The Use of Music in Quentin Tarantino’s Certain Films Essay Example

Tarantino’s cultural element in his films.Since pre-exist music are often made and usually score high than others, is pop music would than be always to be pre-existed along its effects? How a certain pop music is is chosen for a certain film? These questions are very interesting and we’ll analyze them and give answers through our evaluation of how Quentin Tarantino uses pop music throughout his films. This paper will tackle about Tarantino’s use of music in his specific films of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill and the general use in his other films.

II. DiscussionOne of the Tarantino's films is Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1994) where black screen recognizes the beginning of the film. Suddenly a man, after his revelation of being Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), is revealed to us and suddenly found themselves in a group dinner of men. In this scenario, men were having a debate about the songs of Madonna.

Here, we could be impressed by the discussion of pop music, main feature of Tarantino’s film. The purpose of this debate is to define their relationship before. In their discussion of the true meaning of ‘Like a Virgin’, it was a teasing moment among them (Boyce, 2001). In addition, anyone who didn’t know the song ‘True Blue’ would express a shock in the groups. Here, we could say that the group is having an intimate relations or close friendship as they discuss the music.

We would discover later that the group hardly knows each other before but through the conversation of pop music, they get closer to each other.  We could assess that the discussion of pop music brought up the

characters together (Strauss, 1994).In Tarantino’s film, music provides better ways on how we could define our self as an audience and, at the same time, we could define our suitable tastes in music and in films. In short, music becomes an integral part of redefining our own identity.Analyzing the previous sentence, part of it shows the comparison or differences we have to other people.

We have this tendency of comparing our ability, physical characteristics and other features we have to other people. In fact, sometimes we said: “I like this music but others don’t.” In a simple discourse, if pop music is being argued, the shared discourse pave our way towards how we think about pop. The meaning behind a certain song might be picked up directly from its lyrics and tune.

However, in Tarantino’s film, it could be found where it is being used. Its meaning is invoking up the linkage with time, place and event that is not necessarily referring to. This is not only referring to specific songs but most of the song used by him hides this style of music. The discourse in pop music is very interesting when taking Tarantino’s film.

It could be observed how the culture references is being tackled and rekindled through the discourse of pop music.In the case of his Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994), even a person can really hypothesize the story of this film without even viewing the film entirely. This is because of the high profile release of the MCA’s background album. As with the previously discussed film together with its background music, the music serves as a bridge going with the flow of

the story. From both films, we could observe how the film itself and the narrative are being linked and pave the flow. The expression of pop music towards the notion about “cultural specificity” affects how pop music works in the film.

In short, pop music speaks with its culture (Boyce, 2001). It’s hard to create a pop music before making the film and simply inserted the music as a soundtrack. However, it is very simple and true with the music in Tarantino’s film.However, in his employment of pop music in his film, there’s much more commercial necessity at work.

There’s a reason behind his choose of music. For example, in Pulp Fiction playing of “Girl you’ll be a woman soon,” is actually in the script. According to Tarantino, he would rather write first a song before making an idea of film or movie. Specifically, he would make an opening of an opening music that will express the flow of the movie.Thus, throughout his film, pop songs bring new level of narrative feature of the film.

In addition, he doesn’t use of a mere specific song but observe how a type of pop  music will be used to bring into the audience’s mind the particular type of genre and time in past.  In his film, a pop song is not only a part for evoking a certain mood but rather it is very essential and an integral part of it for revealing the hidden flow of the film.Examining the artists and the song being used, they are not necessarily renowned by the public but rather he chose them because they are well known to him. This

is another issue in his film and music of taking a song that might bring a big outside impact onto the movie or film. We take for the example the case in Pulp Fiction set in Zed’s shop. The song “If Love is a Red Roses” by Maria McKees is being demoted by a barely audible on a radio.

Tarantino wants his audiences to disregard the presence of the singer who, by the time of the film, was a major recording artist. He seems to filter those cultural messages that the music is expressing.We could assess how Tarantino is very careful in picking and associating music with the film and, especially, he is very aware also with the role of the music and appears proficient in manipulating its issue.According to him, the proper application of the music and its manipulation in a certain film or movie lead to the possession of the movie to that music (Boyce, 2001). But how these manipulations have impacts to his film? Let’s scrutinize a couple of scenes in Pulp Fiction. In the segment when Vincent (John Travolta) and Mia dance with the music of Chuck Berry’s ‘You never can tell’, we could see that there’s an on edge between the two.

They hardly know each other and fell uncomfortable with each other. Mia forced Vincent to be his partner in a competition. While on the dance floor, they moved in a perfect harmony and steps and won the competition. They returned to her house and he danced again to ‘Girl you’ll be a Woman soon’ and then, by chance, overdoses on drugs.

In this scene, music expresses its comments upon

the narrative. In the movie, we could observe that there’s a lot of close up in the characters suggesting that they have an intimate relationship with the playing music. Regarding this, the lyrics of the music seems to comments also upon the actual and the future scenes. The literal lyrics and meaning of the song ‘You can never tell’ seems to the relationship between Vincent and Mia.

Before, we observed how they hardly cope up with each other but when they dance with a background of music, we are surprised to see how comfortable they were while dancing together. Through the music, we could hypothesize what would happen when Vincent was being forced to get Mia out of her bad condition. The song with upbeat tempo also appears to define their relationship that is now something pleasurable between them. In contrast, the song ‘Girl you’ll be a woman soon’, seems to prepare Mia about an impending danger towards her.

Similarly, this kind of music and comments can be seen on the onscreen action in the ‘Reservoir Dogs’. The song ‘I Gotcha’ suddenly played when the policemen was captured and suddenly beaten up. The music being played in all of the Tarantino’s film adds higher level of meaning to the narrative.We could be noted how Tarantino carefully and effectively inserted a song on a certain scene to shape and successfully change the scenery of the story. In addition, there’s something irony at play: the audience can effectively guess the narrative and the characters of the story than the characters themselves. For example, in one scene in Pulp Fiction, Butch (Bruce Willis) is listening in the song ‘Flowers

on the Wall’ by The Statler Brothers.

In the lyrics of the song, there’s a line “Smokin” cigarettes and watching Kangaroo which he sung along to. We could implicitly tell a lot about him, his hobbies and wants.We discussed already how Tarantino effectively manipulates the song before it is inserted in a certain scene. If we observed, most of the songs he uses are mainly oldies song, 60’s and 70’s that provoke the memories of that period but his films are made in the present.Take notice of how he makes use of music within the world of the film through the film. In addition, make a note within the narrative itself, there’s a reason behind his placement of a particular song in a certain scene in a certain time.

Let’s take for example in Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino doesn’t go with the mere playing of the song from the radio. He give a reason for the songs to be played in the scene by creating the ‘K-Billy’s Super Sounds of The Seventies’ programme (Boyce 2001). This feature implies that Tarantino is unease if the non-diegetic music would express a diverted meaning from the actual.  He feels that 70’s feel created the music might have a conflict against the narrative that is made in the 90’s. Here, we could say that he is very proficient in controlling the music in his own hands.

In addition, he ensures that the music will help to inform audience about the film rather than becoming a dominant factor in the film. In Pulp Fiction, as the credits opened and roll, the song of Dick Dales’ ‘Mirislou’ was inserted. This kind of 50’s style

surf music invokes us of what are we going to see. It makes us wonder if it is set in the 50’s perhaps.

Subsequently, it is replaced by Kool and the Gangs’ ‘Jungle Boogie’ and also faded until the credit was replaced by Jules (Samuel Jackson) and Vincent in a car.If we try to analyze the song itself, we have just heard the song coming from the car stereo and go down the volume until it becomes subordinate with the conversation between Jules and Vincent. It simply entails that the song ‘Misirlou’ tune out by either Jules or Vincent. Here, we could realize how non-diegetic music has some sort of power over how audience also go with the narrative and how they relate with the film. The placement of diegetic music provides physical control of the music to the characters.The difficulty of determining where music comes with the diegesis is resolved and is effectively done in Tarantino’s film.

On the other way around, it could be said that even the audience have some sort of control with the music. Look for the example in a credit sequence of Reservoir Dogs. After the occurrence in the dinner was finished, the screen went black and The George Baker Selection song ‘Little Green Bag’ was played. The credit sequence started with the characters as they are slowly walking while the song was being heard. Here, there’s an improbability where the song comes within the diegesis. The DJ of the scene appears to express that it comes from the world of the scene but it is not sourced.

On the other hand, Kill Bill, the fourth film of Quentin Tarantino,

is an example of an epic drama which presents an extensive use of pop music and pop culture references. Besides, it also bestows a pessimistic violence. Similar with his other films, it mainly features a diverse of soundtracks consisting of much popular music. The music used ranges from the country music to selections from the Western film.

His selection of music augments the realistic mood of the characters that sympathize with the audience and augments to the imagery of the film. The use of music in Kill Bill Volume 1 is very terrific. For example, the insertion of the music RZA’s heraldry of O-Ren’s entrance to the Inn of the Blue Leaves is very wonderful and excellent (Jardine, 2004).ConclusionThe use of pop music in films presents a sort of multifaceted relationship in effect. Since culture is one of the major factors involved in a film, one must try to comprehend and realize the cultural aspects of a certain song, especially when it is embedded in a film or movie. In Tarantino’s film, they present cultural references.

Conversely, cultural reference is also presented in a certain film. Sometimes in a particular film, there’s a vast cultural reference it tries to imply leading in a sort of complexity within. The presentation above dealing with the use of music in a certain film provides an opportunity to realize how this kind of arguments and discourse actually works in a society.In certain film of Tarantino’s, we see how the characters often talk with pop music leading to a good relationship between them.

The discourse around pop music paves the way of understanding with other people and cultural specificity. Tarantino

is very talented and remarkable. He also gives chance helping other people to understand how discourse works providing also the great effect during every scenes of a film. If we observed some of his film, characters are typically gangsters, thieves, etc but as they tune and talk with some piece of  music, audience are given the chance to understand them better.