Don't Make a Scene: Pulp Fiction

The Story: Here's another of those "Classic Scene" features from Premiere Magazine, this one from the December, 2000 issue and featuring a popular scene from 1994's Pulp Fiction, that "touchstone of postmodern film."

 

I liked half of Pulp Fiction, when I first saw it, that being those parts dealing with Samuel L. Jackson's, Ving Rhames' and Bruce Willis' characters. I found everything else far afield of what you'd call "pulp fiction" and the character of Vincent Vega particularly grated on me. I found Travolta's acting of the part too much of everything, especially during this particular scene. A LOT of hand movement, significant padding of material—the kind of padding Howard Hawks used to do when he was employing overlapping dialogue...but, here, the dialog doesn't overlap!—and I found Uma Thurman's character shallow and uninteresting.

Watching the scene again recently, I altered my thinking. Thurman does a lot with very little, in marked contrast with Travolta who's all-gesture. But, that's good. Sure, you could say it might not be realistic for her to be so still after having just done a line in the ladies' room, but there's not much realism in Pulp Fiction. And her focused performance lends her a power dynamic that's a bit essential for the scene to work.

And while Travolta may be far too animated, there is one thing about his performance that's a bit remarkable—his Vince Vega can barely look her in the eye. He is, after all, a low-grade gun-man in Marsellus Wallace's crime organization, and he's (let's say) a replacement for "Antwan" (that's how it's spelled in the script) or, as he WAS known, by his nickname, "Tommy Rocky Horror" who was presumably higher ranked in the gang as far as trust and who, despite that, ended up thrown out a fourth story window by his boss. Now, here's Vince, charged with entertaining Marsellus' wife and leery of any misstep that might see him similarly sailing out a window. And he can barely look at her. All that gesturing is compensation for his timidity. He's scared to death...of death...and she might be the cause of his (based on recent history) if he happens to screw up. Sure, it may be overly nuanced in execution, but it's still a good idea. 

 

Even if I didn't recognize it at the time.

 

The Set-Up: From Premiere Magazine "Classic Scene": "Director Quentin Tarantino, who wrote the script with Roger Avary, gave John Travolta the floor (literally) as Vincent escorts Mia (Uma Thurman), the wife of his boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), to a '50s-themed restaurant, complete with celebrity impersonators. Here, Mia returns drugged-up from the ladies' room, having told Vincent to have something to say when she gets back."

 

Action.

 

Dialogue and description is taken from the Tarantino/Avary published screenplay. On-set deletions are crossed out and ad-libbed additions are in Green.

 

MIA So, did ya think of something to say? 

VINCENT Actually, I did.

there's something I've wanted to ask you about, but 

VINCENT However...

VINCENT ...you seem like a nice person, 

VINCENT ...and I didn't want to offend you. 

MIA Oooohhhh, 

MIA this doesn't sound like mindless, boring, getting-to-know-you chit-chat. This sounds like you actually have something to say.

VINCENT Well, well...

VINCENT I do, I do. Only if you promise not to get offended.

MIA No. No, no.

MIA You can't promise something like that. I have no idea what you're gonna ask. You could ask me what you're gonna ask me, 

MIA ...and my natural response could be to be offended. 

MIA Then, through no fault of my own, I woulda broken my promise. 

VINCENT Then let's just forget it. 

MIA That is an impossibility. 

MIA Trying to forget anything as intriguing as this would be an exercise in futility. 

VINCENT Is that a fact? 

Mia nods her head: "Yes." 

MIA Besides, 

MIA ...it's more exciting when you don't have permission.

MIA Alright, alright. 

VINCENT Well...Here goes. 

VINCENT What do you think about what happened to Antwan? 

MIA Who's Antwan? 

VINCENT Tony Rocky...

VINCENT ...Horror. You know him.

MIA He fell out of a window. 

VINCENT Hmmm. Hmmm.

VINCENT That's one way to say it. 

VINCENT Another way is, he was thrown out. 

VINCENT Another way is, he was thrown out by Marsellus. 

VINCENT And yet even another way is, he was thrown out of a window by Marsellus...

VINCENT ...because of you. 

MIA Is that a fact? 

VINCENT No it's not, it's just what I heard. 

MIA Who told you this? 

VINCENT They. 

Mia and Vincent smile. 

MIA They talk a lot, don't they? 

VINCENT They certainly do. They certainly do. 

MIA Well don't by shy, Vincent, what exactly did they say? 

Vincent is slow to answer. 

VINCENT Well, I'm not, I'm not shy.

MIA Let me help you Bashful, did it involve...

MIA ... the F-word? 

VINCENT No, no, no, no, no. They just said Rocky Horror gave you a foot massage. 

MIA And...? 

VINCENT And noth...and nothing.

VINCENT No and, that's it. 

MIA You heard Marsellus threw Tony Rocky Horror out of a four-story window because he massaged my feet gave me a foot massage? 

VINCENT Yeah. 

MIA And you believed that? 

VINCENT At the time I was told, it seemed reasonable. 

MIA Marsellus throwing Tony out of a four- story window for giving me a foot massage massaging my feet seemed reasonable? 

VINCENT No, it seemed excessive. 

VINCENT But that doesn't mean it didn't happen. 

VINCENT I mean I understand that heard Marsellus is very, very protective of you. 

MIA A husband being protective of his wife is one thing. A husband almost killing another man for touching his wife's feet is something else. 

VINCENT But did it happen? 

MIA The only thing...

MIA ...Antwan ever touched of mine was my hand, when he shook it. I met Antwan once – at my wedding – then never again. 

VINCENT Really.

MIA The truth is, nobody knows why Marsellus tossed Tony Rocky Horror out of that window except Marsellus and Tony Rocky Horror. 

MIA But when you scamps get together, you're worse than a sewing circle. 

CUT TO: ED SULLIVAN AND MARILYN MONROE STAND ON STAGE 

ED SULLIVAN (into microphone) Ladies and gentlemen, 

ED SULLIVAN now the moment you've all been waiting for, the world- famous Jackrabbit Slim's twist contest. 

Patrons cheer. 

Ed Sullivan is with Marilyn Monroe, who holds a trophy. 

ED SULLIVAN ... Now this is where one lucky couple will win this handsome trophy that Marilyn here is holding. 

Marilyn holds the trophy. 

ED SULLIVAN ... Now, who will be our first contestants? 

Mia holds her hand. 

MIA Right here. 

Vincent reacts. 

MIA I wanna dance. 

VINCENT No, no, no no, 

VINCENT no, no, no, no. 

MIA (overlapping) No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 

MIA I do believe Marsellus, my husband, your boss, told you to take...

MIA ...me out and do whatever I wanted, 

MIA Now, I want to dance. I want to win. 

MIA I want that trophy. 

VINCENT (sighs) All right. 

MIA So, dance good. 

VINCENT All right, you asked for it.

Pulp Fiction

 

Words by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary

 

Pictures by Andrzej Sekula and Quentin Tarantino

 

Pulp Fiction is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Paramount Pictures.