The shot of Vincent plunging the syringe into Mia's chest was filmed by having John Travolta pull the needle out, then running the film backwards.Watch carefully and you'll see a mark on Mia's chest disappear when she's revived.
In real life, Vincent Vega's 1964 Chevelle Malibu convertible belongs to Writer and Director Quentin Tarantino, and was stolen during the production of the film. In 2013, a police officer saw two kids stripping an older car. He arrested them, and when researching the vehicle, found the VIN had been altered. It turned out that it was the car stolen off Quentin Tarantino. The owner had recently purchased it, and had no idea it was stolen.
Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia Wallace. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.
The movie cost eight million dollars to make, with five million dollars going to pay the actors' salaries.
Quentin Tarantino was quoted as saying that Butch is responsible for keying Vincent's car.
Harvey Keitel convinced his friend Bruce Willis to take part in the film, knowing that Willis had been a big fan of Reservoir Dogs (1992).
In the diner when Mia orders her five dollar shake, Buddy Holly (the waiter, Steve Buscemi) asks her if she wants it "Martin and Lewis or Amos and Andy?" He is referring to two comedy duos - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, two white men; The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951), two black men. Basically, he is asking her if she wants a vanilla shake or a chocolate shake. She has vanilla.
Uma Thurman did not actually like the song that was played in the Jack Rabbit Slim's Twist Contest (Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell"), and she told Quentin Tarantino about this, saying it just did not sound right. Tarantino simply replied, "Trust me, it's perfect."
Jules' character was originally written to have a gigantic afro, but a crewmember obtained a variety of afro wigs and one jheri curl wig. Quentin Tarantino had never thought about a jheri curl wig, but Samuel L. Jackson tried it on and Tarantino liked it, so it was kept.
Bruce Willis worked on the film for only eighteen days.
Jules' "Bad Mother Fucker" wallet actually belongs to Quentin Tarantino. The inscription on the wallet is a reference to the theme song of Shaft (1971). Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Jules, would later go on to play Shaft in the 2000 remake, Shaft (2000).
In an interview with James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio (1994), John Travolta went into details of the many obstacles of tackling his role as Vincent Vega, the most challenging being that of how he was going to show the essence of his character as that of a heroin addict. Never using the drug himself, Quentin Tarantino had Travolta research his character's addiction by speaking to a recovering heroin addict that he (Quentin) knew personally. Travolta asked Tarantino's friend to tell him how could he know what it felt like to be on heroin (without actually using it of course). Tarantino's friend explained "If you want to get the 'bottom envelope' feeling of that, get plastered on Tequila, and lie down in a hot pool. Then you will have barely touched the feeling of what it might be like to be on heroin." John Travolta then explained that he was ecstatic to tell his wife that he was "told" in order to research aspects of his upcoming roles' character, he had to get plastered on Tequila and lie in a hot pool. He stated she happily joined him at the hotel hot tub which had shots of Tequila lined from end to end on the railings to assist him in his "research".
Quentin Tarantino hesitated over the choice between the character he was going to play, Jimmie or Lance. He ended up choosing Jimmie's role because he wanted to be behind the camera in Mia's overdose scene.
Quentin Tarantino wrote the role of Jules specifically for Samuel L. Jackson, however, it was almost given to Paul Calderon after a great audition. When Jackson heard this, he flew to Los Angeles and auditioned again to secure the role. Calderon ended up with a small role, as Paul.
The passage from the Bible that Jules has memorized was mostly made up by Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson. The only part that's similar to what the Bible says is the part where he says, "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee." However, the parts about the righteous man and the shepherd are not real. It's likely that Tarantino actually included it as a reference to the Sonny Chiba film Karate Kiba (1976) as the quote is almost word for word from the opening scene. Tarantino has also said that he is big fan of the actor and is therefore likely to have seen the movie.
Quentin Tarantino wrote "The Wolf" character specifically for Harvey Keitel.
Towards the end of the film, Jules says he wants to retire and become a drifter. In Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Samuel L. Jackson turns up as Rufus, a piano playing drifter.
The parts of "Honey Bunny" and "Pumpkin" were written specifically for Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth.
Speculation abounds as to the nature of the mysterious glowing contents of the case (which Tarantino said was simply a MacGuffin plot device):
- Could it be Elvis's gold suit, seen worn by Val Kilmer (as Elvis) in True Romance (1993)?
- The most persistent theory is that it is Marcellus Wallace's soul. The story goes that when the Devil takes a person's soul, it is removed through the back of the head. When we see the back of Marcellus's head he has a Band-Aid covering the precise spot indicated by tradition for soul removal. Perhaps Marcellus sold his soul to the devil which would also explain why the combination to open the briefcase is 666.
- Quentin Tarantino has said that the band-aid on the back of Marsellus Wallace's neck had nothing to do with an allusion to the Devil stealing Marsellus's soul... but that the actor Ving Rhames had a scar on the back of his neck he wanted to cover up.
- According to Roger Avary, who co-wrote the script with Quentin Tarantino, the original plan was to have the briefcase contain diamonds (urban legend has it that they were the diamonds from Resevoir Dogs). This seemed neither exciting nor original, so Avary and Tarantino decided to have the briefcase's contents never appear on screen; this way each film-goer could mentally "fill in the blank" with whatever struck his or her imagination as best fitting the description "so beautiful". The orange light bulb (projecting shimmering light onto the actors' faces) was a last-minute decision and added a completely unintended fantastic element.
Chandler Lindauer had to sit through the Captain Koons speech delivered by Christopher Walken. Because of his young age, he had no clue what Walken was saying, including the use of adult language.
Many people believe that the band-aid on Ving Rhames' neck was an intentional choice by the filmmakers. In reality, it came from an accident Rhames had while shaving his head. When Quentin Tarantino noticed this, it inspired him to open the "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace" sequence with a close-up of the band-aid instead. Ultimately Tarantino liked showing the band-aid rather than Rhames' face because it accentuated the character's mercurial nature and was more visually exciting than a series of single shots of Rhames and Bruce Willis.
The role of Vincent Vega was originally (and exclusively) written with Michael Madsen firmly in mind. Quentin Tarantino had been working on his script for seven months and, even though Madsen knew of Quentin's plans and had expressed his desire to play the part, Madsen had already signed up for the role of Virgil Earp in Wyatt Earp (1994), and was unable to commit to the film. He later regretted the decision.
The cab driver, Esmeralda Villalobos (Angela Jones), appeared in a thirty-minute short called Curdled (1991) in which she played a character who cleaned up after murders. This makes her fascinated by the idea of murder. Quentin Tarantino saw that film and decided to include the character in Pulp Fiction (1994), but as a cabdriver.
When Vincent calls Lance on his cell phone, Lance is eating a bowl of Fruit Brute, a cereal from the older monster cereal family. Fruit Brute (which, along with Yummy Mummy, Frankenberry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula, make up the monster cereals) was later discontinued, along with "Yummy Mummy." Quentin Tarantino has held onto a box and drops it into scenes from time to time. It appeared in Reservoir Dogs (1992), too.
The dance that Vince (John Travolta) and Mia (Uma Thurman) perform at Jack Rabbit Slims was copied, movement by movement, from the dance performed early in Fellini's 1963 classic 8½ (1963) by Gloria Morin (Barbara Steele) and Mario Mezzabotta (Mario Pisu).
The movie's line, "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris? They call it a Royale with cheese." was voted as the #81 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.
Mia Wallace's comment "An Elvis man should love this" is a reference to a deleted scene (included in some edited for television versions) where Mia claims that everyone can be classified as either an "Elvis" (Elvis Presley) person or a "Beatles" (The Beatles) person. She bets Vincent that he is an "Elvis", and he confirms it. Tarantino says he removed the scene because of the film cliché of having one character film another with a handheld camera. It is also worth noting that Jules calls Pumpkin "Ringo," as a reference to Ringo Starr, thus making him a Beatles person.
The role of Butch was originally supposed to be an up and coming boxer. Matt Dillon was in talks to play the role, but never committed. Quentin Tarantino then changed the role and offered it to Bruce Willis, who had been disappointed at not being signed to play Vincent.
Marsellus and Mia never actually speak to one another on-screen, even though they are seen together poolside, and are husband and wife.
Vincent Vega is the only character who is present in every segment of the film: "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife", "The Gold Watch", "The Bonnie Situation" and "The Diner".
Quentin Tarantino had originally intended "My Sharona" (by The Knack) to be played during the Gimp torture sequence, but the rights had already been licensed to another film, Reality Bites (1994). On top of this, one of the members of the band had become a born-again Christian, and did not want the song to be associated with a scene of sexual violence.
Jules flipping the table over in the beginning was improvised by Samuel L. Jackson, and Frank Whaley's reaction was genuine, but they continued with the scene, and it was done in one take.
Upon the films UK video rental release, some video stores gave away a pack of limited edition 'Pulp Fiction' matches. On the back of the packet was a quote from the film "you play with matches, you get burned".
Quentin Tarantino is an avid collector of vintage television show board games. During the filming of Pulp Fiction (1994), he and John Travolta were reported to have sat on the floor and played the Welcome Back, Kotter (1975) board game.
When Vincent first walks into Mia's house, one of the back doors is slightly open. This was done so the camera wouldn't be reflected in the glass.
The white 1980 Honda Civic which Butch is driving when he knocks down Marseillus Wallace is the same car as Jackie Brown later drove in the film Jackie Brown (1997).
A "KILLIANS RED" neon sign at the pawn shop is partially lit. It reads, "KILL ED." Seconds before you see Butch pick up Zed's keys, there is a "Z" on the key chain. Put altogether, it is "KILL ZED."
Courtney Love claimed that Quentin Tarantino originally wanted Kurt Cobain and her to play Lance and Jody. However, Tarantino denies ever having even met Kurt, much less offering him a part.
Some of the scenes of Jimmie Dimmick were directed by an uncredited Robert Rodriguez.
The man who burst from the bathroom in Brett's apartment was played by the then-named Robert Arquette (whose sister, Rosanna Arquette, played Jody). However he is listed in the credits as Alexis Arquette, the name he later adopted after coming out as a transgender woman.
Daniel Day-Lewis (who incidentally shares a birthday with Uma Thurman) wanted the role of Vincent Vega, but Quentin Tarantino turned him down in favor of John Travolta.
It reads in the script that "The Bonnie Situation" was originally supposed to be titled "Jules, Vincent, Jimmie and The Wolf".
Steven Martinez (brother of chief graphic designer, Gerald Martinez) is credited with "Very Special Thanks". He painted the portrait of Mia (Uma Thurman) that hangs in Marsellus' house.
Knoxville, Tennessee, where Butch was meeting his connection and where his great-grandfather bought the gold watch, is also Quentin Tarantino's birthplace.
The movie that Lance is watching when Vincent arrives with overdosed Mia is The Three Stooges short, Brideless Groom (1947). Quentin Tarantino is an avid Three Stooges fan, but couldn't get the rights from Comedy III to show them in the movie. So while a Three Stooges film appears on screen ("Brideless Groom" is public domain), the Three Stooges themselves do not. Emil Sitka, the frequent Three Stooges co-star who does appear on screen, is credited as "Hold hands you lovebirds".
The board games "The Game of Life" and "Operation" are both seen on a table while Vincent and Lance are administering the adrenaline shot.
Trudi (Bronagh Gallagher) can be seen wearing a t-shirt of Irish rock band The Frames. She appeared in The Commitments (1991) with Glen Hansard, the lead singer of The Frames; they became friends, and she promised him she would wear a Frames t-shirt if she got a part in 'Pulp Fiction'. Coincidentally, in 2008, John Travolta awarded the Oscar for Best Original Song to Hansard for the film Once (2007).
In both the diner bathroom, and in the bathroom in Butch's apartment, Vince is reading a copy of the Peter O'Donnell book "Modesty Blaise". Quentin Tarantino has expressed the desire to film a "Modesty Blaise" movie, and sponsored a direct-to-video release of the movie "My Name is Modesty."
Mr. Blonde a.k.a. Vick Vega, played by Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs (1992), is the brother of Vincent Vega. Quentin Tarantino even had a spin off film in development titled the "Vega Brothers" which was a prequel to both movies. This film was scrapped, because both actors were too old to play younger versions of themselves.
James Gandolfini was considered for the role of Vincent Vega.
Pam Grier auditioned for the role of Lance's wife Jody. Though she had a great audition, Quentin Tarantino decided not to cast her because he could not imagine Grier getting pushed around the way the character does.
Quentin Tarantino wrote two of the three stories before he wrote Reservoir Dogs (1992) and True Romance (1993). After the success of those films, he decided to write a third story, intending to have each segment directed by a different person.
In the script, the character of Paul the bartender (played by Paul Calderon) is referred to as "English Bob" (Jules even refers to English Bob, saying "Yeah, Winston Wolf is about as European as fucking English Bob."), but his line "My name's Paul, and this is between y'all" apparently stuck, as he is credited as 'Paul' in the credits.
The quote Jules uses is supposed to be from Ezekiel 25:17 in the Old Testament. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) when Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) stands by the headstone at his grave, the marker reads "THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN..." EZEKIEL 25:17.
John Travolta ad-libbed the line "That's a pretty good question" after Uma Thurman asks why it's necessary to talk about bullshit.
DIRECTOR_TRADEMARK(Quentin Tarantino): [Chiba]: During an interview, Tarantino admitted that Jules' Samuel L. Jackson Bible quote of Ezekiel 25:17 was something he remembered from the Shin'ichi Chiba movie Karate Kiba (1976) a.k.a. The Bodyguard. He said he never read it in the Bible, and it is taken almost word for word from that film. Tarantino has always been a Chiba fan, and has included references to him in True Romance (1993), and a cameo by Chiba himself in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003).
Originally set to be released by TriStar Pictures, the studio got cold feet when they read the script.
When Butch is driving away from his apartment, he sings along to the song "Flowers on the Wall" which contains the lyric "Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo. Now, don't tell me I've nothing to do." In Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Bruce Willis character John McLane says, "Don't ask me. I was home, smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo." Samuel L. Jackson was his co-star in that movie as well.
Christopher Walken's character "Captain Koons" is most likely related to "Crazy Craig Koons" from Django Unchained (2012).
In a cut scene, Vincent tells Mia he's been fantasizing about being beaten up by Emma Peel of The Avengers (1961). Uma Thurman later played Emma Peel in The Avengers (1998).
Rosanna Arquette also auditioned for Mia, but was offered Jody instead. Uma Thurman was briefly considered for Honey Bunny.
The restaurant scene was filmed at the Hawthorne Grill (originally Holly's) located at 13763 Hawthorne Boulevard, Hawthorne, California. The building was demolished soon after filming.
The t-shirt that Jimmy gives to Vincent after they get hosed down bears the logo for the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. This is not a joke; the banana slug is really the official mascot of UCSC.
For the costumes, Quentin Tarantino took his inspiration from French director Jean-Pierre Melville, who believed that the clothes his characters wore were their symbolic suits of armor.
The Ezekiel bible quote was taken from any early draft of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Harvey Keitel's character was supposed to say it; while walking backwards down the hallway facing the vampires.
Isabella Rossellini, Meg Ryan, Daryl Hannah, Joan Cusack, and Michelle Pfeiffer were all interviewed for the role of Mia Wallace. Out of all of them, Tarantino said he preferred Pfeiffer.
Mickey Rourke passed on the role of Butch Coolidge in order to pursue his boxing career. He also claimed that he didn't understand the script. He later regretted this decision.
If the film were edited in chronological order, the last scene would be Butch and Fabienne riding off on the chopper and the last line of dialogue would be "Zed's dead baby. Zed's dead."
When Butch is passing by the first of two houses when he is heading toward his old apartment to retrieve his watch, you can hear the advertisement for a five dollar shake at "Jack Rabbit Slims" through one of the windows. This alludes to an earlier part of the movie when Mia gets a five dollar shake while accompanied by Vincent at "Jack Rabbit Slims".
There is a persistent myth that all the clocks in the movie are set to 4:20 (although, certainly all the clocks on the wall in the pawn shop are set to 4:20). However, in at least two scenes it is obvious that this is not the case. In the "Bonnie Situation" while Jimmy, Vince and Jules are drinking coffee in the kitchen, the clock clearly reads 8:15. Secondly, when Vince and Jules go to retrieve the briefcase, it is "7:22 in the a.m.". The significance of the time 4:20 is that it is slang for smoking marijuana.
Both this film and Reservoir Dogs (1992) have prologues featuring criminals at breakfast. Tim Roth links these scenes as he's in both of them.
Several TriStar executives favored Gary Oldman for the role of Lance, based on his portrayal of a similar character in the Quentin Tarantino-written True Romance (1993).
According to a leaked document, the shortlist of casting choices for a number of characters is as follows: Pumpkin: Tim Roth, Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz, John Cusack. Honey Bunny: Amanda Plummer, Patricia Arquette, Lili Taylor, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bridget Fonda, Phoebe Cates, Marisa Tomei. Vincent Vega: Michael Madsen, John Travolta, Alec Baldwin, Gary Oldman, Jason Patric, Andy Garcia, Michael Keaton, Denzel Washington, Sean Penn, Tim Roth. Jules: Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Charles S. Dutton. Butch: Matt Dillon, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp. Fabienne: Irène Jacob, Maria de Medeiros, Julie Delpy, Emmanuelle Béart. Winston Wolf: Harvey Keitel, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Danny DeVito, Samuel L. Jackson, Alec Baldwin, Michael Keaton, Christopher Walken, Charles S. Dutton. Lance: John Cusack, Eric Stoltz, Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Bill Paxton, Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson. Jody: Patricia Arquette, Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Beals, Pam Grier, N'Bushe Wright, Kathy Griffin, Angel Aviles, Sofia Coppola, Jasmine Guy, Tyra Ferrell, Lili Taylor, Jennifer Jason Leigh. Mia Wallace: Virginia Madsen, Marisa Tomei, Patricia Arquette, Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Angela Bassett, Debra Winger, Robin Wright, Meg Tilly. Captain Koons: Christopher Walken, Sean Penn, Tommy Lee Jones, Michael Parks, William Devane, Samuel L. Jackson, Charles S. Dutton, Robert De Niro, William Petersen, Al Pacino. Marcellus Wallace: Ving Rhames, Samuel L. Jackson, Charles S. Dutton.
The marquee where Butch boxes advertises the following fights: "Coolidge vs. Wilson" and "Vossler vs. Martinez". The first is a reference to U.S. Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Woodrow Wilson; the second is a reference to Russell Vossler and Jerry Martinez, who are two friends of Quentin Tarantino's from when he worked in a video store. See also Crimson Tide (1995).
Jimmie is wearing a t-shirt bearing the logo of "Orbit", a local alternative newspaper in Metro Detroit, for which Quentin Tarantino did an interview when he was promoting Reservoir Dogs (1992). See also the WWW-links section.
In the screenplay, Butch is a featherweight boxer but in the film, Butch's opponent Wilson has his weight announced as "210 pounds" - implying that Butch is a heavyweight.
DIRECTOR_TRADEMARK (Quentin Tarantino): (long take): When Butch gets out of the Honda to retrieve his watch, the camera follows him around a building, through a hole in a fence, until he is across the street from the apartment.
This movie contains two product placements for real world products - a first for a Quentin Tarantino movie. When Esmerelda is waiting outside the arena for Butch we can clearly see 'THERMOS' on the bottom of the cup, from which she is drinking. When Mia is rolling a cigarette at home, while Vincent is in the bathroom, a package of 'Drum' tobacco is on the table.
Picked by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the "50 Greatest Independent Films" in a special supplement devoted to independent films that was only distributed to subscribers in November 1997.
Late in the film, when they take the car to the wreckers, Mr. Wolf playfully calls Vincent "Lash La Rue". Lash La Rue was an actor who frequently played cowboys in western movies in the 1940s and 50s. He was particularly skilled with a bull whip, and would use it to subdue the villains.
Early in production, Quentin Tarantino had contemplated casting Tim Roth as Vincent and Gary Oldman as Jules, rewriting those characters as "two English guys".
Dick Miller filmed a brief scene playing Monster Joe, the owner of the junkyard where Wolf disposes the bloody car. However, Miller's scene was cut from the movie, but can be found on the DVD.
In "The Bonnie Situation" Jules says "Kool and the Gang", the second track at the start of the movie is "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & The Gang (when it sounds like someone has changed stations on the radio) and can be heard in the background while Jules and Vince are talking about Amsterdam and "the little differences".
Julia Sweeney (Raquel) and Stephen Hibbert (the Gimp) were a married couple, but divorced in 1994.
The gun Vincent uses is a 1911A1 Auto Ordnance .45 ACP pistol that has been chromed and given mother of pearl grips. Jules' gun is a Star Model B 9mm pistol that has been chromed and given mother of pearl grips, too.
According to her manager, Julia Louis-Dreyfus turned down the role of Mia Wallace due to her commitment to Seinfeld (1989).
In 2014, Harvey Keitel reprised his role as Winston Wolf in a series of commercials for the UK insurance company Direct Line.
Jules' car, a 1974 Chevy Nova, is never seen in full frame; only the interior, or parts of the exterior are visible.
The lines from Pumpkin and Honey Bunny "All right, everybody be cool, this is a robbery! Any of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every motherfucking last one of ya!" are used in the song "Scooby Snacks" by the Fun Lovin' Criminals.
Sylvester Stallone was briefly considered for the role of Butch.
This is the first of many collaborations of Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson, unless you count True Romance (1993), which Tarantino wrote but didn't direct. It was Tony Scott who directed.
Ranked #7 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Gangster" in June 2008.
Honey Bunny was named after an actual rabbit belonging to Linda Chen, who typed up Tarantino's handwritten script for Pulp Fiction (1994). She asked Tarantino to watch her rabbit when she went on location; Tarantino wouldn't do it, and when the rabbit later died, he named Amanda Plummer's character after Chen's pet.
On the wall of the Pawn Shop, there is a license plate bearing 'SW 4913'. This is no coincidence, but rather Quentin Tarantino paying homage to the Smith and Wesson 4913 pistol.
The film cast includes two Oscar winners: Christopher Walken and Quentin Tarantino; and five Oscar nominees: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, and Harvey Keitel.
Three references to Tennessee: 1. Butch's gold watch purchased by his great-grandfather in a general store in Knoxville. 2. Butch's call to Scotty... headed to Knoxville... "next time I see you will be on Tennessee time". 3. On the wall of the pawn shop, Tennessee license plate "CAC-308".
Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption opened on same date October 14, 1994. Both the movies were nominated for 7 Academy awards each, with Pulp Fiction winning for Best Screenplay - directly written for screen category - both the movies gained cult status in following years and both are listed within top 10 in IMDb's top 250 movies. (As of March 2017)
In Vanity Fair's 2013 retrospective on the film, Quentin Tarantino recalled how Miramax pushed for Sean Penn or William Hurt to play Vincent Vega. Holly Hunter was also considered by producers to play Mia Wallace.
Tim Roth plays Mr. Orange in Reservoir Dogs (1992), and in this movie his character's nickname is "Pumpkin". Pumpkins are orange. Oranges and pumpkins are fruit and veg, like the similarities between the characters Roth plays; Mr. Orange in Reservoir Dogs (1992), and Pumpkin in Pulp Fiction (1994).
Was originally set up at TriStar Pictures, before being put into turnaround and picked up by Miramax Films.
There have been many speculations of what was inside Wallace's briefcase. While we may never know the cinematic answer, the prop simply had a lightbulb and battery inside.
In the scene where Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) is giving young Butch (Chandler Lindauer) the Gold Watch, Walken appeared to pause during the end of his explanation for the story behind the golden watch. This is because Christopher Walken had forgotten his next lines before recovering in time to make it look as though he paused on purpose. It was decided to leave this error in the film due to how authentic it appeared.
Roger Avary's credit stems from the incorporation of his short film script for "Pandemonium Reigns" forming a core element of Quentin Tarantino's screenplay. Avary's input can largely be found in the Butch/Fabienne scenes.
The role of Fabienne was written with Swiss actress Irène Jacob in mind. Jacob turned down the role to star in Three Colors: Red (1994).
Cypress Hill sampled the "Ezekiel 25:17" speech for their song "Make A Move" from their 1995 album "Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom."
Quentin Tarantino originally wanted Christopher Jones for the role of Zed.
According to Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Aniston narrowly missed out on the role of Mia Wallace to Uma Thurman.
Despite the fact that this story is about gangsters, Zed is the only cop (actually a security guard) to appear in the film.
When the film was at Sony, Daniel Day-Lewis was being eyed for the Vincent Vega role.
Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.
The opponent that Butch kills in the ring is referred to as "Wilson", which could be a reference to On the Waterfront (1954) where Terry Malloy is said to have thrown a title match to a man named "Willson".
When Butch is seen relaxing in the hotel, right after the boxing match, there is a movie being shown on the room's television. The movie is The Losers (1970).
In the scene where Vincent picks Mia up from Marsellus' house, the record needle lifting off the turntable (as Dusty Springfield's "Son Of A Preacher Man" cuts off abruptly) is on an Audio Technica P-mount cartridge; an inexpensive item, in an otherwise lavish house.
Reservoir Dogs (1992) cast members Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Robert Ruth, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, and Lawrence Bender all feature in the film. Roth and Ruth are together in a scene in the coffee shop. Tarantino and Keitel are in a scene near the end before the grand showdown in the coffee shop. Buscemi and Bender are the only two Reservoir Dogs cast members not to be together in a scene in the film.
If you look closely at Lance when Vincent is buying the heroin, Lance wears a tartan/plaid shirt around his waist. The tartan colors are red, black, and yellow. This is also The Wallace clan tartan, and ties in with Mr. and Mrs. Wallace.
"Call for Phillip Morris" is from a cigarette marketing campaign, with the bellhop character originated by the actor Johnny Roventini on radio in 1934 and was used until the mid-1950's, including on Phillip Morris-sponsored television shows. According to Roventiti, he recited his famous four-word line on live on-air performances and public events a half million times. Counting the playback of recordings of him saying this line the number is easily double. Along with Pulp Fiction, the line has been used in various media, including Stephen King's IT.
Ving Rhames and Harvey Keitel both have the back of their heads filmed, before their faces are shown. Although Rhames and Keitel don't share a single scene, they do talk on the phone near the end of the film.
As Quentin Tarantino filmed Christopher Walken's cameo on the last day of filming, Walken reportedly didn't get to meet any of his illustrious co-stars. However, in The Prophecy (1995), Walken co-starred with Eric Stoltz.
There is a subtle Back to the Future (1985) reference when Vincent Vega (John Travolta) brings an overdosed Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) to Lance's (Eric Stolz) house for revival. Originally, Eric Stolz shot most of Robert Zemeckis' time travelling classic as Marty McFly, only to be replaced by Michael J. Fox. This point is tributed during the scenes where Lance is hysterically searching for his little black book. Upon closer inspection, next to Lance's television set there are two board games stacked on top of each other. The top one is the game "Operation" and underneath it is "The Game of "Life". In Back to the Future, when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) joins his mother for dinner, after being hit with the car by the television set, there is the same two board games to the left. This is no doubt a small nod to Tarantino's knowledge of Eric Stolz's involvement with the film, Back to the Future.
In the beginning of the movie, Honey Bunny shouts, "Any of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every motherfucking last one of ya!" In the last scene she switches the words to, "Any of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every last one of ya motherfuckers!"
When Butch is on his way to his old apartment in the background you can faintly hear someone say "This is the Jack Rabbit Slims...", the name of the restaurant, to which Vincent took Mia, earlier in the film.
When Jules first tells Vincent about what happened to Mia's foot massager, he describes how Marcellus' men go to Rocky Horror's place, take him out on the balcony, and throw him off. In subsequent descriptions of the event, Rocky Horror is thrown from a window by Marcellus himself.
Contrary to what is displayed in the film, it is much easier to overdose on heroin by injecting it, rather than snorting it.
Days before the film was first broadcast on television in Autumn 1997, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield were shown firing their guns non-stop when the film was being advertised. They didn't fire for as long as that in the film, however.
Like in Mortal Thoughts (1991), Bruce Willis and Harvey Keitel starred in the film while not appearing in a single scene together.
John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis have all worked with director John McTiernan; Travolta and Jackson in Basic (2003) - their second film together - and Willis in Die Hard (1988) and Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), the latter also featuring Jackson.
Wallace's briefcase has been referenced and shown (not the contents) in "Community: Season 2 Episode 19". Jeff was said to buy the case on auction as a gift as Abed loved of cinema and pop culture and referenced the movie Pulp Fiction many times and kept it as a surprise gift. Abed discusses with Jeff his appearance as an extra on Cougar Town and Jeff realized that Abed was done with pop culture. However, the case was made burnt due to a small fight as someone wanted to see what was really inside the case and the others were resisting it open it.
Early in the film, Vincent refers to Butch as "punchy." In once scene in Rocky II (1979), Sylvester Stallone, who was considered for the role of Butch, says, "I ain't punchy."
Pulp Fiction (1994) was released in South Korea, Japan, and Slovakia, before it arrived in America. Tarantino's film first played the Cannes film festival in May 1994. It was shown at other festivals around the world, from Munich to Locarno, before hitting American shores on September 23, 1994, at the New York film festival. The film officially opened in the U.S. on October 14, 1994, a release date following those in the aforementioned countries.
The scene where Butch makes his way back to his apartment, to retrieve his father's watch was filmed at 11755 Gilmore Street, in North Hollywood, California. However, the following scene, which is set inside the apartment, was filmed at a different location.
In the scene at the beginning, when Brett says to Vincent and Jules, "Excuse me. I got your name, Vincent. I didn't get yours", turning to Jules, to which he replies, " My name's Pitt. And your ass ain't talking your way out of this shit". Samuel L. Jackson and Brad Pitt co-starred in True Romance (1993), also written by Quentin Tarantino.
Winston Wolf helps Jules and Vincent dispose of something illegal in a dump. In Blue Collar (1978), Harvey Keitel is among three men doing the same thing.
In this film, Samuel L. Jackson and Ving Rhames are criminals. However, in Kiss of Death (1995) they are on opposite sides of the law, as cop and criminal respectively. Additionally Paul Calderon from this film also appears as an undercover FBI agent in that film.
This is the first and so far the only time that Samuel L. Jackson and Quentin Tarantino have appeared in a film together. They were also in Django Unchained (2012) - which Tarantino wrote and directed - but had no scenes together.
Shortly after starring in Pulp Fiction (1994), John Travolta starred in Get Shorty (1995). Two years later Samuel L. Jackson starred in Jackie Brown (1997). Both films are adapted from Elmore Leonard novels.
Irony. In the movie Grosse Pointe Blank, in the gunfight scene in the Utramart Convenience Store, in the background there's a cut-out stand up of the four main characters from "Pulp Fiction." During the ensuing sub-machine gun battle the only character on the PF stand up that gets blown away is Samuel L. Jackson's 'Jules Winnfield.'
Pulp Fiction (1994) was the third biggest R-rated earner of 1994. The film lost out on the title to True Lies (1994) (146.2 million dollars) and Speed (1994) (121.2 million dollars). The film's earnings were strong enough to place it in the overall top 10 for the year, though 1994 was dominated by Forrest Gump (1994), which brought in 329.6 million dollars that year.
Harvey Keitel reprising his role in 2014, in a series of commercials for the UK insurance company Direct Line, wasn't to everyone's liking as the following extract from User Reviews reads: "I've kind of lost respect for him. The Wolf was a mysterious character and it's been cheapened". Obviously Pulp Fiction being released in 1994 came twenty years before the Direct Line commercials, so Keitel had also aged somewhat yet gracefully. The commercials are still on TV in the UK, in fact a woman in the latest one says, "Here's your coffee, Mr. Wolf. Lots of cream, lots of sugar", a nod to how Keitel replied to Jimmie Dimmick (Quentin Tarantino) in the movie. Winston Wolf also carries the takeaway paper cup, as opposed to holding a china cup - while standing still - making for a highly amusing scene.
The role of Lance was written for John Cusack but once he passed on the role, the second choice for the role, Eric Stoltz, was cast.
The Wolf's license plate number, "3ABM581," is an anagram. If you treat digits as letters, like in passwords ("3" as "E," "5" as "S," "8" as two "O's," and "1" as "L"), then you have "EABMSOOL," an anagram for "Esma Lobo," which is an abbreviation for Butch Coolidge's taxi driver's name, Esmarelda Villalobos.
The house that was used as Jimmie Dimmick's (Quentin Tarantino) house was owned by a press agent named Jack Mullen who passed away in 1972. His son Mike Mullen still owns the house, and is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There was an article entitled "A story arc worthy of Hollywood" about this in the July 30, 2007 edition of the Los Angeles Times.
The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.
Cast members Burr Steers (Roger/Flock of Seagulls) and Peter Greene (Zed) have the same birthdate, October 8, 1965.
The scene where Butch (Bruce Willis) parks his car when going back to his apartment was filmed only 1¾ miles from the Pig Burger in Better Off Dead... (1985). See the filming locations sections for both movies for exact addresses.
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson have both co-starred with Dustin Hoffman. Travolta in Mad City (1997) and Jackson in Sphere (1998).
Quentin Tarantino and John Travolta not only have surnames beginning with the same letter, but they both also have two Ts and two As.
In Coming to America (1988), Samuel L. Jackson portrays a robber knocking off a fast-food restaurant (McDowell's) and calls one of the employees (Louie Anderson) "fatboy". In this movie he calls a restaurant employee (Robert Ruth) "fatman" while it's being robbed.
The location that was used for Jimmie's (Quentin Tarantino) house was only about three blocks from three of the houses that were filmed in The Last American Virgin (1982).
John Travolta and Uma Thurman would star with each other again, and share a dance scene in the movie Be Cool (2005).
Zed's chopper Butch takes bares the name "Grace". Coincidentally, Jeff Buckley's only studio album, titled "Grace" was released in 1994.
Three of the cast; Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Buscemi and Harvey Keitel have starred in Michael Crichton adaptations, films with the same titles as the books. Jackson in Jurassic Park (1993), Buscemi and Keitel in Rising Sun (1993), so not only from the same author, but also released in the same year.
The scene when The Wolf is talking on the phone to Marsellus has a surreal quality to it. This is as it's early in the morning, there's a party taking place in The Wolf's house - which he's hosting - but he's in his bedroom taking notes carefully - the guests can be seen through the open door - and then has to leave to drive to Jimmie's house. While there The Wolf meets and helps Jules and Vincent with their problem, as Vincent is just after accidentally shooting Marvin in the face while Jules was driving the car.
Cameo
Steve Buscemi: Having to refuse the role of Jimmie due to scheduling conflicts, Buscemi appears as the Buddy Holly waiter in Jack Rabbit Slim's. As Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs (1992), he refused to tip wait staff.
Lawrence Bender: The film's producer is one of the long-haired yuppies at the coffee shop.
Director Trademark
Quentin Tarantino: [long take] When Jules and Vincent step out of the elevator for their "foot massage" debate, we follow them all the way through the labyrinthine hallways to Brett's door, past Brett's to a window and finally, back to Brett's door again, all in a single take.
Quentin Tarantino: [bare feet] Uma Thurman is barefoot for most of the movie.
Quentin Tarantino: [Netherlands] Tarantino wrote the script in Amsterdam, in a hotel room and in the "coffee shop" (Dutch euphemism for hash-bar) Betty Boop. He stayed for several months, and left the video rental store "Cult Video" with an unpaid bill of about $150. This stay explains the references to Dutch culture and customs at the beginning of the movie. Vincent tells his heroin dealer that "I just got back from Amsterdam" and discusses it with Jules in their opening scene. In the conversation in the Jack Rabbit Slims restaurant, Mia mentions that she goes to Amsterdam to "chill out" for a month or two every now and again. In the same restaurant, Vincent smokes Drum, which is a Dutch rolling tobacco. Also, the book version of the movie's screenplay includes some cut dialogue between Vincent and Mia - he realizes that she was "the girl in the cowboy hat" in a photo at a hash bar they both visited, the Cobra, which is right across from the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. Also Butch often calls Fabienne "tulip", a cultural symbol of the Netherlands.
Quentin Tarantino: apple cigarettes] Pumpkin also has a pack of Red Apples lying in front of him in the opening scene. The red apple and the green worm can be made out when looking closely.
Quentin Tarantino: [comic books] Mia's character of Raven McCoy on her pilot for Fox Force Five is related to three characters of the X-Men series. The name Raven can be derived from Raven Darkholme, the real name of "Mystique" while the surname McCoy is the last name of the character "Beast" whose real name is Hank McCoy. Also, Mia describes her character as having been raised by circus performers, the same upbringing as Kurt Wagner aka "Nightcrawler". Ironically all three characters are blue. Also, Fox Force Five is an alliterative name, a common theme in Marvel comics.
Quentin Tarantino: [trunk shot] The scene where Jules and Vincent open the trunk to get the guns out of the trunk is filmed from the perspective of someone inside the trunk.
Quentin Tarantino: [feet] The cab driver, Esmarelda, does not have shoes on.
Quentin Tarantino: [Red Apple cigarettes] Butch smokes "Red Apple" cigarettes. The same brand is smoked by Tim Roth's character in Four Rooms (1995).
Quentin Tarantino: [corpse view] After Marsellus is hit by Butch's car, one can see the camera from Marsellus' "corpse" of the pedestrians looking down at him.
Quentin Tarantino: [singing over music] Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) sings and dances over "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," when she comes home from Jack Rabbit Slim's with Vincent Vega (John Travolta). Butch (Bruce Willis) also sings over "Flowers On The Wall," but does not dance, since he is driving.
Quentin Tarantino: [Feet] close up shots of Mia Wallace's feet, and dancing barefoot.
Quentin Tarantino: [Red Apple cigarettes] When Vincent and Mia sit down at Jack Rabbit Slims, she takes out a pack of cigarettes.
Spoilers
In the opening sequence with Honey Bunny and Pumpkin, Jules can be heard talking about quitting "the life", and Vincent can be seen entering the bathroom.
Chronologically, the last scene in the movie is Butch and Fabienne riding away on a motorcycle. The very first sound you can hear in the movie is of the same motorcycle engine.
According to an interview with Phil LaMarr, it was John Travolta, who came up with the idea of the character Marvin being shot in the face. Marvin was originally supposed to be accidentally shot in the throat, and die a slow, painful death. Vincent and Jules decide that Marvin should be shot in the head, and put out of his misery. Knowing that this would make the characters unlikeable, Travolta took his idea to Quentin Tarantino and he agreed to it, figuring that a single-bullet kill would be funnier. Legend has it, that LaMarr was the one who came up the idea, but LaMarr denies this, in his appearance on the podcast "I Was There Too".
A scene removed from the final film, involves Jules trying to consider what to do while Pumpkin and Honey Bunny rob the diner. In the scene, Jules points his gun at the bottom of the table and fires up twice, hitting Pumpkin and killing him. He then spins around and shoots Honey Bunny three times, killing her. As she falls her gun goes off and hits the Long Haired Yuppie Scum, who dies screaming on the floor. The scene then cuts back to Jules talking to Pumpkin in the diner, revealing the shootings to have happened entirely in Jules' mind.
Something bad happens every time Vincent (John Travolta) goes to the bathroom (always with a "pulp fiction" book to read), which, upon his exiting, involves him (ie Mia overdosing, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny robbing the restaurant, Butch picking up the gun).
Chronologically, the first scene in the movie has Vincent and Jules chatting in their car while on their way to do a job. The last chronological scene has Butch and Fabienne riding away from the hotel on Butch's newly acquired motorcycle (and the "last line" of the movie is therefore "Zed's dead, baby; Zed's dead.") If you count the flashback, the first scene would then be when Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) visits the young Butch and gives him the watch.) Scene titles: Vince and Jules, The Bonnie Situation, The Diner I, The Diner II, Jack Rabbit Slims and The Gold Watch.
To get the impact of Vincent giving Mia the adrenalin shot, the scene was filmed with the hypodermic needle already in place, Vincent pulled the needle from her chest then the shot was reversed. Watch carefully and you'll see a mark on Mia's chest disappear when she's revived.
In the miracle scene, when Vincent and Jules kill the kid, they look straight at the camera, indicating it is the kid's point of view. Three bullet holes can be seen above Jules' shoulder, but as he turns to look at the wall, we can see the three other shots should have hit him in the chest, suggesting it was indeed a miracle.
Vincent leaves the diner with the book he reads while on the toilet, and it is visible when he gets shot in Butch's house.
According to Samuel L. Jackson, Quentin Tarantino originally wanted Max Julien to play Marsellus Wallace, but Julien turned the role down, objecting to the rape scene. Jackson told Mark Seal in the Vanity Fair article 'Cinema Tarantino: The Making of Pulp Fiction': "Max Julien wasn't going to do that. He's the Mack. He's Goldie. He's like, 'No, I don't think my fans want to see that.' "
The machine pistol used to kill Vincent is a Military Armament Corporation "M10", also known as a Mac-10. It fires about 1,000 rounds per minute and has a load capacity of thirty 9mm shots. Given the length of time that Vincent is shot, he probably takes the complete magazine.
Jules remarks that "Marcelles Wallace don't like to be fucked by anybody but Mrs. Wallace." foreshadowing to his later scene with Zed. Marcelles also demonstrates what happens to those who break this rule.
Every time Vincent goes to the bathroom something bad happens. If the events of the movie were put in chronological order: Vincent enters the bathroom in the restaurant and Pumpkin and Honey Bunny hold the place up, Vincent goes to the bathroom and Mia Wallace overdoses, Vincent enters the bathroom and Butch grabs his gun, and shoots him, ending his life.
In the early part of this film Frank Whaley, (Brett), gets assassinated. At the end of Hoffa (1992), Frank plays an assassin.
