“Pulp Fiction” is a modern Hollywood classic, but upon release, the 1994 Quentin Tarantino-directed offbeat crime thriller was audacious to say the least. It told a narrative in non-chronological order, casted John Travolta off of a career slump, showcased on-screen drug use and graphic violence and gave its gun-wielding characters ample time to shoot the breeze before shooting their targets.
Nevertheless, the film succeeded, so much that audiences are still discussing it over a generation later. “Pulp Fiction” producer Lawrence Bender attended the Variety 120 Series screening, presented by Barco, a summer-long program hosted by Jazz Tangcay, that celebrates Variety‘s 120th anniversary by showing iconic films such as “All About Eve,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Psycho.”
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Bender reflected on the first time “Pulp Fiction” came into his consciousness. It was 1992 and he was meeting Tarantino in Amsterdam ahead of the Cannes Film Festival premiere of “Reservoir Dogs,” Tarantino’s first film which Bender also produced. During the layover, Tarantino shared that he was writing a new script and read him scenes over cassette tapes of surfer rock-n-roll music. After they returned to Los Angeles, Bender eventually received a full draft. “There’s a reason why it won the Academy Award,” he reflects, “It’s an extraordinary read.”
Given the “Reservoir Dogs” success, Bender and Tarantino had an easier time attracting actors to cast the eccentric characters in “Pulp Fiction.” They had already forged relationships with Tim Roth and Harvey Keitel from “Reservoir Dogs;” Samuel L. Jackson auditioned for his part; and Uma Thurman’s agent got her in the room by cold calling Tarantino’s manager and tricking him into thinking they had already set up a meeting regarding the role.
Bruce Willis, according to Bender, was “maybe the biggest movie star at the time. He was getting paid $16 million for ‘Die Hard 3’ and no one had ever been paid that much money before at Fox.” He and Tarantino were thus thrilled to go visit him at his house in Malibu while casting. “Quentin and Bruce took a walk on the beach, and Bruce knew every piece of dialogue from ‘Reservoir Dogs’” Bender remembers, “So by the time they came back from their walk on the beach, guess who’s in the movie!”
Casting Travolta was a bold decision, as the “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease” actor was best known for playing charming, kitschy parts and had nary been seen in a serious movie since Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out” over a decade prior. Nevertheless, the swing ended up being a hit, as “Pulp Fiction” revived Travolta’s career thanks to his on-screen chemistry with Jackson. Bender says that Travolta’s iconic speech about McDonald’s menus in France was inspired by Tarantino’s own time in the country. “Quentin was spending time in France and he started eating ‘Le Big Mac.’ So guess what? It turns out to be in the movie!” he laughs, “Quentin loved living in different places because they ended up culturally infused in his work”
“Pulp Fiction” also had a larger budget than “Reservoir Dogs” as well as some studio backing. Bender says that despite the more sizable budget, he and Tarantino still wanted to make a contained film that “would be successful relative to the budget.” With a lower budget, he reflects, “it’d be easier to have success” and also he and Tarantino would “be able to have more control.” Accordingly, Bender made a detailed budget that would keep investors happy and the studios at bay throughout production, and the leading actors were paid below their scale. “Somehow it felt fair,” he says, “I learned this one thing from Harvey Keitel as we were negotiating. He said, ‘If you’re making these movies where people are not getting paid a lot, everyone needs to feel like they’re being treated fairly. That’s what we as actors need to feel.’ I took that to heart.”
Both Bender and Tarantino had also grown as filmmakers from “Reservoir Dogs” to “Pulp Fiction.” He explains, “On ‘Reservoir Dogs’ we were probably the least experienced people on set.” After making “Reservoir Dogs,” Tarantino “knew a lot more. He’s a professional filmmaker now, or at least he made one movie, so he had the knowledge of how movies work, the rhythms and so forth.”
Bender attributes “Pulp Fiction’s” longevity to its aesthetic and characters. He comments, “We filmed with these big, big lights. We filmed on film stock and 50 ASA film, which you need a massive amount of light to expose and you get very little grain,” lending the film a timeless and unique look. Moreover, he notes that there’s “something about the characters. They’re so iconic looking. There’s such a uniqueness about it. There’s a funness about it.”
Since “Pulp Fiction,” Bender has collaborated with Tarantino on “Jackie Brown,” “Inglourious Basterds” and both “Kill Bill” movies. His credits also include “Good Will Hunting,” Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” and Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge.” “Pulp Fiction,” “Good Will Hunting,” and “Inglourious Basterds” have all earned him best picture nominations at the Academy Awards.
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