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The Relationship Between Moments And Their Respective Films

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Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies are prime examples of the relationship between moments and their respective films. Roger Ebert, in his review of Kill Bill Volume 2, describes Tarantino’s method as creating “lovingly structured episodes that play on their own while contributing to the legend.”1 Indeed, all of the individual moments in Kill Bill Volume 2 have their own significance, while at the same time adding to the wider film. This is especially true of the moment I will discuss, in which Tarantino makes heavy use of visual and auditory “opposites”. By juxtaposing these various opposites, Tarantino creates contrast, bringing out the fine details in both of the subjects. The moment I highlight occurs about fifty-six minutes into …show more content…

He subjects her to a torturous and unrelenting training regimen, forcing her to punch wooden boards every day until her knuckles are bloody, among other activities. Pai Mei regularly flicks his beard as he watches Beatrix train. This simple action is highly important, because it can be used to accurately sum up Pai Mei’s entire attitude towards Beatrix. In the beginning, he grunts and frowns whenever he brushes his beard, indicating his extreme displeasure. However, as the flashback montage progresses, Beatrix’s skills begin to improve, and Pai Mei’s view of her improves as well. As he performs his beard-tossing gesture repeatedly, his frown gradually disappears, replaced by head nods and slight smiles. This brings us now to the moment I focus on. Compared to the rest of the flashback, this moment seems incredibly out of place. It is dark and calm, and Beatrix and Pai Mei are neither talking nor training. The moment begins with a shot of the single window in the room. It is made of parallel, vertical metal bars, with torn cloth hanging over. Outside, it is dark and stormy, and the sound of rainfall gently permeates the room. The next two shots follow in quick succession, showing the rice bowls and a teapot. These opening shots set up the scene for the viewer, showing the dismal conditions in which Beatrix lives during her training. There is a single source of light streaming in from outside the window,

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