Kill Bill (Vol 1 & 2): Do You Like the Out-of-Sequence Storytelling?

[Dynasty]

Quentin Tarantino obviously has a thing for making his films out of chronological order. Kill Bill, Volumes 1 & 2 had ten chapters in the film. If you were to watch them in chronological order, it would be like this:

Chapter 3: Origin of O-Ren
Chapter 8: The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei
Chapter 6: Massacre at Two Pines
Chapter 2: The blood-splattered Bride
Chapter 4: The Man from Okinawa
Chapter 5: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves
Chapter 1: 2
Chapter 7: The lonley grave of Paula Schultz
Chapter 9: Elle and I
Last Chapter: Face to Face

Do you like this?

Do you think this is just Tarantino simply being "artistic" because he can?

Just for the hell of it, what's your favortie chapter?

[Vince Young]

Yes; Chapter 5: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves.

[ClaytonN]

Clearly showdown at house of blue leaves

[Jack of Arcades]

The story telling works because it's meant to be told out of sequence. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be as effective. It's like watching memento in the right order or watching the prequel first.

[DemonDeac]

wouldnt the cruel tutelage of pai mei be before everything cuz she learned to fight before everything else happened. even though its labeled chapter 8, it happened before everything else.

and for the record, pai mei is teh [censored] man

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
wouldnt the cruel tutelage of pai mei be before everything cuz she learned to fight before everything else happened. even though its labeled chapter 8, it happened before everything else.

[/ QUOTE ]

Most of "Origin of O-Ren" occured when O-Ren was a little girl. O-Ren and Beatrix seemed about the same age so "Origin" should have come first.

[Cyrus]

I'm sorry but I disagree. Quentin Tarantino is a great director (and creator). The ordering of time in his films is masterly.

BTW, I once watched (tried to watch) a Godfather TV version, i.e. in "proper chronological order", made apparently for the TV couch potatoes who choke any time there's a flash-forward, and it was pathetic, terrible; had the life sucked out of it. Coppola must have been truly hard up - once again.

[-Syk-]

Chapter 7: The lonely grave of Paula Schultz

And I love how QT mixes up the timeframes in his movies.

[dsm]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you like this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I like the out-of-sequence timeline. It is the perfect/artsy way of adding a little more suspense and intrigue to a very simple plot: A female assassin is betrayed, nearly killed, and four years later, she is out to seek revenge against her former compatriots.

-dsm

[TimTimSalabim]

I like the out-of-sequence style, especially in the telling of Chapters 7 and 8, which are also my favorites. Of course, a lesser director could easily have screwed it up, Tarantino is like an expert poker player who can get away with playing 73s.

[Mike Gallo]

Quentin Tarantino obviously has a thing for making his films out of chronological order


Obviously since Pulp Fiction and Resevoir Dogs were also told out of order.

Chapter 5: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves

One of my favorite fight scenes....EVER not to mention Lucy Liu /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Do you think this is just Tarantino simply being "artistic" because he can?

I do not know, however I read somewhere that he originally worked on this "project" with Uma Thurman during the filming of Pulp Fiction. They started writing it then and it stayed on the drawing board for close to 5 years.

[Reef]

the one with Vivica Fox

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
the one with Vivica Fox

[/ QUOTE ]

That would be Chapter 1: 2

[HDPM]

I like the out of order sequence. It was hard to pick which chapter I liked best. Too much good stuff in the films

[Cyrus]

[ QUOTE ]
I like the out-of-sequence timeline. It is the perfect/artsy way of adding a little more suspense and intrigue to a very simple plot: A female assassin is betrayed, nearly killed, and four years later, she is out to seek revenge against her former compatriots.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah and not just Kill Bill. Dogs's main plot was as trivial as it gets: A straightforward heist (movie) goes wrong. Pulp Fiction abounded with cliches: A gangster takes out the boss' wife to dinner - will he or won't he?; two hitmen make a hit; a girl accidentally ODs; A boxer throws a fight - in reverse; two former mortal enemies gagng up to defeat common threat and bond; etc.

The genius is not (it is no longer possible) to engage in "cosmic" concepts of the highest order of symbolism, magnitude or didacticism. Those dimensions have already been conquered and stripped of mystery and their allegoric potential. We are eating and sleeping banality -- so our day and age's art is finding the gold that's in our modern lives. IMHO.

[MEbenhoe]

[ QUOTE ]

Do you think this is just Tarantino simply being "artistic" because he can?


[/ QUOTE ]

I think the ordering of the chapters for the most part makes perfect sense. If you have Origin of O-Ren, or The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei at the beginning of the movie it kills the story.

Also, this could be my memory failing me cuz I haven't watched the movie in a couple months, but I could have sworn 2 takes place chronologically before Showdown at House of Blue Leaves.

As for favorite chapter, my vote has to go to The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei.

[The Ocho]

[ QUOTE ]
but I could have sworn 2 takes place chronologically before Showdown at House of Blue Leaves.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure it's called "2" because vivica a fox was #2 on the revenge list. O-Ren was #1.

[MEbenhoe]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but I could have sworn 2 takes place chronologically before Showdown at House of Blue Leaves.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure it's called "2" because vivica a fox was #2 on the revenge list. O-Ren was #1.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good point. I think this thread may inspire me to watch those movies again today.

[pshreck]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but I could have sworn 2 takes place chronologically before Showdown at House of Blue Leaves.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure it's called "2" because vivica a fox was #2 on the revenge list. O-Ren was #1.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is accurate. O-Ren is the first killed, then Viv. a Fox. This ofcourse assuming her paper is accurate.

[Dynasty]

I'm watching Kill Bill, Volume 1 yet again and I'm wondering something. Did Vernita Green know Beatrix was coming for her?

By the time, Beatrix is hunting Budd, Elle Driver, and Bill, they're all aware she's coming and are prepared for her. But, Vernita seems to have been taken by surprise. Did Bill just "F Vernita" and not give here a warning?

[Gamblor]

The movie would make no sense if the chapters were presented in chronological order.

Besides the fact that out-of-order screenplays are a Tarantino signature, in this case the story as it was told in the order it was for a reason:

Chapter 1: 2: Establish The Bride as the central character.
Chapter 2: The blood-splattered Bride: Explain why she's the central character.
Chapter 3: Origin of O-Ren: Show that the other members of the Deadly Vipers have moved on after the assassination.
Chapter 4: The Man from Okinawa: Begin the tale of her revenge - the first fight.
Chapter 5: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves: First revenge.
Chapter 6: Massacre at Two Pines: Now that she's back and bad, tie up the loose end of how it all happened.
Chapter 7: The lonley grave of Paula Schultz: the 3rd fight
Chapter 8: The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei: Now that she's proved her menace, tie up the loose end of how she got so tough in the first place.
Chapter 9: Elle and I: the 4th fight.
Last Chapter: Face to Face: conclude the story.

Also noteworthy is that with the "death" of the Bride, the Deadly Vipers cease to exist, with Vernita getting married, O-Ren running Japanese organized crime, Elle doing something or other, and Budd bouncing at the titty-bar in Texas.

[Gamblor]

i assume she got to o-ren and then vernita so fast there wasn't time to warn her.

bill doesn't hear from two of his assassins in a relatively short period of time so he immediately warns the rest.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
i assume she got to o-ren and then vernita so fast there wasn't time to warn her.

bill doesn't hear from two of his assassins in a relatively short period of time so he immediately warns the rest.

[/ QUOTE ]

He knew about O-Ren quickly since Sophie Fatale told him. Remember, Beatrix told Sophie that she wanted all the vipers to know she was coming.

[bronzepiglet]

I like it... even in Pulp Fiction the time jumps work for perfect character development and the process does not come off as mere trickery. Same for Kill Bill.

[Gamblor]

if not that, then his brother (budd, "the only man i've ever loved") and current girlfriend (elle, recall that she hates beatrix so much because she's bill's old girlfriend) obviously mean more to him than just another one of the gang (vernita)

[PokerFink]

Do I like it? Hell yeah I like it. I think the story works a lot better told the way QT tells it than if it were chronological. There is little reason to tell the story of Pai Mei at the beginning of KBV1. Plus it makes for a better movie, simply because the most dramatic parts (House of Blue Leaves, Face to Face) happen at the end of their respective films.

Do I think he does it because he can? No, as I said, it works better that way.

With that said, there are obvious places where QT is simply showing off his skills. I've mentioned the several great shots in KBV1 on this board several times. They aren't necessary to the film, they are pretty much just QT showing off. But they do make the film cooler and that much more fun to watch.

Last note, I'm surprised Elle and I has so few votes. I think the part where the two of them face off with the swords in the hallway of Budd's trailor is the best moment of either film. Great music.