Stylistic Analysis of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most creative cinematic writers of modern film. His style drastically changed between Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. The focus between these movies changes from dialogue to action. The concentration of this analysis will be on the literary devices and how they are a quintessential element of the script. Since Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 are the beginning of Tarantino’s new film style, this analysis will be fixated solely upon those two scripts, yet treated as one script since that is how they were written. Dramatic irony, symbolism, and hyperbole are cornerstones of these movies and will be the main focus, but will not be the only devices discussed.
Tarantino writes these scripts in the style of a Spaghetti Western, but the actual genre is action. Spaghetti Western refers to Italian directors that made Western movies; these movies were generally cheap and over-dramatized. Tarantino writes the Kill Bill movies as a partial homage to this sub-genre, and part to focus more on action; the way the films mimic a Spaghetti Western is a sort of allusion. Precisely, it is more of an understood generalized allusion—not a reference to one movie, but to an entire sub-genre. As a result, hyperbole becomes a chief component of the films.
The hyperbole is found in the stage direction, meaning that the actor movements and camera movements/effects are over the top. For example, “We Zoom quick out of her eyes to CU, a VENGEANCE THEME PLAYS LOUD ON THE SOUNDTRACK. (Whenever we hear this theme throughout the picture, we'll quickly learn what accompanies it is The Bride goin Krakatoa all over whoever's ass happens to be in front of her at that moment.) (qtd. in Tarantino, web)” The close up and the vengeance music create an effect in which the audience realizes the exaggeration, but associates it with a major fight that is about to happen. In this excerpt...