I. Introduction
Darkness is an empty word. At least it is until it has context and meaning thrust upon it. Film noir is a name given to a series of films which originated in the United States around the 1940s. These films often followed a formula involving darkness, mysterious and troubled characters, nihilistic undertones, and a confound unfolding of the passage of time. Breathless, directed by Jean Luc Godard, was somewhat of a French-made parody of these American films, for instance, the main character, Michel, attempting to molding himself after Humphrey Bogart, and his lover, Patricia, encompassing the role of a femme fatale. Whereas, Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino, and released in 1994, is a sort of new-age film noir, with …show more content…
Film Noir derived from the cheap crime novel paperbacks sold in the United States, and the self-proclaimed meaning behind Pulp Fiction’s name preaches a similar effect: moldable, shapeless material contained in a book, somewhat like a mystery. However, Pulp Fiction is not necessarily a Film Noir, it shares many of the same aspects of such, but also incorporates elements that do not fit under the category. The primary film personas include Vincent, Jules, and Butch; they are all troubled, no stranger to crime, and disillusioned in their own way, however, as Trevor Lynch references in his analysis of Pulp Fiction, all three of these characters have a loyalty to something they place above anything else. In regards to Vincent, it is his desires, his desire to eat, use drugs, and other commonplace material desires of man. In terms of Jules it is his spirituality, and in terms of Butch it is his pride. All three of them think that these ‘loyalties’ are within their control, when in fact their actions and the consequences of those actions are completely controlled by this blind loyalty. It is why Butch killed the other boxer, and it is why Vincent ended up dead and why Jules did not. Vincent, Jules, and Butch are all secretive, cynical characters with an air of gloom. They are all criminals running away from somebody within the film, for instance, Butch running away from Marcellus Wallace, and Jules and Vincent …show more content…
It can be a mood, an atmosphere, a formula, or a character dynamic. However, both Godard’s Breathless and Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction share huge resemblance to Film Noir, while at the same time introducing their own spin onto it. For instance, the characters follow a code, whether it be through impersonation, coincidence, or adherence to an archetype. Also, both films provide striking contrasts between the melancholy and the excitement, in Breathless’ case it would be the moments of reflection versus the constant avoidance of the law, whereas in Pulp Fiction’s case it would be ‘normal’ Los Angeles versus the dark world, full of drugs, violence, and deception. Lastly, both films encompass unconventional ways of unfolding the plot, whether it be through games with time, or with dramatic irony. In conclusion, both Breathless and Pulp Fiction employ features of Film Noir, while still incorporating the director’s individual stylistic
Darkness is an empty word. At least it is until it has context and meaning thrust upon it. Film noir is a name given to a series of films which originated in the United States around the 1940s. These films often followed a formula involving darkness, mysterious and troubled characters, nihilistic undertones, and a confound unfolding of the passage of time. Breathless, directed by Jean Luc Godard, was somewhat of a French-made parody of these American films, for instance, the main character, Michel, attempting to molding himself after Humphrey Bogart, and his lover, Patricia, encompassing the role of a femme fatale. Whereas, Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino, and released in 1994, is a sort of new-age film noir, with …show more content…
Film Noir derived from the cheap crime novel paperbacks sold in the United States, and the self-proclaimed meaning behind Pulp Fiction’s name preaches a similar effect: moldable, shapeless material contained in a book, somewhat like a mystery. However, Pulp Fiction is not necessarily a Film Noir, it shares many of the same aspects of such, but also incorporates elements that do not fit under the category. The primary film personas include Vincent, Jules, and Butch; they are all troubled, no stranger to crime, and disillusioned in their own way, however, as Trevor Lynch references in his analysis of Pulp Fiction, all three of these characters have a loyalty to something they place above anything else. In regards to Vincent, it is his desires, his desire to eat, use drugs, and other commonplace material desires of man. In terms of Jules it is his spirituality, and in terms of Butch it is his pride. All three of them think that these ‘loyalties’ are within their control, when in fact their actions and the consequences of those actions are completely controlled by this blind loyalty. It is why Butch killed the other boxer, and it is why Vincent ended up dead and why Jules did not. Vincent, Jules, and Butch are all secretive, cynical characters with an air of gloom. They are all criminals running away from somebody within the film, for instance, Butch running away from Marcellus Wallace, and Jules and Vincent …show more content…
It can be a mood, an atmosphere, a formula, or a character dynamic. However, both Godard’s Breathless and Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction share huge resemblance to Film Noir, while at the same time introducing their own spin onto it. For instance, the characters follow a code, whether it be through impersonation, coincidence, or adherence to an archetype. Also, both films provide striking contrasts between the melancholy and the excitement, in Breathless’ case it would be the moments of reflection versus the constant avoidance of the law, whereas in Pulp Fiction’s case it would be ‘normal’ Los Angeles versus the dark world, full of drugs, violence, and deception. Lastly, both films encompass unconventional ways of unfolding the plot, whether it be through games with time, or with dramatic irony. In conclusion, both Breathless and Pulp Fiction employ features of Film Noir, while still incorporating the director’s individual stylistic