Quentin Marathon '05 - Kill Bill Week 3 & 4

This topic will run for two weeks. First week, Kill Bill Vol. 1. WATCH IT NOW!

What a crazy coincidence, I watched that film a few hours ago. I’ve probably seen this movie about a hundred times…this film made me into a Quentin fan.

Lets begin, Kill Bill Vol. 1



QT’s scene “House of Blue Leaves” is probably the highlight for most people in the film. Especially me. For Chapter four I was getting a little bored of the movie, it was all chit-chat and Hanzo was doing his speech. Then all of a sudden Uma Thurman, was chopping legs and arms off, and sticking nails through a 16 year old chicks head.

I like the Hanzo Scene but I wish they would have explained why Hanzo hates Bill.

I love this film…I mean its got to have one of the best beggings, and coolest cliffhanger endings… I like Hanzo’s bit (but thats probably just casue I like the old Hanzo series), and I agree an explanatation about his anger towards Bill would have been cool…but probably my most favriote bit (appart from the oppening scene and ending) is the fight with Copperhead, though the ‘House of Blue leaves’ is also fantastic…

[quote=“QT Fan”]
I like the Hanzo Scene but I wish they would have explained why Hanzo hates Bill.
[/quote]

I dont think that Hanzo hates Bill or hrabours any deep anger toward him. Merely the fact that Hanzo knew he failed as a teacher to Bill, and that he may feel partly responsible for the bad life Bill turned to. That is why he makes another sword for the Bride after he had vowed not to again(after his failure with Bill). Sort of a personal attempt at redemption if you will.

I agree with what you said Usurper. I also think he doesn’t hate him, but he’s not proud that Bill became a killer with his help. So he wanna have his redemption by helping the bride. And then he won’tt feel any responsable.

I remember when I reluctantly saw this film when it came out on dvd…It literally blew my fucking mind off. I had never seen a Quentin film in my life, until this came along. And after watching the trailers of all his movies… that’s when it all started…my love for great movies. Anywho my favorite scene in this movie is the montage sequence, when Beatrix is on the plane and then on the road with that yellow suit, all the bright, vivid colors, that was awesome.

The first time I saw Kill Bill Vol 1 was the opening day back in October 2003. I had read the script a year prior, so I knew alot about what was going to happen. What I didnt know was how the film would hit me when I actually sat down and watched it come alive. From the opening Fulci-esque shot of The Bride’s bloody beaten up face shivering in fear I knew I would love it.



Each chapter brought us into different Grindhouse realms which I thought was a brilliant concept by QT. We went from Blaxploitation to Giallo to Pop Samurai Films mixed with a whole different cinematic themed layer featured on the soundtrack. QT mixed samurais with spaghetti westerns, blaxploitation with kung fu, British horror with giallo cinema and all kinds of other pleasantly satisfying twists.



NOTE TO NEW VIEWERS: The House of Blue Leaves battle must be seen in color to be fully appreciated. The black and white just doesnt do it justice at all. Thats one thing I really didnt like when I saw the film. It just dulls things down so much. Definitely get the Japanese cut of Volume 1 if you can.



When I saw Volume 2, several months later, I was just thrilled by it. I think I may even like Volume 2 more than Volume 1. It gave us more time to spend with the characters and was more emotional for me personally. I think The Bride Vs Elle in Budds trailer is one of QTs best directed sequences so far. Its so fast, brutal and FUNNY. Its like everything QTs movies are about distilled into one big fight. I also think The Brides first introduction is one of his best filmed sequences as well. Its like he was channeling DePalma for that, but he did it in his own way. With the giallo music from Next! Its one of my favorite sequences in any of QTS films.



With Kill Bill, QT jumped off the bridge of his safer, earlier dialogue driven works and took the plunge into all out visual/action storytelling like his onscreen film mentors: Leone, DePalma, Chang Cheh, Lau Kar Leung, Kinji Fukasaku, Fulci, Scorsese, DiLeo and on and on. What we got was an exciting, darkly funny, throroughly entertaining bloody lovefest on film.



I’m really looking forward to his next Grindhouse film Death Proof and of course his next epic film, the WW2 Men on A Mission/Spaghetti Western inspired Inglorious Bastards!

In terms of the diffrent movie genres and stuff; maybye I’m just imagining it; but in ‘The house of Blue leaves’- while its in Black and white, and the Bride’s fighting her opponents on the balcony before jumping down- that has a real feel of those old ‘Zorro’ films for me, anyone else get that or is it all in my head?

I like House of blue leaves too… But a part that I don’t like is the part with Buck… I just feel like throwing up the hole time…

I love that scene when Elle comes to the hospital. That’s great :slight_smile:

i love how she gets all dressed up as a nurse but she only has to walk like 3 doors untill where the bride is, haha its totally pointless

Jot: That makes sense. With all the sword fighting and everything Zorro couldve had a little influence in there.



Another film that the HOBL high contrast b&w battle reminded me of, not in terms of genre, but in terms of cinematic visuals was Raging Bull. The fights in that with the blood which looked like black oil.



Johnny: I think Elle put on the nurses outfit so she wouldnt get spotted as a regular visitor right away. I love that sequence though. I mean we’re talking about the Movie Movie Universe, where entrances are bigger than life and things dont have to make complete sense to work anyway.

[quote=“Johny_Exhale”]
i love how she gets all dressed up as a nurse but she only has to walk like 3 doors untill where the bride is, haha its totally pointless
[/quote]

Elle walking through the corridor was a reference to some Hitchcock’s movie, wasn’t it? Which one?

[quote=“WinslowLeach”]




Johnny: I think Elle put on the nurses outfit so she wouldnt get spotted as a regular visitor right away.

[/quote]

i know that, but watch how long the distance is from the room where she changes to the bride’s room, it’s a 5 second walk



Bleach; i think its a reference to Marnie, and the bride walking over the glass floor is definitly a reference to The Lodger where Jack the Ripper does the same

Do you like the animated scene with O-Ren? I like it, it would have been nasty if it wasn’t animated…

if it wasn’t animated it was going to look comedic like some parts of the house of blue leaves scene, but animated it looks so dramatic and beautiful, when the drops of blood fall through the matras on her face, so so great,you cant do that in real life without making it look cartoonish

Like I was saying, its the Movie Movie universe where the story doesnt also have to make complete sense to work. If you look at it like its supposed to be real life you could def pick apart alot of the movie.



QT has stated the split screen nurse with syringe bit is actually taken from the trailer for Black Sunday, a cool 70s terrorist thriller with Martha Keller (the nurse), Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern.

I think it’s one of the best animated scenes of all time.

[quote=“QT Fan”]
I think it’s one of the best animated scenes of all time.
[/quote]

Ya, first time I watched that part I was like “WTF?”, but then then once you get to know QTs movies, you realize they’ve all got fucked up parts in 'em.