The first title that appears is a quote, an ‘old Klingon proverb’ which says ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’. This is a common proverb quoted in everyday conversation and literature, and sets the tone for the rest of the film informing the audience that revenge will be a key theme of the film.
The extract opens with an aerial view of the Bride where we look down almost directly on top of her face, putting us above her in a position of power and almost in a point of view shot of the male character, she is bloody, beaten up and blonde - the stereotypical victim. She is breathing heavily, which shows the audience she feels threatened and frightened. This shot makes the audience want to know what happened to the woman, why she was beaten and who or what it is that she is threatened by.

The click of shoes on the wooden floor was made even louder by the lack of any music, each step isolated, slow and in no hurry the gait sounded menacing. This diegetic sound heightens the anticipation of the scene as the audience is unaware of whom the person is, but assumes that they are a threat. Also, the footsteps are quite rhythmical, almost mimicking an increasing heartbeat.
The next shot we see is a low angle tracking shot of someone's feet walking across floorboards. This connotes a threatening character, as we are not shown the characters face. In fact, in this film, Tarantino creates an enigma, as the audience is not shown Bill's face throughout the whole film.
The scene then cuts back to the same shot as the first, and the threatening character speaks, saying ‘Do you find me sadistic?’ A man’s voice, owner of the boots and in contrast to the heavy breathing and speechlessness of the bride, he sounds fairly calm. He wipes blood from the woman's face with a handkerchief with the name 'Bill' embroidered on it, signifying the importance of the character and clarifying that he is the villain of the film. His chunky pinky ring suggests he is quite important and high up. This gesture also seems quite patronising and degrading. The sound of his cocking his gun is quiet but immediately noticeable underneath the sound of her breathing, and not matching the reasonable tone of his words...There is a very sudden gunshot, with exaggeration that is likely to make the audience jump despite its being expected, particularly as it was in the bride’s midsentence interrupting her.

. This shows how Bill has no respect for anyone else. The fact that she says “Bill, it’s your baby” before he shoots her shows that he can shoot anyone with no remorse, as it is implied that she is the mother of his child. Cliffhangers and questions are raised from the very beginning, after the gunshot building suspense: did she die, or didn’t she? Was it him who beat her? So she was in a relationship with this man, this man who looks as if he’s about to kill her, and he did not know that the baby was his. Why and how did she come to be in a relationship with him? Is she still in one with him now? Why is he about to kill her? Why did he not know the baby was his? We did not know she had a baby. Where is the baby now? Many questions ensure that the audience keeps watching, drawing them in.

The whole opening sequence is in black and white. Tarantino has chosen to do this as a tribute to classic thriller films, and also as an indicator of the fact that this scene is a flashback. After the gunshot the film cuts to the titles so the audience is unsure of what exactly just happened and the opening of Nancy are Sinatra’s ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’ plays, ironic yet appropriate in its use.