QT & Violence

The thing is QT’s aim isn’t to depict really true to life fight scenes and stay true to the Kung-Fu/Samurai/martial arts genre. He said himself Kill Bill is a fantasy. It doesn’t take place in the real world and is in a “movie-movie universe” (if Jules or Vincent were to watch a film, they’d watch Kill Bill), therefore anything can happen from the most shocking to the most cartoonish (the anime is a huge hint). This movie is basically what came out from the cinephile mind of it’s creator. His style is that of an autodidact. His knowledge about film dominates his style of filmmaking. Kill Bill is a lot of Quentin Tarantino’s film knowledge scattered everywhere on screen. He took all his best parts from his favourite (genre) movies and placed them in the film (the anime segment, the De Palma sequence, the Italian Giallo scene, the Spaghetti Western aspects etc). It doesn’t matter if the blood squirting was unrealistic, the fact of the matter is, QT intended it to be this way, as at the end of the day it is HIS movie made for HIMSELF. Why should he give a fuck if Johnny Public didn’t like it? He himself knows he likes it and that’s all that matters (oh and he has to make some $$$ while he’s at it). After digging the Kill Bill script out after all those years, he said “This is some funny shit” this quote alone proves he did not intend this film to be realistic but just “a laugh” and for fun. I don’t even think he tried to top any of his other films. He wanted to try his hands out at action (he claims action directors are the best directors) and what better way is there to try and test how good he is at action (for the first time mind you) than doing it for such a wild, unreal, fast forward moving momentum sort of film where he can do practically anything he wants in the way he wants to do it.



About the violence, QT uses the same technique De Palma and Leone used. In Tarantino’s previous 3 films, the violence was often quick and fast, there may have been a lot of tension that builds up leading to the violence. QT tries to build up a lot of tension before violence actually occurs (the appartment shooting scene-Pulp Fiction, the death of Ordell-Jackie Brown, the mexican stand-off-Reservoir Dogs) and then when the violence or climax finally comes, it is very quick, just how Leone did. Or when violence is going to take place, it often occurs off screen (Marvin’s ear-Reservoir Dogs, the rapist lip scene-Kill Bill, the death of Melanie-Jackie Brown) just how De Palma did. Off course a lot of directors criticise this. Alfred Hitchcock said “someone once told me, that every minute, a murder occurs, so I don’t want to waste your time. I know you want to go back to work.” Hitchcock didn’t like all the tension that builds before the climax of a film. I myself don’t think QT glorifies violence. There isn’t really a lot of violence in his films except in Kill Bill, but the style he uses to portray the violence causes it to stick in the viewers mind. He often leaves the acts of violence to the viewers mind, as the the imagination is often more scarier than what is on screen. All the violence in his films is justified. He doesn’t make a film in order to put violence in it, violence is just part of the film. I don’t mind the violence, I think QT can depict violence well, but that isn’t to say I encourage it in real life.





Special thanks to Sebastian

[quote=“WeaselCo”]
well some people like chopsuey and some dont. I do.

I like alot of kungfu movies and there are things in them that are just as impossible. The Master of the Flying Guillotine is just rediculous but its fun nonetheless.
[/quote]

Lol, dude you should seriously consider writing proverbs for fortune cookies ;D



and I agree, just because violence isnt realistic or is over the top doesnt mean that it can be entirely discredited, it can either be enjoyed for its entertainment value or accepted as symbolism for a more horrific event…and at the end of the day sometimes the most appealing aspects of cinema is as it being an ‘escape from reality’ and entertaining.

[quote=“Ify”]
He often leaves the acts of violence to the viewers mind, as the the imagination is often more scarier than what is on screen. [/quote]

So, Zed’s death and torture should be scarier than the ear scene in Reservoir Dogs? I don’t think so. If the ear scene would have been left for imagination, there would be nothing so sadistic. But it wasn’t. At least good that Marvin’s mouth was closed, I really can’t stand when people scream of pain.

The only place where Zed’s “imaginable” scenes became somewhat scary was when Butch said “Zed’s dead baby, Zed’s dead” then you could imagine him and Marcellus’ guys having fun.

[quote=“Bleach”]




So, Zed’s death and torture should be scarier than the ear scene in Reservoir Dogs? I don’t think so. If the ear scene would have been left for imagination, there would be nothing so sadistic. But it wasn’t. At least good that Marvin’s mouth was closed, I really can’t stand when people scream of pain.

The only place where Zed’s “imaginable” scenes became somewhat scary was when Butch said “Zed’s dead baby, Zed’s dead” then you could imagine him and Marcellus’ guys having fun.
[/quote]

I didn’t say the violence that occurs on screen is always less scarier than what one imagines. The ear scene was kind of left for the imagination as the camera panned away from the actual violence, it wasn’t shown on screen. Just like the chainsaw scene in Scarface, we didn’t actually see the chainsaw penetrating that dudes arm as the camera panned away from it, and therefore it becomes more scarier than it is. I don’t think you know what you’re talking about actually. The imagination IS scarier than what might be on screen. I can think of far worse things that Marcellus could have done to Zed as we don’t actually know what Marcellus did to Zed apart from what he says he was going to do. Also, Zed’s death wasn’t even shown and yes, I think Zed’s death is far scarier or far more violent than the Marvin ear scene.

And when Butch says “Zed’s dead baby, Zed’s dead” I don’t think that was the cue for us to ‘imagine’ what happened to Zed, it was sort of like a joke, one of these poetic things QT uses in his dialogue if you will, or just a ‘cool’ last line to give to a character who’s story was about to end.

Actually I never imagine what happens with people if that’s not shown. If I know someone is tortured then I know it, I never think how horrible it is, it’s a film character after all. But if it is shown, if we can see the person screaming in pain and ways he’s being tortured, my nerves are fucked up. It doesn’t mean I just think of what I see and that I don’t have any imagination.

In La Femme Nikita series there were scenes when someone refuses to tell information, then two people - man and a woman - come in with a briefcase and close the door. In next scene they have dissapeared and the person looks tortured and awful. Then he tells everything. Well, that made me shiver and was pretty horrible.

[quote=“greendestiny”]






Hey asshole, shut the fuck up…You got your ass handed to you and were totally emabarrassed. Now do us all a favor a get over it!!!



I have never seen some one so fuckin obsessed with something he claims he never saw!!!



You have been told already go start a new thread and repost your steaming pile of shit or fuck off!!!
[/quote]

The only arguments greendestiny manages to win are the ones that can’t be read. I’m so fucking embarassed by his posts that I don’t even know what he wrote. Let him state he won if that makes him sleep good at night. But you want to know what it really feels like to be embarassed? Ask him about that time when he posted the Top Sellers dvds of 2003, claiming rather proudly, as if he’s made this genius discovery, that Kill Bill is nowhere to be seen on the list. Only to be told by me that the dvd came out in 2004. That should give you an idea of the guy’s undisputable remarkable intelligence.



You can now continue your discussion about violence. Thanks and regards.

[quote=“Ify”]




I didn’t say the violence that occurs on screen is always less scarier than what one imagines. The ear scene was kind of left for the imagination as the camera panned away from the actual violence, it wasn’t shown on screen. Just like the chainsaw scene in Scarface, we didn’t actually see the chainsaw penetrating that dudes arm as the camera panned away from it, and therefore it becomes more scarier than it is. I don’t think you know what you’re talking about actually. The imagination IS scarier than what might be on screen. I can think of far worse things that Marcellus could have done to Zed as we don’t actually know what Marcellus did to Zed apart from what he says he was going to do. Also, Zed’s death wasn’t even shown and yes, I think Zed’s death is far scarier or far more violent than the Marvin ear scene.

And when Butch says “Zed’s dead baby, Zed’s dead” I don’t think that was the cue for us to ‘imagine’ what happened to Zed, it was sort of like a joke, one of these poetic things QT uses in his dialogue if you will, or just a ‘cool’ last line to give to a character who’s story was about to end.
[/quote]

Actually i do whole heartedly agree with you about imagined violence. And the first scene that came to me was the Chainsaw scene from Scarface. And the one from SEVEN with the fake phallus and even the worse one, the box with the fetus.(Many people actually are under the opinion that they see the guys arm cut off when infact its never even shown) And there is nothing stronger than ones imagination. (I think we all remember when we were kids and you couldnt go to sleep just because the closet door was cracked open just a little bit) This is why even movie directors will admit that they find that authors are far better entertainers because they only guide the minds of the authors audience pretty much builds up their own scenes in their minds… (When was the last time you actually saw a movie that even came close to the book? Any good Stephen King movies you have seen lately) And another film maker who was the master at messing with peoples minds was (I still hate my dad for letting me watch his movies with him when i was a kid) A. Hitchcock granted his movies fall under suspense (and some of the examples i have give above are horrors) he left alot to ones imagination and he sure as hell could make you piss in your pants before even setting eyes on the villain of the movie, be it horror, mystery suspense etc. (Rear window was always my favorite)



That being said, it does not always mean that all out explicitness does not work (And yes this even applies to erotic cinema, best example being Sharon Stone’s famous crossing and uncrossing her legs, that most people still regard today as one of the most tittilating scenes in movie history even if we have seen several where the woman was stark nake exposing pubes on all…Yet every one went ape over a half second pussy shot)



City of God has one of the most violent scenes i ever saw on screen (The scene where Lil’ Ze punishes the runts) It was not overboard with blood flying all over and limbs getting blown off left and right. But almost every one of my friends i showed that movie was deathly silent and visibly affected in various ways…(That may be because none had seen a child get treated that way in a movie before.) But what i saw in them is not even half way what i saw in Kill bill… Leaving some scenery to the audience’s imagination if done right is a very powerful tool. But if one chooses to go cross that line, it would be best they not trivialize grotesque images with out rageous effects and numb the audience by over playing violence thus causing them to unplug totally from the movie!

[quote=“greendestiny”]But what i saw in them is not even half way what i saw in Kill bill… Leaving some scenery to the audience’s imagination if done right is a very powerful tool. But if one chooses to go cross that line, it would be best they not trivialize grotesque images with out rageous effects and numb the audience by over playing violence thus causing them to unplug totally from the movie!
[/quote]

i wasn’t numbed. i didnt unnplug from the movie. i didnt find the images grotesque.



besides, you might be right, and I agree that violence being not shown is more effective, doesnt mean you cant show it. and if QT decides to show it, let him show it, you dont have to watch it!

if you dont show violence then its normally meant serious

if you show it, then its meant to entertain you

[quote=“Tarantino Forum Admin”]




i wasn’t numbed. i didnt unnplug from the movie. i didnt find the images grotesque.


[/quote]

Yet again i find myself in the rather familiar position of having to explain to you every friggin thing as though you were some invalid. This may come has a huge suprise and shock to you but the topic being discussed here really has nothing to do with you. Get over yourself already! Jeez!



If the issues are too difficult for you to comprehend may be you should limit your participation to cuddling baffoons like Scarface by quickly erasing their certifiable and incredibly dumb posts. I see you are doing a good job of erasing mine every time i expose gross stupidity and back it up with facts! Keep on with the editing its, a good way to maintain a false sense of intelligence amongest you!

I erased your last dumb post because it was full of crap. You think insulting people is a way to show your disagreement. Anyway, i can’t erase anymore now, but it was me.

@green:

can you sum up your point, if you have any, in one or two compact sentences, because if not i’ll ask you again: what do you want? do you expect us to say “kill bill sucks” just because you blather and blather about how you didnt like it? thats not how it works, dude…

[quote=“MiaWallace”]
I erased your last dumb post because it was full of crap.[quote]


Yes indeed i can see how you came to that conclusion. seeing as to how Scarface’s incessant ramblings and borderline psychotic reaction to being exposed as a fool when it comes to understanding film can be construed as intelligent…I can only commend you on being so oustandingly transparent!




[/quote][/quote]

[quote=“Tarantino Forum Admin”]
@green:

can you sum up your point, if you have any, in one or two compact sentences, because if not i’ll ask you again: what do you want? do you expect us to say “kill bill sucks” just because you blather and blather about how you didnt like it? thats not how it works, dude…
[/quote]


Sorry, i cant help you. If you are too lazy to read and comprehend my posts in their entirety! Even if i posted one or two sentences, you still would fail to process that simple format seeing as to how to this point in this discussion, you have still failed to figure out the simple question that was paused by the topic starter. When you over come that huddle then may be you will begin to see the many various points made by people on both sides of this discussion! I just dont have the time or the energy to conduct an english comprehension lesson on an internet message board!

You’re completely right about everything greendestiny. Now do us all a favor and shut the fuck up.

Dear Greendestiny, Hear me talkin’ hillbilly boy?! Let me tell yoiu what now.



Leave us. Tonight. Right now. And when you’re gone, stay gone. You’ve lost your tarantino message board privileges. Go on now, get your ass outta here.



p.s. If you don’t know what I was paraphrasing why are you here?

I’m sure Greenie will argue with me, but I saw the violence of Kill Bill as quite artistic. I think in order to stay connected with our anti-hero Beatrix, we can’t see “real” violence, or even see her “victims” as regular people. Just my opinion.

[quote=“Scarface is on strike”]
You’re completely right about everything greendestiny. Now do us all a favor and shut the fuck up.
[/quote]

I feel your pain man… After you embarrassed your self with that stupid bullshit you posted that had to be deleted by the admins so you could save face and they could return to pretending that QT forum members are half as smart as they pretend to be…I dont blame you



At least now you know never to post your nincompoopery around me…Save it for your fellow dimwits!!!



Ps…Hope you had a happy xmas



LMAO

[quote=“guiltygenius”]
I’m sure Greenie will argue with me, but I saw the violence of Kill Bill as quite artistic. [/quote]

No man i am not interested i getting in an argument with you. My 7 year old nephew says he finds Chronicles of Riddick to be an interesting movie. I dont argue with him. I just nod my head and send him a Riddick action figure because i understand he has the brain of a seven year old and doesnt yet know that much about movies…(kinda like you)

so should i send you a Jerry Bruckheimer action figure now?