Film
A scene with Quentin
In Pulp Fiction, in what has become known as the “Divine intervention” scene, a guy hides inside the bathroom trembling under the weight of both his mortality and huge gun as he hears hit man Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) recite Ezekiel 25:17 before he shoots a co-conspirator who embezzled Jules’ employer.
The guy in the bathroom comes blasting out of the bathroom screaming “die motherfucker,” spraying bullets which seem to go through Jules and his partner Vincent, after which the former, due to the perceived miracle, resolves to become a spiritual man. This movie is 16 years old, and I’m not saying anything new, it’s just that I saw the film again last night and noticed something very beautiful: the guy in the bathroom’s pants are unbuttoned.
For one second, at the bottom on the frame, just like that: the all encompassing cognizance of description as a wholly sentient thing, not just a passive measure of context. We understand the hit men came into the apartment; we know the guy didn’t retreat into the bathroom, but was probably there all along; we even know he was taking a shit, but we never knew it—knew it via an intuition which doesn’t just imitate life, but replicates it. They say the most believable lies contain minutiae, and the best liars remember them.
And here I cannot help but talk about the novel’s responsibility, for me, to do the same thing. I can only think of a handful of authors (Flaubert, Joyce, D.F. Wallace, Proust) who, in a bathroom shitting scene, whould ignore the obvious toilet, fecal note, predictable smells, playful ventures through pipes into other surreal worlds, or, worse, the retreat into the shitter’s feelings—but who would simply honor the beautiful bloom of an unbuttoned pant, while also using it to implicate the psychological climate of severe imminence interrupted.
Part of the “Divine intervention” scene takes place early on in the movie, from the perspective outside of the bathroom, wherein Jules recites Ezekiel 25:17 the first time, which we hear the 2nd time in the bathroom as “simultaneous time” later on. (The fragmentation of verbal script and visual cues is wonderfully addressed in the T.S. Eliot play The Cocktail Party.) Can’t remember if I dreamed this, but I swear I heard somewhere that Quentin Tarantino was named after Faulkner’s Quentin Compson, which takes us full circle, as both Faulkner and the eponymous director do best at slicing time and perception with a shiny razor, whose surface also reflects the light, that transcriber of life, into our eyes.
Moments of such authorial gentleness are rare. In Ulysses, Leopold Blood, while taking a bath, notices his penis float up to the surface like a water lily. The flayed jeans which this post pays tribute to is Tarantino’s flower.
Interesting post. But do you mean when he comes out shooting at Travolta and SLJ, his fly is still undone? If not, that means we must infer that he put the gun down on the sink or bowl while SLJ was preaching and covered up. And since this guy is pretty scared, that would have been made more difficult because he’s sporting a button fly. (A zipper would have been easier, not requiring two hands–possibly.)
That’s too bad, because we can only take what the director (or the novelist) gives us. As you say, a consistency error.
Tarantino doesn’t get proper respect as an artist, I think. People focus too much on the pop aspect of his story telling.
I liked this post Jimmy. But fuck, 16 years ago? That sort of bummed me out.
The ezekiel thing was stolen from a Sonny Chiba movie. I think the Bodygaurd one. I have it at home.
well done, jimmy.
Nice…
Maybe it also foreshadows the way Vincent meets his death. (Then again, that one-to-one correlation does not have an empty slot, occupied already by Vincent shitting at the diner. Perhaps instead it’s a general theme.)
Leopold Blood?
Interesting post. But do you mean when he comes out shooting at Travolta and SLJ, his fly is still undone? If not, that means we must infer that he put the gun down on the sink or bowl while SLJ was preaching and covered up. And since this guy is pretty scared, that would have been made more difficult because he’s sporting a button fly. (A zipper would have been easier, not requiring two hands–possibly.)
the death/bathroom correlation in the film is interesting. on vincent’s date with mia wallace, it precedes her near death when she ODs; at the diner, he is arguably saved by it; and at butch’s apt., he meets his demise at the bathroom (think pop-tart = life’s expiration). and of course, there is the scene referenced in this post. then there’s mia who goes to the bathroom at the 50’s restaurant and mentions how she loves it when the food is already there. maybe i’m reading to much into it, but i think there’s some reincarnation metaphor going on.
Always knew Quentin had a foot fetish. Here perhaps is another one that’s been overlooked…
i checked out the youtube clip and his fly is up when he comes out shooting, which, i think, is a disappointing ‘consistency error,’ and not the scenario you offered. i’m surprised the error was made, given tarantino’s obvious cognizance of the unbuttoned implications
Bathroom is in all of his films including the student film he did while at sundance.
It’s in his script writing too.
True Romance: the ghost of elvis giving advice ONLY in the bathroom; bama’s near execution and salvation.
From Dusk Til Dawn: Winnebago creeping
Pretty sure NBK script had bathroom shit too. Been a few years since I read it.
He is also a girl foot freak.
Then again, who isn’t?
That’s too bad, because we can only take what the director (or the novelist) gives us. As you say, a consistency error.
I should say his earlier work not all his work. Thinking about the last 3 films he made and can’t think of any bathroom scenes.
Turlet’s an illuminating place for literary criticism.
—Ulysses
there are quite a few inconsistencies in the scene. i hear some were left in purposefully.
“Left in ‘purposely”, i.e. did not go back to fix, or inconsistencies were “put” in for….some reason?
Left in purposefully, not purposely. Left for meaning, not simply a decision.
I wish i could remember where i read the interview. It’s a been like 14 years. He was smacking down film geeks who were shit talking his inconsistencies with that specific scene (i.e. bullet holes in the wall before the gun fires).
Not saying it’s what he did with the pants, but it is possible.
The orange balloon going under the car wheels in Reservoir Dogs wasn’t planned. It fucked up his shot. He left it in after watching the footage.
the author of this blog post has clearly never actually read ulysses
i’m curious why you think that, really.
“the beautiful bloom of an unbuttoned pant”
because in bloom’s shitting scene joyce pays close attention to all the features you claim he ‘would ignore,’ as evidenced by that quote deadgod posted
ok, you win! http internet referee! yizzurp 1: chen 0
Just think how different the world would be if Jimmy liked the taste–you know what I mean…. yeah… I mean, how can a man who doesn’t like THE TASTE know ANYTHING about this film? Yeah.
I haven’t read Ulysses yet. I mean to soon. I have this scene in a story where a dude has a similar penis-floating experience. I’ll just change his name to Leopold so everyone knows I intentionally copied. Bah.