In the opening of Kill Bill Vol. 1 Tarantino explores thriller conventions in order to quickly establish the genre.
Firstly, Tarantino references film noir by making the opening title sequence black and white, this enhances the cuts on the brides face and enhances the drama. In turn, alongside the close up of the bride, this makes makes the scene claustrophobic and engulfs the audience in the brides emotions. Additionally, the use of black and white adds to the sadistic behaviour of Bill who makes his victims vulnerable by taking advantage of their weaknesses.
The sound used is purely diegetic, however sound bridging is also used in the title sequence to enhance the interest. The sound of the bride's heavy breathing can be heard before we see her. This enhances the curiosity of the audience from the initial beginning. This technique can also be seen in Once Upon A Time In America in order to frighten the audience into wanting to further understand the film; this encourages and intrigues them enough to want to watch on.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find an audible clip that shows the sound bridging, however the quote that is shown is:
'Revenged is dish best severed cold'
This hints that there is some form of justice within revenge, thus foreshadows the rest of the film.
The brides ripped bridal dress suggests a 'fallen women' stereotype therefore the audience is divided into those who feel sympathetic toward her and those who look down upon her, blaming her for her own misfortune.
The audience initially see Bill's boots as he walks in, this is a subtle contextual reference toward The Good, The Bad and The Ugly suggesting he is one of them, most notably 'The Bad'. This makes him the antagonist of the piece, causing the audience to become wary of him. This western vibe is seen throughout the film, especially in its energetic fight scenes. We then see his hands as he wipes away the blood from the brides face, his handkerchief reads 'Bill'; this suggests he is arrogant and self assured, it also hints towards him being rich, and gains most of his power superficially from this wealth. The close up of his hands is also significant as despite not seeing his face in the title sequence, he is the most dominant character within it.
All of these aspects build tension throughout the title sequence before leaving the audience on a cliffhanger. The increase of volume in sound shocks the audience and further intrigues them into watching beyond the credits.
The sound used is purely diegetic, however sound bridging is also used in the title sequence to enhance the interest. The sound of the bride's heavy breathing can be heard before we see her. This enhances the curiosity of the audience from the initial beginning. This technique can also be seen in Once Upon A Time In America in order to frighten the audience into wanting to further understand the film; this encourages and intrigues them enough to want to watch on.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find an audible clip that shows the sound bridging, however the quote that is shown is:
'Revenged is dish best severed cold'
This hints that there is some form of justice within revenge, thus foreshadows the rest of the film.
The brides ripped bridal dress suggests a 'fallen women' stereotype therefore the audience is divided into those who feel sympathetic toward her and those who look down upon her, blaming her for her own misfortune.
The audience initially see Bill's boots as he walks in, this is a subtle contextual reference toward The Good, The Bad and The Ugly suggesting he is one of them, most notably 'The Bad'. This makes him the antagonist of the piece, causing the audience to become wary of him. This western vibe is seen throughout the film, especially in its energetic fight scenes. We then see his hands as he wipes away the blood from the brides face, his handkerchief reads 'Bill'; this suggests he is arrogant and self assured, it also hints towards him being rich, and gains most of his power superficially from this wealth. The close up of his hands is also significant as despite not seeing his face in the title sequence, he is the most dominant character within it.
All of these aspects build tension throughout the title sequence before leaving the audience on a cliffhanger. The increase of volume in sound shocks the audience and further intrigues them into watching beyond the credits.
A competent analysis - remember in your evaluation if you reference this film that the masking of Bill's face establishes him as an enigmatic character. The only clues about him is his control and his conceit.
ReplyDeleteBill's cowboy boots are as you say a reference to the bad in the iconic western spaghetti The Good the Bad and The Ugly - a more explicit reference is used in Kill Bill Vol 2 when the bride is gunned down by Bill's brother Bud, buried alive and fights her way out of the coffin. The reference is in the soundtrack during this sequence thus indicating the Bride's heroic qualities, like those of Blondie (played by Clint Eastwood) in the spaghetti western.