PULP FICTION - GOLD WATCH STORY film analysis by Rob Ager
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- Опубликовано: 26 дек 2024
- The Gold Watch story is far deeper and more symbolic than it's giverally given credit. This vid explores it's artistic depths
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SMALL CORRECTION: Butch's watch in his apartment reads 9:20 not 6:20.
This is an expanded and re-edited version of a 15 min vid I made several years ago. It includes lots of new thoughts and observations. And an extra detail I noticed after editing is that a gold car smashes into Butch's car when he crashes.
Really changes the way I see this film. It has actually been one of my least favorites of Q.T. How much is it going to cost me to get you to rewatch Natural Born Killers?
The metoo movement is an interesting angle as I have an odd feeling that one actor was set up to have his nose broken on camera on NBK. Filmed in a real prison, he makes it clear that Stone wanted to keep filming even when he knew what happened. Why? Looking back it might be as retaliation for what he likes to get into off set. See his naughty video release. The beginning sequence seems to be an indictment on actors and the culture of Hollywood. The behind the scenes make him seem like a prick too.
Consider the lead roles. Both victims of abuse but neither had ever been in a leading role. Woody's father was a hitman.
So, so much more...
The layers in this film are begging for a proper critical analysis.
NBK is on my list. aven't gotten a HD copy yet though.
Can you do a video on Children of Men, would ve awesome as Im doing an essay for it :)
Thank you for mentioning that this was a revision to an earlier piece. Watching it, i was getting a bit of unsettling déjà vu about it and was fearing Mandela Effect.
Collative Learning also the name palooka Vegas calls butch is slang for boxers that take dives.. and punchy is a nick name of a boxer in an old film that was suppose to take a dive in the 4th round in pulp it was the 5th.. that's why butch gives that fucked up look at VV and MW when they had a big hug.. it was like "wtf he knows I'm to take a dive"
I always assumed that Butch sort of froze up (like he hadn't decided what he was going to do) when he had Vincent at gun point in his apartment. The toaster popping up startled him and made him reflexively pull the trigger gunning him down.
Butch progresses from killing by accident (the boxing match), to killing by reflex (Vincent), to actively hunting and killing with relish (the hillbilly) by the end. Sounds like it could be a soldiers' experience in war.
Also, Butch gets taken out by an obnoxiously gold car (Trans Am?) after running down Marcelus.
No, that's a Camaro
Wow the parallel with a soldier's experience is trully special. War movies like saving Private Ryans show this so well as you see soldier's of different levels of experience who would react to war in one of those 3 ways.
Spot on!
Nice viewpoint. I thought that Butch understood early that Vincent was "the" hitman gangster, and would thwart Butch at every given opportunity, and so therefore Butch knew that he had to end Vincent if allowed the chance. This specific scene incorporated what you prescribed in a dramatic way to reveal Butch's strategy IMO.
I enjoyed this comment. Well thought out...
It's not a general store -- it's a pawn shop.
A pawn shop is a place where you hand over your things -- your legacy, your memories -- in order to get cash now. Butch had been forced by Marcellus to hand over his legacy, his pride, and when he double-crossed him, he made new debts. When he went back to get the watch, he was buying back his legacy -- paying off his debt to his father. Now he's at the pawn shop to pay off his debt to Marcellus.
A pawn shop is a place where you incur debts -- and repay them to regain what is properly yours. Or, in failure, you never repay your debt, and you lose your rights to your property.
Wow, never thought about that. Smart analysis there. Thanks.
Some people go to pawn shops to purchase items at a not-so discounted price. And some go to sell stolen goods.
Thank yooooooouuuu!
Spot on
Just fucking stop, you incredible dork
"Death sentence for a verbal insult is pretty harsh" He's a murdering hitman who was there to kill him.
lol yup
@Mr Sir It was Marcellus' gun. He went out for coffee, didn't figure Butch'd get the drop on Vincent while he was dropping a deuce.
You could argue that Butch really doesn't want to kill, (keeping in with the redemption theme) however after seeing this specific Hitman from the Bar, he doesn't hesitate. Ur point is more just good movie logic, while the video is looking for more of a deeper insight.
@@adriandurlej9266 I believe he DID hesitate. They stood there, mutually amazed that they're staring at the other, and the sound of the toaster popping up the toaster pastries startled Butch's warrior-family reflexes into action.
Thank you. He killed a guy who was there to kill him. And you know, for taking a shit...
Butch killed vincent because vincent was a paid hitman in his house who was paid to kill him.
@@greatest_bumble_bee_dude *a Butch
I don't think the British believe in the concept of self defense.
manmadegod100 that’s right
Moreover -- Vincent Died because he was not under some form of Divine Protection. Did he die because Jules wasn't there to talk sense? The bullet dodge at the beginning ....
jamespfp I did a video where I said the same thing, truly. He didnt take the sign from god and like U said he wasn’t protected.
You're wrong in one thing. I don't think the Gimp actually wants to be freed. The way he behaves makes me think that this kind of thing is actually his fetish. Plus: The Gimp tried to inform Zed and the other guy that Butch escaped by trying to scream. Butch is therefore justified in not freeing him, but knocking him out to make sure Zed doesn't hear him.
GeoStreber I just think he is there so long that he was tortured into absolute submission. Maybe even developed a dependance or Stockholm syndrome on his abusers to being able to cope mentally with the situation.
This guy is grasping at straws. I really don't believe all these connections he's making are intentional
Maybe yes... maybe no. Maybe we gotta ask Tarantino and his answer would be "has no meaning really". That's the problem with over analyzing thins, people get lost and in some cases (art even politics) see genius, truth, refferences where in reality it was a non related line or a phrase in a script.
I agree. I read The Gimps behavior as saying, "you're mine" (not, "you're me" or "you're here to replace me". The Gimp was letting Butch know that when it was Butch's turn to be raped, The Gimp was going to do the raping. The Gimp is not a victim in this at all.
@@whome5933 Why is is it hard to believe 'intentionality'? I am collector and every single thing in my home is placed in regard to colour, function etc, deliberately, and I'm just a schmuck doing it for myself. A genius film-maker like Tarantino would spend any amount of time ensuring his meaning is displayed symbolically. There is no reason to believe that these things are NOT intentional; it's the medium for god's sake.
The kangaroo holding the gold watch is symbolic of boxing, as kangaroos also box.
The ceramic piece has the kangaroo wearing gloves and putting up his dukes.
Butch sings along with song lyrics Captain Kangaroo ....
I missed all these references. Thank you all.
Quinn Rollen same. I never really caught the detail.
My Dad had that exact same kangaroo, only it was orange not tan. Always wondered if it was a common household item back in the day
Brilliant analysis! I never realised there was so much subtext in Pulp Fiction.
One thing I just realised after watching this: I think there also a lot more symbolism being the choice of the samurai sword, aside by its vaguely Eastern origin. Since this is a pawn shop, the sword was likely picked up by a World War 2 veteran after killing a Japanese soldier in the Pacific, brought home to the USA, and then his child inherited it, who ultimately sold it for some cash. The exact opposite of Butch's decision.
I took it as a Samurai sword is often a weapon used honor in mind, atleast considering all the warrior references this makes sense, also considering he found it in the moment he showed his true character by going back to help Wallace. That's been my take anyways
Pretentious
@@josiahcone7506 you ever consider maybe Tarantino just thought it looked badass? He made two movies revolving around a katana-wielding woman for crying out loud, there’s not some deep hidden meaning behind every single thing on the screen.
@@BoxStudioExecutive
That's a sad way to look at art. Tarantino himself does put a lot of thought into his movies, down to the point of having intricate ties between characters from his different movies, like how Vincent Vega here in Pulp Fiction is Vic Vega's brother from Reservoir Dogs
@@itsPlasma06 Do you actually think artists jam symbolism into every shot, chord, or brush stroke? That they’ve transcended their own humanity and are incapable of doing something just because they think it looks or sounds cool?
Not to mention any parallel symbolism between a family heirloom and war trophy is a total stretch.
One obvious and bold war reference I didn't hear you note, but you show several times is Butch standing in the doorway of the pawn shop, contemplating either leaving or saving Wallace. He stands directly in front of a half-US/half-Confederate flag. Given all that happened before the fact that he stands on the Confederate side if he exits, but will move to the US side if he stays to help Wallace, a black man, shows again your point about honor and righteousness.
Omg
Smug Anime Girl literally nobody asked
@Charlie Bravo who
I wonder how many people know that the confederate army was fighting for soverignty from the dead legel fiction comeing back into a new country that had freed itself from the tyranny of martime law. If you know the truth about maritime law you would no the irony it was the confederates that where fighting to end the real version of slavery. But history is written by the winners and the good guys have yet to win here on earth. This is why we face the world we face now. But god remembers the saints through out the ages. And now that we approach the grand final soon those who laid down their lives in the spiritual war to retain gods soverignty will be remembered when judgement comes. Those that hide in the shadows that scheme to become gods themselves will face their judgement too. The Anunakai made us with their DNA. They gave us their selfawareness and knowledge (fruit from the tree of knowledge) but not the life span (fruit from the tree of life) When we are ready they will unlock it for those worthy. They already have with one of us. Sesudra (Noah) and his wife. Wether they are still here on earth or went back to niberu with the rest of the Anunaki they will still very much be alive today. For those that know the truth of our origins and use that knowledge to genetically unlock this capability before we are ready. Those that by default are not ready just by attempting this will be judged harshly. But so will those who fall for their tricks. They made it very clear. Those that wear the mark of the beast will be judged the same as the perpertraitors. Ignorance will not be excused thats why they warned us. So if ever there was a time to wake up its now. My people are destroyed through a lack of knowledge. This was not some flippiant remark. The more you know the truth the better your chances of not being deceived by the deciever.
And there it all is ! Ha!
PULP FICTION's color palette resonates with tones of yellow, orange, and red because its color palette is drawn straight from the predominant colors used on classic pulp magazine covers. Newsstands were crammed with dozens of magazines, and those three colors stood out the most vividly. A Google image search under "pulp magazine covers" shows this characteristic.
In movies no piece of furniture, no clock on the wall, a magazine on a table is there by accident. It was added or left in place. Either is a choice. I agree, colour, music, sound effects. So much has to go into making movies
They are also the colors of our childhood memories (gen x) because they were widely used in decor then completely fell out of use.
The color yellow, as a vibrant and distinct pigment, was new to print when pulp publications were hitting their peak. The yellow before was similar to the inside of a banana, but when that ink was made, it was adopted and pushed to the forefront as an eye-catching feature. That sensational blast of color went well with the themes of over the top machismo fighting the fiendish scoundrel and rescuing the voluptuous vixen. It was basically 80's action movies, in print, and on amphetamines
IMHO this is your best work yet. Incredibly insightful. Over the last couple years you've changed the way that I watch movies.
NPC man bad
@Gren Wren Has it ever occurred to you that maybe people who make movies for a living don't have the best political acumen?
@Gren Wren Obama was literally further right than reagan on everything but healthcare and gay rights
@K Ren i don't understand your comment. do you like Tarantino's politics or think he's a sheep?
I doubt you’d find a katana in a POW camp in Vietnam. Maybe it’s more of a reference to the Pacific in WW2.
Early vietnamese swords very much resemble katanas
Honestly I didn’t know that either. One side of me wants to say that you’re wrong in the symbolism. That it’s not that deep. But... it’s a QT movie, everything is symbolic, even the symbolism is symbolic.
Swords are prominent though many South East Asian cultures , Vietnam , Thailand , Cambodia , and Myanmar just to name a few .
The foreshadow for the infamous Hattori Hanzo sword. Youre welcome.
@@mcmoose64 they are also prominent in France, Germany, Italy, England, Scotland, Hungary, Arabia, etc. you’re talking out of your ass
It's such a small detail, and easy to miss, but I love the fact that Tarantino frames the scene where Marcellus Wallace stops in the street and sees Butch in his car in almost the exact technical particulars as the scene in Hitchcock's Psycho where Marion's boss sees her trying to escape with the money. It's a well-crafted homage and allusion that doesn't announce itself but is easy to spot if you're in the know.
I suspect that the background in the cab ride scene is also a reference to Psycho. Critics noted how Hitchcock shot that scene in a way that all the headlights you see in the rear mirror are always gaining on her as she's driving. The thinking being that this was a subliminal way of getting the audience to feel Janet Leigh's sense of trepidation about the prospect of getting caught after having stolen the money. But when Tarantino does it, it's meant to call attention to itself, which is a kind of meta film reference like all the others in his films.
Thank you, it was bugging me!
For me, this is easily the greatest performance of Bruce Willis' acting career.
I also think Christopher Walken was fantastic in the 'Gold Watch' scene, second only to his amazing performance opposite Dennis Hopper, in their 'Sicilians' scene from TRUE ROMANCE.
I know I'm a year late so I apologize, but was going to comment on that scene from True Romance when he said he believed this was Walkens best performance.
It wasn't really Walken's best performance but it certainly was Dennis Hopper's.
@@spoonman73 " I haven't killed anyone since 1984 "
Bruce Willis's greatest feat in acting was Die Hard
@@spoonman73 Ikr! Christopher Walken in Dead Zone or King of New York, anytime.
It's also confirmed that Butch was the one who keyed Vincent's car
How? Where/when?
@@unstopable96 Outside of the bar when Butch and Vince have words before Butch's meeting with Marsellus
I still believe this film is Tarantinos' best movie.
Yeah think so too. Res Dogs isn't far behind. I'm quite partial to inglorious Basterds too, some daring stuff in that movie.
I think Jackie Brown is his "best" film, if not necessarily my favorite.
And so does noone else in the world. *joke*
I think, Pulp is still my favorite. The western/slavery movie impressed me tho.
Reservoir is such an ugly, grim movie filled with people howling in agony from various wounds. The Chris Penn character is such a repulsive, arrogant narcissist, and there are really no likeable characters that I can recall.
It so impressed you that you cannot recall what it was called (Django Unchained).
I did not expect you to take a stab at the briefcase content, but you did, and it is the best explanation I've heard yet. Well done Rob.
A couple things.
A had a copy of the shooting script back in the 90's. There was some dialogue removed where Butch tries to psych himself up and in doing so spells out some of these themes. I'm glad it was cut, but it makes many of the points here.
There was also some very specific things that allude to the wars of his forefathers. Butch's girlfriend is French. His Great-grandfather fought in WWI in France. This was also in the script. Butch drives a Honda which is a Japanese car, while all the other cars featured in the movie are American. In the script we are also supposed to see the donut shop that is close to Butch's apartment where Wallace get's the donuts. It was supposed to be a Vietnamese Donut shop, it was probably cut for budgetary reasons.
Finally, I'll add this only because it is worth noting. Butch goes from passive to aggressive all because Vincent is a dick for no reason. It is possible that Butch had every intention of taking the dive until Vincent insulted him. It was the insult that made Butch double take Wallace's role. It was the insult that made Butch Key Vincent's car. And it was the reason that Butch Kills Vincent when he has the chance.
Mr Wolf drives a Japanese car as well.
I've always found Vincent's ineptitude fascinating. Nearly everything he does ends up causing him and the people around him, a great deal of pain and suffering, yet on the surface, he's Mr Cool. I'm not sure if that was done on purpose or not, but it's a fun little nugget to point out.
Agree --- more then just the insult, it was watching marcellus and vincent greet each other conveying their feelings about butch that he's just trash/expendable ....that's what lit butch's anger/rage.
Butch keys the car?! Fantastic
@@kahnjimmy81
Acura NSX is technically American.
This old video I've already watched a dozen times popped up on the top of my feed after commenting on your AI chat post yesterday. I love seeing more of you around. Your work, and more importantly your thoughts changed how I could use my mind. Thank you for everything.
After all your references to gold, how did you miss the gold camero that hits Butches car?
*Camaro
Also there’s another yellow car in the background in the shot of Marcellus when he looks up and sees it’s Butch in the car
Me and my dad never connect much on any level, but one of the few memories I have was watching this movie with him. It had just come out on VHS and we had no idea what we were in for. We shook our heads, laughed and giggled. Excellent movie.
Also notice with the watch that the time on the war watch is on 12, a boxer also goes 12 rounds.
Thanks for this "ANALysis" of the gold watch :D
lol I was going to post a comment like that......
Love how you promise not to do something then do it the same way Vincent promises to mind his business, laugh at her jokes and chew with his mouth shut, when on their... "outing" he asks the personal question about Tony Rocky Horror, talks with his mouth full, and promises *not* to laugh at her joke.
I'm genuinely surprised that I missed all of that despite knowing this movie pretty much by heart
"No man, I'm pretty fucking far from okay."
Makes me laugh hysterically every time and I don't know why.
Nice piece of Black Comedy. Underrated Line and Scene
Me too 😂😂, I think it's because when he says no man I'm pretty fucking far from ok it makes you think of what happened a couple of minutes ago, obviously he's pretty fucking far from ok 😂
Max Payne yea I mean I think it’s a great line and the delivery is spot on. Basically you think to yourself “yea I mean what was I expecting?”
My FAV is Butch deciding on his weapon 😂😂😂 The look on his face when he finally sees the sword, which I’m guessing is a hint of what’s to come in Kill Bill.
Just a detail: The motorcycle movie seen in Butch's hotel room is called The Losers (1970).
Nam Angels which you also refer to is the remake from 1989 and is not seen in Pulp Fiction.
This is an awesome analysis. Pulp Fiction is one of my favourite movies of all time, I watch it at least once a year, and still you caught many things which I never even thought about. I appreciate your work :)
aA
The Losers released on video as Nam's Angels is a 1970 American biker war film directed by Jack Starrett.
Magical video mate. Very thorough and I love the depth you have gone into with the hidden messages and tone observations. I studdied graphic design as a kid and art history. Very different mediums, but the use of symbolic metaphors and tone give sometimes more of a meaning in the subconscious than anything verbal or blatantly framed.
Jeeez, that was deep from me! Haha, but thanks mate, great watch and look forward to watching more!
What an outstanding analysis. You are by far the best movie analyst I’ve seen in a long time. In fact, if a movie analysis appears in my RUclips feed, I generally won’t bother watching it unless it’s from you. Very well done! There is one comment I should add, and that’s Maynard’s store is a pawn shop, not a general store.
Simply awesome analysis. The infiltration of a POW camp motif was something I had never picked up on, but now I can see it clear as day.
This is absolutely brilliant!
The GREATEST breakdown of one of my favourite films.
Knowledge is gold mate, thanks for creating this.
It is kind of obvious but I think it should be mentioned: this whole ordeal was not just about retrieving the watch, but also about making it significantly linked directly to butch. Before this episode, butch had not yet faced his definitive strugle. This is the story that butch will leave to his own kid, his own contribution in the long sequence of stories of the coolidge's family watch.
I thought something similar. Butch was a kind of fighter (a boxer) but he wasn't, as far as we know, a soldier. His character wasn't forged by the struggle of war. Until the ordeal with Marsellus, where he infiltrates his home while it's under enemy surveillance (as if it was an enemy base), fights and kills an enemy soldier posted there (Vincent), runs into and then evades and outwits Marsellus who is literally shooting at him, gets captured and imprisoned by an even worse enemy, escapes his captors, and returns to rescue Marsellus ("leave none behind") ... all of which is similar to some military mission where you could easily be shot, or perhaps captured and imprisoned for years in hellish conditions.
It was his "war watch" and going back to retrieve the watch put him into a war, just as if he'd been drafted. He could have slunk away like a thief with the money he'd won from Marsellus, and just left the watch. But he was at his core a fighter, like his forefathers, so he was compelled to take the more honorable path. As you said, it becomes the war story he will tell the next son in the family line.
@@spaceclown7650don't forget that he (however unintentionally) killed the other boxer immediately after having the dream about receiving the watch. The watch is connected, almost supernaturally, to war-like violence
@@greenfox7657 Yes that's true. Col. Koontz tells young Butch "This was your daddy's "war watch" and he wore it every day he was in that war." The word war (or "wore" which sounds the same) keeps popping up in descriptions of the watch.
Interesting, for what it's worth, I've often visually associated those mustard-yellow ranges of colors (also browns) with the 1970's, the decade which Tarantino is nostalgic about. While sometimes charming, those colors probably fell out of style cuz they can seem more like a discoloration of white due to age and neglect rather than being intentional.
yeah recently i've been watching all kinda movies and documentaries about the 70s and those colors were everywhere back then.. on couches, on wall paper, tables and chairs...etc..etc Alot of greens too.
I think a lot is the type of film too. Some types of films pick up light in different ways. For example: Kodachrome. In today’s production it would be a filter.
@@0oidiedinatimemachineo024 Yes! Kitchen appliances came in colors with names such as Avocado Green and Harvest Gold.
Also, in Kill Bill, yellow features prominently, both for Uma Thurman's stylized Bruce Lee type outfit, and on the movie poster itself. I wonder if yellow is a reference to Asian films and people, and Quentin Tarantino's homage to classic old samurai films, like The Seven Samurai.
I thought something similar. Earth tones like mustard yellow/orange/brown were big in the 70s and Tarantino does love the 70s. Those colors give things a 70s look. This makes sense in Butch's childhood home, where the scene literally takes place in the early 70s. But Tarantino uses these color schemes even in the present-day scenes, as if the 70s never quite ended.
Also do you remember what cereal Lance was eating when Vincent came over with Mia? Lance was eating Fruit Brute, a big GM-monster cereal in the same line as Frankenberry and Count Chocula, except unlike the others it was discontinued in the 70s (Yummy Mummy was another). I think they've brought it back recently, but in the early 90s when Tarantino made the movie, Fruit Brute wouldn't have been widely available (if at all).
I really like that the watch is on an extendable band, if you punch someone wearing a fixed metal or even leather wrist band, when you tighten all of your muscles just before landing the punch, it can actually break the watch band right off!
But Butch is a boxer and a fighter and he would know that from experience and the detail really fit and makes sense
I forget where I saw it, but apparently Bruce Willis asked for it to be on a stretch Speidel band to show that his character actually wears it regularly as opposed to it only being an heirloom
Holy smokes, it takes a really creative mind to turn a quick intro scene into a 30 minute dissertation.
And I enjoyed every second of it!
Excellent analysis.
One bit I wanted to point out was the neon sign in the pawn shop, that reads "KILL ED." When Butch picks up the keys to the chopper, there is a letter Z on the key ring. That would combine with the sign to read "KILL ZED," which he does by leaving him to suffer under the hands of Marcellus.
Life-changing video essay. All of the subtext and symbolism I never knew was there. Thanks mate.
This might very well be my favorite movie. I saw it 4 times in the theaters when I was in high school, and can probably still recite the majority of it from memory, as I've seen it dozens of times.
Watching this video and your recognition of the details makes me wonder if these contributed to my, and surely millions of others , appreciation of the movie, or if we just loved the cool story and these details just passed us by.
Either way, this is an amazing look at a masterpiece.
Roger Ebert did a DVD commentary on Citizen Kane that made the genius of that movie pop in incredible ways. If any of my friends said they didn't see why Citizen Kane was so highly regarded, I"d loan them that DVD and tell them to watch with that commentary and 100% of the time they'd respond with amazement. You've done the same thing with the scenes you've detailed in Pulp Fiction. You've captured the Butch story line perfectly, and there is surely more detail in the Date and Bonnie Situation stories as well as how the robber brings it all together. I'd patreon the shit out of that.
One of your best. Probably haven't seen enough to say that, and I have rolled my eyes hard at certain parts of other of your RUclips fare - but this is great. I literally LOL'd when you pointed at the "dad clock" (it was starring right at me a few times in that scene before you pointed it out, and then it was like it slammed into my face when you did) and I actually clapped my hands.
The light above Butch in the dressing room scene also very sun-like and with a similar geometry to the rug
I never knew how pivotal the gold watch was in this epic film. Thank you.
big fan from Morocco here , love your stuff
How's the political situation in Morocco? Not too many terrorist attacks I trust?
Chris Wright here things are pretty tight , there hasn't been terrorist attacks for a really long time . They always get people plotting to do sometimes and put them in jail .
Wow... just wow. Your analysis is always the most in-depth on RUclips. Very inquisitive and intensive. Please keep making these, I'm addicted!
just saw pulp fiction at the movie theater. the theater has been playing older movies. was pretty fun to see it on the big screen
Bro, your channel is the greatest and most interesting film school ever. Your analisys is just on a whole another level. Thank you for your unique wisdom.
Great work! I also noticed when you pointed out the Shoplifting sign, there is another sign above it, only partially visible where you can see the words "hours to redeem", definitely fits with the themes of Butch's story.
Wow, mind blown... I've been addicted to watching your analysis videos for a couple of days now. I admit I'm not always convinced on everything, but it's very interesting. They don't make em like they used to.
The whole movie for me was always: Being in right place at the right time. But that's just me. Maybe.
Great analysis. One note about the sound effects around 18:00 or so when you note the choice -- I'd also add in that while you are not wrong, the Valley has the busiest general aviation airport in the world (note I said general aviation, not commercial), the Van Nuys airport, so that area and areas like it (and I live there as a lifelong resident) often has those very airplane noises, as well as leaf blower and other noises. Lots of single engine Cessna's flying over, multiple flying schools at that airport, etc. The Valley and L.A. in general also has some weird zoning areas for light industrial, so you will sometimes (near me, for instance) find body shops adjacent to apartment blocks and single family homes. So from that POV, what Tarantino was depicting were realistic sounds for that environment. I say this as an almost 50 year local Val. Edit: Also, even in the non-Valley areas, there are a lot of plane noises. LAX, Burbank, Whitman, Seal Beach, OC, etc. There are something like maybe 20-30 airports in the L.A./OC County area, including military bases. So yeah, lots of plane noises during the day. He should have put a PD chopper in there too, you hear it multiple times a day here ferreting out different active calls. PD were the one thing missing from this movie entirely. That's a video topic itself, the lack of actual police.
One point: “palooka” is a slang term that means an old, retired or washed up boxer. It’s not a reference to that “Joe Palooka” comic.
How do you know that it is one and not the other? How do you know that it isn't referencing both meanings at once?
Edward Welsch
I always understood it to mean a boxer whose job it is to lose.
Such boxers are important to agents for padding their client's records, so they can get higher value fights.
Brando got a one-way ticket to Palookaville for this reason.
Texocracy Because the term palooka is an insult that predates the comic, and it’s a perjorative, whereas the comic is about a hero, which doesn’t make sense given the context. Why would Vincent refer to Butch as an obscure comic hero, rather than a common term for a crappy boxer?
Edward Welsch The comic named their hero after a pejorative term in order to invoke irony, establishing the hero as an underdog. A washed up boxer who can still go out and fight the Nazis. He's a war hero too, which fits in with the aesthetic of Butch and his family. So the word palooka will invoke all of its concurrent meanings (washed up boxer and the comic book hero). Vincent may have meant a washed up boxer, but to say that Tarantino who wrote the dialogue wasn't simultaneously invoking the heroic comic connotation of the word to the audience would be an assumptive guess. Being that Tarantino has encyclopedic pop culture knowledge, why would you believe he was unaware of this comic? If he is aware of it, then his use of the word can only be an intentional invokation of all of its potential meanings, especially given its unique relevance to the character of Butch.
chrisrus1965 I can see that, however I think the more accurate name for those guys who fight as stepping stones for better opponents are “journeymen” or (disrespectfully) “tomato cans.” I’ve been in gyms in the U.S. where older guys jokingly or self-deprecatingly use “palooka” to mean a boxer who is past his prime. Webster’s however says that it just means generally an unskilled boxer, even a rookie. In any case, there are some palooka journeymen, but not every journeyman is a palooka.
I think the clocks and gold lights are a guidance to where Butch is going. He seems to be following a metaphorical path set by his fore fathers, just like you stated with the Pow camp apartment scenes and the desire to run to the pacific.
You will notice the yellow sign when he leaves the apartment in the Honda pointing his way and then he comes across Marsellus in street only to run him over. Then a gold car crashes into him, perhaps symbolizing his fate is to resolve things with Wallace and not just get away.
When he is about to leave the store, Butch is on the left side of the frame with 2 gold license plates that seem to be pointing him back to Marsellus. Then he travels down the basement again with 2 clocks set to 4 o'clock with one slightly shaded with gold and the other is completely covered in gold light.
There are two paths that Butch can follow: the good, golden light path and the wrong, white light path. The wrong path always seems to be light by white light instead of golden light. example, The gimp is covered in white light as well as the electro shock machine but Butch's hands are covered in gold. If butch doesn't stop them then his fate is to become the gimp.
I think proof of all of this is when he is going down the stairs again. The clocks set to 12 o'clock are covered in white light but the clocks pointing down the basement are gold.
Maybe also the clocks at 12 o'clock signify high time, the hour when a hero answers the call. Clocks show noon in the speech from his childhood and in that scene in the basement.
With the retreiving of the watch, I see the dogs barking and the engine sounds more like a tell of Butch's feelings, and these sounds communicate those feelings to the audiance.
Dogs barking is too mean that Butch is afraid that he will be discovered and the audiance and Butch assumes the dogs are barking at him. The engine soundeffects when leaving communicates something similar but about being chased, like a police spotting helicopter during a car chase.
Utterly, utterly brilliant. You've enhanced one of my all time favourite films. Thank you.
Maybe this is a stretch, but to add to the color themes, the curtains in Butch's childhood home vaguely resemble a German flag. Perhaps another detail to reference WWII ancestral battles?
Yeah I noticed that. Didn't put it in the vid as wasn't too convinced, but glad to see someone else noticed it too.
I noticed that as well, but i guess Tarantino would have used the black/red/white colors, if he wanted to make that connection.
Also the locker room where Butch wakes up from his dream has a light overhead that has a metal guard, that looks like the hands of a wtch.
Rob Ager has the best film analyses on RUclips, or anywhere else. Takes me back to college as an English major at U of Iowa.
Good analysis, I was surprised you didn't mention how it is implied in the film that it was Butch who scratched (keyed) Vincent Vegas car.
Is that implied within the film? I don't recall that, but it somehow makes sense
You truly do notice everything. Superb analysis. Great video.
The record player is so noone can hear whats going on, and the gimp is part of the establishment NOT a victim. He is looking forward to torturing them.
You’re still the best at this game Rob, thanks!
This is my favorite segment in the film.
I've watched quite a few analyses of yours and at times, I've thought you were really reaching there. But honor where honor is due: This take here is highly interesting and insightful. Good job!
Like when Butch rides away on a 'chopper' making the connection to 'helicopter', when a 'golden key' is inserted into a 'golden lock'...
Whatever, a bit of a stretch doesn't hurt.
Big fan from Iran! Love your stuff!
I watched Pulp Fiction on DVD last week as i hadn't seen it in a good while. It's a unique innovative masterpiece of a movie. Very good review of the Gold Watch Story you've done.
There is no saving the gimp. The gimp if not killed outright by the punch dies by hanging. Yes the actor is wearing a harness, but you can see earlier he is supposed to be attached to a leash.
Yeah the gimp is clearly dead, hard to tell if it was the punch or hanging. Butch clearly has deadly hands and its a bare knuckle punch from a very upset Butch.
They deserved it - in fact they were mercy kills ( except for the one that the mob boss shot ).
They were all guilty of multiple source serious criminally indictable offences which could have very well led to a lengthy prison sentence so basically butch should have just escaped the hock shop and dialed emergency services so them dopes including the bad security guard could spend the rest of their lives locked up behind bars in the slammer
I think they also show Butch flashing Zed's gold key chain for his chopper. It's also a gold Trans Am or Camaro that hit's Butch-showing the parallel dangers the gold watch brought it's wearers and the mortal danger soldiers face.
On a different note people have wondered why Vincent didn't come out of the bathroom with all the noise Butch makes while also leaving an Uzi on the table. It's not his Uzi-it's Wallace's who'd gone out for coffee and donuts while waiting for Butch. So a double whammy in that Butch use's Wallace's own Uzi to take out Vincent.
Do you not just think Butch got spooked by the pop tarts popping up from the toaster rather than a decisive intention to murder Travolta. I've always thought that?
Jonny Wilson Absolutely. It’s just simply great film making. I always loved how happy & shit he was and how minute and mundane the act of throwing a couple pop tarts in the toaster thinking he was safe at that point. It’s so routine I almost always miss when he does it.
Jonny Wilson that’s what I thought. When he checks on him in the bathroom he looks like “oh shit”
Yeah maybe even saying the toaster dinging triggers his instinct to react much like a boxer waits for the bell to commence the fight, far reach but worth identifying.
Word. That book v.v. was reading is Modesty Blaise.
@@chocopuffs9161 Holy shit! I think you are right on. The Tarts pop, the bell rings, Butch's instinct is to "come out swinging". I've seen this movie twenty times and I'll never look at that scene the same again.
The only tidbit I can add to this excellent analysis is this: It is customary in the US to fly the American flag on the left, then any other country goes to the right. In the pawn shop, the Dixie battle flag hangs to the left of the US flag, so it's obvious where the sympathies of the pawn shop owners lie.
Fairly solid analysis. I think you've done a great job here. I have one tiny piece of advice. I think you're being far too careful about suggesting things might be incidental or happy accidents. I'm a professional TV writer/producer in Hollywood and have spent a lot of time on both film and television production sets. As a general rule, almost everything you see or hear in a professional film is deliberate and intentional. For example, it's inconceivable that there would be background radio sounds that were not 100% deliberately chosen and placed. Or allowing for the even the remote possibility that the color in the alleyway may have been a color timing oversight is far too careful. Even that yellow sign pointing Butch's way seems more likely than not to me to have been placed.
You may know all of that already and are just caveating because you fear your audience might not know this; but as a general rule, when you're dealing with world-class directing talent, you're far safer assuming every single detail, no matter how minute, was considered and chosen.
Rob, thanks man for such a Deep insight into movies and no so philosophically “profound” as other reviews try to. Great content here.
For what it's worth, the French word for butterfly is Papillon, perhaps another POW reference. My question has always been: will Marcellus forgive Butch for killing Vincent?
I’ve wondered about that as well. Marcellus let’s Butch go for saving him but what was Marcellus’ reaction when he later found out that Butch machined-gunned Vincent? We know Marcellus really liked Vince and liked/trusted him enough to chaperone his woman while he was out of town.
Also a butterfly on young Butch’s living room wall.
Good question, as Marcellus didn’t know Vincent was dead. But it would’ve been interesting to see his reaction when he found out.
Great analysis. Pulp Fiction is one of the greatest films ever made.
Butch rescued his father from the belly of the whale ;)
His dead father no less
but did he clean his room?
You sound like a couple of lobsters
L O B S T E R S A S S E M B L E
A Pulp Fiction analysis video that actually isn't about the briefcase! And, it is superb! This is the quality of insight I always hope to get in other videos, and I'm always let down. Thanks, I look forward to watching more of your work!
Here's my question: Did Butch kill the other boxer directly in the fight, or indirectly, as part of his scheme to rip off Marsellus? Was it a regular knock out in the fight that only turned fatal when Marsellus met back in the lockers wanting to know how his fixed fight got unfixed? He would likely be offed for potentially being in on it or for not being prepared enough as a boxer to try to make the fix happen when Butch got uppity in the ring.
Though, even if Marsellus' goons did the actual deed, Butch was still responsible in knowing his actions would likely condemn the other fighter as well as his trainer for the possibility of being accessories to Butch's plan.
I'd say, that the knockout killed him. Because they broadcasted it on the radio. If some goons dragged him in a cellar somewhere, the radio guys wouldn't know it shortly after the fight.
The way Butch reacted when he heard Wilson died, I think it was not his intent.
The strong implication is that the other fighter is one that Marcellus is acting as agent for, so Marcellus gets 10% of Willson’s fee for the fight. Marcellus will have told him that he will fix the fight to get him ready for as challenger for a title defence to make money as a horizontal heavyweight. So Wilson is expecting Coolidge to take a dive in the 5th and hasn’t trained properly and therefore isn’t strong enough to withstand the beating Coolidge gives him hence dies in the ring.
I think Marcellus has been eyeing Butch as a potential horizontal heavyweight but he is too honest to accept that and wanted an honest try at the big time.
Also Wilson was the president that sent Butch’s father to WWI having been elected in 1916 on a promise of neutrality. Coolidge became president in 1923 after the death of Harding who won the 1920 election. Wilson also died in 1924. That, the samurai sword and the Vietnam references are all call backs to Butch’s ancestry.
Best film analysis channel ever. Thank you, Rob.
Got a couple of notes:
1) In the scene where Marsellus is telling Butch to throw the fight, Butch's face is only half covered in red. Not only does this suggest that he's hiding his outrage, but that he is two-faced (pretty blatant parallel to depictions of Janus) and intends to betray Marsellus without considering any other option. His mind was made up already.
2) It's interesting that Marsellus uses the term 'Indochina' in relation to Butch going into hiding given that this is what Vietnam was called under French rule and Butch is going into hiding with his French girlfriend. Also jumping out of a bowl of rice seems to invoke guerilla warfare to me.
I think butchs fave is half lit because hes betraying himself. I thnk he made his mind up to dishonor marsellus when he saw wallace n vincent being chummy
That was a marvellous analysis! Thank you!
Theres also a native american statue outside the store, like the totem pole
And there's played a tune by The Revels entitled "Comanche," a name that comes from the Ute word for enemy,
Thanks for reminding me to watch this movie again...I love the way every shot looks in the movie!
You completely lose me with your misreading of Butch shooting Vincent.
"The heating and popping of the toaster snacks" does NOT suggest that there's a strong emotional element to the killing, nor does it suggest that it is retribution for Vincent insulting Butch in the bar.
Butch shoots Vincent BECAUSE of the popping of the toaster. The sound startles him and causes him to react by pulling the trigger.
I thought it was pretty obvious. But to be sure, I checked out the script:
Vincent and Butch lock eyes.
Vincent freezes.
Butch doesn't move, except to point the M61 in Vincent's
direction.
Neither man opens his mouth.
Then... the toaster LOUDLY kicks up the Pop Tarts.
That's all the situation needed.
Butch's finger HITS the trigger.
MUFFLED FIRE SHOOTS out of the end of the gun.
Just some thoughts on your comment:
Butch didn't mean to kill Floyd or Vincent.
Vincent didn't mean to shoot Marvin, either. He did mean to kill Butch.
Possibly adding to the religious theme: the man in the bathroom meant to kill Jules and Vincent; Jules took the hint and decided to move on with his life. Presumably he's still alive.
Yeah he is still alive, walking the earth, meeting people, getting into adventures. Like Kane in Kung Fu.
Butch looks at the gun after he shoots Vincent like he can't believe what just happened. Think about how many times Vincent walks out of the bathroom into a life and death situation. Namely, the diner to find a standoff between Jules, Ringo, and Honeybunny. Walks out to find Mia smoking his cigarettes, snorting his heroin and wearing his coat. Death was looking for him ever since the dude, came out of the bathroom shooting at him and Jules. Jules got the message, Vincent didn't. Butch was just caught up in the mix.
Butch must've wondered what it would've been like had Vincent got the drop and "toasted" him first... the gravity of the situation, the absolute ownership of the victim, the look on the victim's face. Like looking in a mirror.
I always saw it as Butch does not give a fuck. He is a cold dude. He's not a cruel or malevolent person but shooting Vincent to death, who he knows is a killer for Marcellus? He doesn't give a shit about him. It's like the boxing match, he's not crying over somebody who stepped up to the plate and lost their dinner. If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen lol.
Just great, always loved this story and taratino style but you gave me so much more reasons to love this
"general store" ??? It's a pawn shop...and I would love to know how Tarantino came up with the idea for that scene
True, but that Confederate flag in the front made me think of General Lee
True it's a pawn shop. Does that ruin the clear connections to the original purchase of the watch for you?
Isn't the pawn shop just a perversion of the hardworking/down-to-earth general store?
This is true in general, since pawn shops often have predatory business practices and are more likely to deal in unscrupulous wares not used for an honest life; while general stores (in pop culture) sell honest goods like dried grains, fabric, etc.
And clearly the specific pawn shop in the movie is truly perverted.
I think the pawn shop was just supposed to be a sleazy location for this type of shit to occur
I copied and pasted this comment from above because I never thought of it this way and possibly answers your question. if original posters name doesn't show for some reson I will edit it in.
Everlastingphelps
4 months ago
It's not a general store -- it's a pawn shop.
A pawn shop is a place where you hand over your things -- your legacy, your memories -- in order to get cash now. Butch had been forced by Marcellus to hand over his legacy, his pride, and when he double-crossed him, he made new debts. When he went back to get the watch, he was buying back his legacy -- paying off his debt to his father. Now he's at the pawn shop to pay off his debt to Marcellus.
A pawn shop is a place where you incur debts -- and repay them to regain what is properly yours. Or, in failure, you never repay your debt, and you lose your rights to your property.
12
Rob I always watch every thing you post
wouldn’t the gimp die if he’s unconscious hanging from his neck? seems like butch might have killed him
Apparently, according to Tarantino he did die.
That’s what you’d think, but there was another Bruce Willis movie where a dude was hanging from his neck unconscious and you know how that turned out…
@@GNo03 Is the movie Sin City?
Absolutely fantastic analysis. I'm gonna go rewatch the film now.
Would like a video on Three Billboards, I think for a modern film that is a movie with some interesting themes and layers.
Also, would.like to see a video on Frenzy.
This video is pure gold. Seriously, I think I view cinema differently after watching this. Totally mindblowing.
Butch kills Vince not due ot the insult at the bar, the insult is what made him go thru with his plan of winning the fight, He kills vince due to the fact that vince was there to kill him, and if vince wasnt on the toliet vince would of killed butch, it was vinces own personal issue/misfortune that got him killed, as it would of been butches own misfortune if vince wasnt on the toliet and butch woulda been killed. Butch issues dealt with pride, vince issue were on a drug/non believer in god and Vince isnt the one who shares the robbers at the diner, its jeuls, so really you can see vince death linked more to the diner scenes than any scene with butch imo
just a side note about vincent and his drug use: Heroin makes people constipated, so that could explain why he seems to spend a lot of time sitting on the toilet. He truly is an Elvis man haha (tho i don't think Elvis was a heroin user, but he was definitely a drug user)
@@conorobrien1025 Constipation is just one among MANY reasons to stay away from it!
Great work as always, Rob. For high-brow movie reviews, there is no one better.
"the toast means there is a strong emotional connection here"
Back it up here, what? Like I've heard rain in older movies is code for a sexual relationship, but what does toast have to do with anything other than a trigger for him to shoot?
There are two pop tarts, and there are two men.
The pop tarts have hard exteriors, as do the men.
The pop tarts are filled with creamy goodness, you follow me?
Butch's choices and Vince's choices brought them to that spot, and neither can escape.
The toaster is life, and when it pops, you have no choice, it's time to draw.
Great commentary. Profund analisis. Love this classic. Walken is priceless in that scene.
Have you ever wondered why Vincent is always going to the bathroom? They say it's because he has constipation from doing heroin. But It might be because he has a liking for cheeseburgers (royale with cheese) and has lactose intolerance as well. Combining that with the symbolism of yellow colors and his submission to Marcelus, I wonder what it might represent.
I think the yellow theme is probably that Butch never having joined the military is subconsciously plagued by thoughts that he’s a coward and a traitor to his forbears. He overcompensates perhaps by being callous toward Floyd and violent toward his woman. Maybe his leaving the yellow hotel behind at the end of the story means he is no longer haunted by fear he’s a coward after overcoming the hillbillies with the samurai sword and he has finally assured himself he too is a warrior.
You should make your video with this narrative
Even better, Butch slips into a "volunteer state."
I missed so much in that movie, that was awesome, much appreciated!
Nice little touch that Fabienne, superimposed on the Vietnam war film on TV, is French. Great stuff Rob!
Where the french involved in that?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France%E2%80%93Vietnam_relations#Indochina_war_and_Vietnamese_independence_(1954)
Thx. I think the plantation people in apocalypse now were french as well. Makes sense.
Thank you for this superb analysis. It has given me an even greater appreciation for a film that has always been one of my favorites. I also think this is Bruce Willis' best performance due to the sheer power he conveys as the character of Butch.
I agree, the performances in this movie are golden.
Walken? Yeah, I REALLY want to see him in a role that just kills it in a movie, the guy's got talent coming out... EVERYWHERE. Like, what Heath did with Joker I want to see Walken do something to that standard. I have no doubt he CAN do it, it's just a matter of the right script and the right director. There a few more angles to it but as far as I know about the business (which isn't much) those two are the biggest factors to how a performance is viewed in the final product.
handsomebrick Oh, I see what you did there. : )
I noticed now while watching Bruce Willis as he stands in front of the confederate flag about to walk out and then choose to save Marcellus that the blood on his shirt is shaped in the pattern of the symbol Spade. It's clear at time 32:16. I think this is part of the theme with the the rape of Marcellus being a metaphor of slavery in the south. Black people are sometimes referred to as spades and having blood on the shirt shaped as spade is to represent how Butch is given empathy for the suffering of black people thru the captivity.
“It’s a chopper baby” lol jeez right in front of us
"chopper" is also what gangsters will call, typically, an AK47 - the standard issue rifle of the NVA, but I could be reaching here
Stunning how lawyered is this sequence. Great job.