the film features several hand to hand combats and sword fights one may typically relate to kung-fu films. Grindhouse (2007) pays homage to the comical amount of violence in 70’s camp movies. Jackie Brown (1997) shows recognition to blacksploitation films and is a crime drama. Elements of western films can be seen in all his films, as in the Mexican standoffs in the climax of Reservoir Dogs.

Extended Dialogue Scenes:

The director’s films are dominated by dialogue. In fact, the audience gets to know the characters, setting and understand the plot, through it.

The subject of the dialogue doesn’t always have to do with the plot itself; however, it serves to develop the different characters’ personality and morals. This can be seen in Pulp Fiction when Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace banter in the Jack Rabbit Slims Restaurant. Or in the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs when Mr. Pink starts an argument about tipping a waitress— even though the topic of the characters’ conversation isn’t related to the plot, it serves to show how Mr. Pink isn’t easily persuaded and has strong, sometimes stupid, opinions.

Common settings for dialogue scenes in the director’s films are in a car and in a diner, both which can be seen in Pulp Fiction, such as when Vincent and Jules are speaking about France, or in the opening scene, when Pumpkin and Honey Bunny are planning a robbery in the diner.

The director usually sets up violence through dialogue scenes between enemies, who are often disguised to one another or to the audience to hide their real motives, which are later revealed through dialogue. The problem keeps on escalating during the dialogue, leading to a violent climax. For example, in Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), the audience doesn’t know the extent of how menacing Bill is until the final dialogue scene with Beatrix, which ended in the last fight.

Tracking Shots and Long Takes:

The filmmaker often uses these types of shots with the purpose of giving the illusion to the audience that they are following the character without cuts or edits. For example, in Jackie Brown, there is a long take where Ordell lays Beaumont in his car’s trunk and later shoots him. In Kill Bill, Tarantino uses a tracking show when The Bride walks into the HOBL bathroom, then Charlie Brown and the HOBL owner go to O-Ren’s room where Sofie Fatale comes out from and walks to the bathroom where The Bride is.

Title Cards:

Since Tarantino rarely presents his films in chronological order and makes major use of flashbacks and flashforwards, to organize his films he uses title cards. These consist of words in the screen which explain either a movie segment, the setting, or even a character itself, as is seen in Reservoir Dogs.

For example, Pulp Fiction isn’t in chronological order, so the director divided the film into various segments by using title cards, the first being “Prologue - Diner” and the last “Epilogue - Diner.” This serves to help the audience comprehend the break between one point in time with another.

Tarantino’s Universe

It can be said that all of Tarantino’s films, except for perhaps Jackie Brown (since it was based on a novel and wasn’t his original creation), belong to the same universe.

First off, his films repeat names, events and places in other films. For example, in Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Blonde is one of the only characters whose complete name is revealed, this being Vic Vega, showing a connection to Pulp Fiction, which features his brother, Vincent Vega.

There are also recurring characters such as sheriffs Earl and Edgar McGraw. Earl makes his first appearance in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), film in which he is shot. Then, in Kill Bill: Volume 1, both characters investigate the murder at the chapel. Later on, in the Grindhouse films, Edgar plays an important role. Finally, Earl makes an appearance in Death Proof (2007) .

Also, arising from his hatred towards product placement, Tarantino has created fake brands of items which appear in more than one film. For example, he invented G.O Juice, a brand of juice which appeared on a billboard in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and then again in Death Proof when Abernathy is drinking it in the car. Another Tarantino product includes his Red Apple Cigarettes, which appear in Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: Volume 2, among others. He even created a fictional restaurant “Big Kahuna Burger,” a Hawaiian burger joint referenced in Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Death Proof and in From Dusk Till Dawn.

Bibliography:

Perno, G S. “Directors' Trademarks: Quentin Tarantino.” Cinelinx, 27 Dec. 2015, www.cinelinx.com/movie-stuff/item/8757-directors-trademarks-quentin-tarantino.html.

“Quentin Tarantino's Trademarks.” The Quentin Tarantino Archives, https://wiki.tarantino.info/index.php/Quentin_Tarantino%27s_Trademarks.