Blog Assignment 8

View the clip here.

             I think the theme of this movie is the randomness of life and how we are all interconnected through that randomness. It is exemplified in Vincent and Jules talk about God, but perhaps better shown through the accidental murder of Marvin, their passenger. His death is so abrupt and unprovoked it really gives the sense of randomness of life. It’s affect on Jules and Vincent and their boss is where the interconnectedness comes in. The theme is active as you really have to draw these conclusions yourself, it isn’t stated or spelled out for you but more hinted at through their conversation and subsequent actions.

            The two aspects I think were most used in this clip were rhythm and space.  The rhythm of the scene was relatively slow paced; it does quick cuts between Jules and Vincent as they speak back and forth. The camera stays in the same place, just a close-up of each of them as they speak. It gives the idea of simultaneity, a connection between two friends having an argument. This is also achieved through the use of contrast and affinity as the two men are dressed exactly the same and the only difference is their skin color. Then you have Marvin who is completely different. That is, until Vincent turns to ask the third passenger his opinion when his gun goes off. This violently changes the pacing and is a good example of tension and release. You didn’t even realize there was tension until the sudden release when the gun goes off; it also introduces the random aspect that I was speaking on. The rhythm is now changed to a much more fast-paced as they are just shown in a two-shot capturing them both at the same time and they go back and forth shouting. This introduces the idea of how random events can completely change our world. Then we have the space; it is a relatively small area, a car. The way they are all grouped together in the car give the idea of connectedness, but Marvin is shot in a blur, which gives the idea of distance. This all comes around to give the impression that even though there may be distance between us we are still connected in various ways.