The Four Key Elements on Tarantino Films Quentin Tarantino has revolutionized the film industry. From his first directorial debut of Reservoir Dogs (1991) to his latest film Django Unchained (2012) he has presented the audience with unique techniques to intrigue and capture their desires for more. I regard Tarantino as the William Shakespeare of our time, because of the development and passion for his imagination and ambiguous style. Jim Smith wrote of Quentin Tarantino, as well as his films, so to have a better understanding as to whom Tarantino is as a person and director/writer. Smith titled his book “Tarantino”. The book states Tarantino has four key techniques in which most of the films are based on. These techniques are: the usage of the dramatic dialogue in the film; the very long, slow scenes exploiting, explaining, and foreshadowing the characters; the sudden dramatic reversal of tones; and the anti-chronological structure that transcends the audience’s limit of thought. Film directors edit their work to maintain only significant scenes to be revealed, thus most dialogues are cut in order to achieve such goals. Tarantino does otherwise. Dialogue is one key element in his films. Through dialogue, Tarantino manages to convey certain elements that are crucial to the existence of each character. For almost the first ten minutes in Reservoir Dogs, the development of each character is raised through the use of Dialogue. The characters discuss many comical issues which informs the audience a little of their personalities. The first topic is spoken by Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), whom discusses the song of “Like AVirgin” sung by Madonna. The discussion is meaningless, but comical. Then, Joe (Lawrence Tierney) and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) reveal their close relationship through a dispute about a book. Furthermore, Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) rants on his perspective about tipping, which he expresses lack of responsibility (as Smith gracefully acknowledges this in “Tarantino”). Also, Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) practices shooting Mr. White with his hands, like a child playing cops and robbers; thus foreshadowing Mr. White’s death and his psychological trait (killer). It is my assumption Tarantino is trying to attract the characters’ good nature to the audience by demonstrating a personal warmth through the use of dialogue; even though they are all ruthless killers “He wants the audience to acquire only information he wants them to have and only in the order he wants them to receive it” Tarantino 22.
There are many long and slow scenes throughout most of Tarantino films. Tarantino allows such scenes not to be edited, so that the audience can decipher certain objects, words, and dramatic moments. Smith states in “Tarantino”: “to cut backwards and forwards in time other scenes featuring the same characters but in dramatically different situations” Tarantino 23. Although Smith is partially correct, he fails to grasp the concept that Tarantino is first a writer, and then a director. Novelists enjoy the development of everything. Description and details are very important to writers. For example, in Reservoir Dogs there is a long scene about Mr. White discussing details with Mr. Pink on Mr. Blonde’s action during their bank robbery. The discussion is long and dramatic, but Tarantino work his camera magic to inform the audience on the details of the setting the discussion is taking place. In the setting there are bottles filled with different color liquids. “The liquids they contain are coloured white, orange and pink with the orange bottles separate from the others, perhaps again a deliberate physical reflection of orange being ‘separate’, i.e. the police’s plant” Tarantino 39. Smith manages to understand the significance of the bottles, but fails to note this would not have been possible, if the long and slow scene was not applied. The dramatic reversal of tone is also another key element throughout Tarantino films (I’ll refer to Reservoir Dogs again from which the bases of Tarantino films are founded). The scenes from drama to action, and back to drama is portrayed throughout all his films. The certain shift in mood is clinically structured to convey a sense of uncertainty and confusion towards the audience. Also, Tarantino deliberately engages the conception of displacement towards characters in order to achieve a sense of compassion and understanding for the audience. If there was no reversal of tone in Dogs, then Mr. Orange killing Mr. Blonde would have lost the element of surprise. The audience awing at such work is forced, by Tarantino, to receive explanation for such action, thus, allowing the shift to a dramatic reversal of tone. Tarantino works the shifting of the tone like a perfect musical composition and manages to achieve a work of art. “The audience can plunge from comedy to drama to violence and back again with alarming frequency” Tarantino 23. By incorporating the last three elements to the film, Tarantino can structure his films anti-chronologically. The anti-chronological order is the final key element to most of Tarantino’s films. “The anti-chronological structure…can all work together to totally confound an audience or astound them not by creating confusion but by dispelling it” Tarantino 23. Smith carefully administers a realization on Tarantino films, and appropriately acknowledges the art of such work. The use of the element allows a masterpiece to deliver a wonderful admiration towards the painter. We are in ‘safe hands’ while watching Tarantino films. The anti-chronological order achieves surprises, comfort, and healing because the audience is captivated by the film as a whole, not as an individual scene. Furthermore, utilizing such structure transcends the audiences’ limit of thought to the artful mind of a Quentin Tarantino film. In Reservoir Dogs, the scenes are arranged to develop a likeness towards each character, in order to maintain the essence of curiosity. By flipping scenes around, Tarantino expresses to the audience that they are viewing a film. He cajolingly addresses the notion of fantasy through the means of order. Essentially, by establishing an abnormal continuity, he illusively illustrates the appearance of a Hollywood cinema. Since Tarantino is against ultra-realism, he fabricates his film anti-chronologically to accomplish his message “To me, ultra-realism is absurd, real life is absurd” Quentin Tarantino in Interview with Quentin Tarantino by Peter Brunette. In conclusion, the four key elements are effectively consummated throughout all of Quentin Tarantino films. He not only revitalized and revolutionized the film industry with such art, but he challenged and dared us to use our mind. The four techniques of Tarantino are seldom used in modern Hollywood, but his concepts are being applied gradually in many new films. Acknowledging the art and craftsmanship on films like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill vol.1 & vol.2, and Django Unchained goes unprecedented. And, his delightful use of abnormality and fantasy exploits the essence of a movie experience. Smith said it best on the summarization to most of Tarantino film by stating “It was an immense, powerful, shocking, at times profound viewing experience” Tarantino 50.