Pulp Fiction was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino with the help of Roger Avary as co-writer. This movie was completed and released in 1994, and had a huge cast of A-list actors. The story follows several of the character’s lives in such a way that it makes it seem as if the movie is following several separate stories that just happen to have minor connections to each other.

Tim Roth plays a petty stick-up man that attempts to rob a coffee shop alongside his girlfriend played by Amanda Plummer. Unfortunately for them, they are not the meanest occupants of the coffee shop.

Amanda Plummer portrays a slightly homicidal stuck-up artist alongside Tim Roth. She quickly finds herself outmatched by two very dangerous men in the coffee shop she is trying to rob.

 

John Travolta portrays a heroin addict/mafia hit man that has some very challenging experiences on the job. During a night out with Mia Wallace he shows there is more to his character than just a hired gun.

Samuel L. Jackson portrays the second hit man next to John Travola. His character Jules has an eye opening experience which leads him to question his path through life. Yet he is still one of the toughest characters from the movie.

Bruce Willis plays an aging professional boxer that is coerced into throwing a bout in order to fix the betting points in favor of Ving Rhames’ character. He chooses not to lose, and is chased by Jackson and Travolta. His neurotic French girlfriend forgets to get everything from his apartment which sends him on a quest to get his father’s gold watch.

 
 

Ving Rhames is the mafia boss, Marcellus Wallace that pays Bruce Willis off to throw a fight. His wife Mia, played by Uma Thurman has a coke addiction that leads her into trouble. A very dramatic scene involving her overdose and Travolta’s character reviving her is one for the books.

 

Eric Stoltz is a heroin dealer that supplies Travolta’s character Vincent with his fix. He plays a pivotal in keeping Vincent from being next on Marsellus Wallace’s hit list.

Uma Thurman plays the wife of the mafia boss Marcellus Wallace. She is an actress that never made it, and has an interesting evening with Vincent.

Quentin Tarantino not only wrote and directed pulp fiction, but plays Jimmy, a friend of Jules (Jackson) that helps Jules and Vincent out of a tight spot.

Christopher Walken Is Captain Koons, a survivor of the Vietnam conflict and buddy of Butch’s (Willis) father that delivers to him his father’s gold watch. His role is not huge, yet it provides some background to why Butch takes the risk to go back to get his watch from what is surely a trap.

Harvey Keitel is “The Wolf”, a mafia cleaner sent by Marcellus to handle a very messy situation that Vincent and Jules find themselves in. He is a suave, debonair and sophisticated character that adds professionalism to the movie.

By no means is this a list of the entire cast. There are many other known actors involved.

 

Looking at the Mise en scène of Pulp Fiction, you can see that there were several variations of lighting styles used throughout the movie. In the beginning scene of the movie, we find two people (Roth & Plummer) having coffee, discussing the perils of robbing places. The lighting used in this scene is what is known as Three-point lighting, the main light being the sunlight coming in from the window. There are two additional light sources providing soft light to diffuse the shadows and give a more definitive view of the characters.

 

 

 

In this next scene, we find the use of Low Key Lighting in addition to the Three-point lighting which provides a more dramatic effect. This style emphasizes the darker side of this scene.



 





 

 

In either of the above film clips, the choice of lighting adds specific elements, elements that would be lost if different styles were employed. In the opening scene where the natural lighting effects the view of the actors, if it were replaced with a High Key lighting, it would diminish the impact of the setting. The same can be said for the second clip where the characters find themselves in a basement in a tough and dramatic position.