Introduction
Alongside art, comedy, and music, cinema is one of the most subjective forms of media. However, since you have joined us here on this particular site, it’s also the most subjective. And that’s why it remains the most entertaining and inspiring!
One hotly, and affectionately debated topic is what was the best year for cinema. We are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of one of the forerunners, 1994. Cinema Scholars continues to present a monthly retrospective, that focuses on a pick of the cinematic talking points of this truly golden trip around the sun.
Welcome to 1994 – Part Five: May – Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction Wins the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival
The Festival de Cannes
The Festival is celebrating its 77th edition this year and throughout May has been welcoming the likes of Emma Stone, Richard Gere, Nicolas Cage, Chris Hemsworth, Willem Dafoe, Anya Taylor Joy, and coincidentally Uma Thurman, to the legendary Red Steps.
To be included in the festival’s selection is seen as one of the ultimate honors in filmmaking. And to be present at the ultra-exclusive, uber-glamorous event held on the beautiful French Riviera is an accolade in itself…even after three-quarters of a century. In a recent interview Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate since 2007, stated:
“In order to achieve this level of longevity, the Festival de Cannes has remained faithful to its founding purpose: to draw attention to and raise the profile of films, with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating cinema at an international level…That’s what makes Cannes, Cannes. We always painstakingly curate our offering to ensure we showcase hidden gems alongside more mainstream films”
Pulp Fiction’s Path to Glory
The cast joined the thirty-one-year-old writer-director to charm the jury, even though the festival organizers had complained beforehand that the American studios didn’t send enough ‘big’ movie stars. But the cast also knew they had a hit on their hands. They were right. Though perhaps not expecting the top prize at the festival, the film was also a huge boost to the careers of all involved.
Bruce Willis gained indie credibility. Sam Jackson became the go-to guy for charismatic but dangerous motherf*ckers. Thurman became one of the top cinematic gangster’s molls. And John Travolta received a career revival that he ultimately failed to capitalize on long-term. It was Tarantino himself, however, who went on to become his own genre.
Though the odds on favorite for the prestigious Palme d’Or was on Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Red, the Cannes Jury, chaired by Clint Eastwood, ultimately gave Pulp Fiction the festival’s top prize. When it opened the New York Film Festival the film received rave reviews, and headlines when the famous hypodermic needle scene caused a member of the audience to faint. Cannes was not ready for Pulp Fiction.
Polarizing Audiences
“It’s an epic in everything – in invention, in ambition, in length, in scope, in everything
except for the price tag”
“Pulp Fiction. Now here’s a movie…Quentin Tarantino’s adrenaline rush of a melodrama is a brash dare to timid Hollywood filmmakers. Let’s see, he says, if you can be this smart about going this far”
At the Oscars, Pulp Fiction’s rivals for Best Picture included Quiz Show, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and The Shawshank Redemption (which had opened the same day as Pulp Fiction, another possible reason for Shawshank’s initial box office failure?). None of those won. Forrest Gump took the Golden Statue and was the number one box-office hit of 1994.
Thirty Years Later
As well as its impact on non-linear storytelling, being flexible with structure, and dynamite dialogue, perhaps the biggest impact of Pulp Fiction was the launch of Quentin Tarantino into mainstream culture. Reservoir Dogs had indeed been a critical hit, but achieved what can be described as ‘indie success’. But now, Tarantino was a major Oscar-winning player who could get financing for more eclectic projects like From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and Jackie Brown.
As well as salvaging and launching stars, Pulp Fiction turned Quentin Tarantino into a star. He subsequently became known as a talk show guest and even hosted Saturday Night Live. In the ensuing decades, Tarantino has become a respected film commentator and known movie lover that both geeks and critics could identify with.
Tarantino has made other fantastic movies after Pulp Fiction. The double feature Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. The director has stated his next film will be his last (the now-stalled The Movie Critic). Thirty years on, Pulp Fiction is a classic film that remains forever young, whip-smart, vivacious, and extraordinarily entertaining.
