Black Stetsons, Revenge of the Epics, and Bloody Poetic Justice: A Study of Quentin Tarantino's Exploitation of Aestheticized Violence
Authors
Markussen, Julie ; Andersen, Nadia
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-06-02
Pages
135
Abstract
This thesis examines how Quentin Tarantino exploits aestheticized violence as a source of symbolic meaning, a narrative device, and a means of shaping viewer response, in order to assess whether the combination of violence, plot, and story conveys an underlying message. Focusing on three films—Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)—the study applies a theoretical framework that includes Murray Smith’s cognitive media theory of character engagement, Margrethe Bruun Vaage’s account of the antihero, three perspectives on fictional and aesthetic violence from Henry Bacon, Vaage, and Joseph H. Kupfer, and Cynthia A. Freeland’s and Patrick McKee’s conceptions of the sublime in cinema. The analyses also consider parody, pastiche, and intertextuality throughout. The findings show that violence is inevitable in all three filmic universes: in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 through 1970s kung fu aesthetics, professional assassins, and a revenge motif; in The Hateful Eight through western and murder-mystery codes set against post–Civil War animosity; and in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood through a blend of late-1960s fact and fiction referencing the Manson murders and Old Hollywood western filmmaking. The composition of violence differs across the films: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 deploys surreal, hyper-violent martial-arts imagery to create rhythmic structure; The Hateful Eight uses hyper-violence to heighten pace and intensity; and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood renders violence more sparing yet sonically and visually stylized, making it feel especially impactful. In each case, violence performs narrative work by establishing viewer sympathy and moral orientation—via revenge logic in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, as a moral compass amid pervasive hatefulness in The Hateful Eight, and by cementing allegiance to Rick and Cliff in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. All three films also exhibit sublime dimensions that prompt moral reflection: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 invites ethical evaluation of aestheticized combat and questions an American readiness for violence; The Hateful Eight highlights racial conflict through an aesthetically compelling inversion of power; and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is arguably sublime in its entirety, as its grand design provokes ethical consideration of rewriting a historical tragedy. The thesis concludes that while Tarantino’s authorial visual style affords fictional relief, his use of the sublime urges broader moral engagement, and that he seeks to right American wrongs within the realm of cinema through aestheticized violence.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan Quentin Tarantino udnytter æstetiseret vold som symbolsk betydningsbærer, dramaturgisk redskab og tilskuerpåvirkning for at afklare, om kombinationen af vold, plot og historie formidler en underliggende pointe. Analysen tager udgangspunkt i tre film – Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), The Hateful Eight (2015) og Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) – og anvender et teoretisk rammeværk bestående af Murray Smiths kognitive medieteori om karakterengagement, Margrethe Bruun Vaages teori om antihelten, tre perspektiver på fiktiv og æstetisk vold fra Henry Bacon, Vaage og Joseph H. Kupfer, samt Cynthia A. Freelands og Patrick McKees forståelser af det sublime i film. Derudover inddrages begreberne parodi, pastiche og intertekstualitet gennem hele analyserne. Specialet påviser, at vold er uundgåelig i alle tre filmiske universer: I Kill Bill: Vol. 1 skabes en voldskultur via 1970’ernes kung fu-æstetik, professionelle lejemordere og hævnmotivet; i The Hateful Eight gennem western- og whodunit-koder i et klima af efterborgerkrigslig fjendtlighed; og i Once Upon a Time in Hollywood i et miks af sene 1960’eres fakta og fiktion med referencer til Manson-mordene og Old Hollywoods westernproduktion. Volden er forskelligt komponeret i hver film: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 anvender surrealistisk, hypervoldelig kampsæstetik, The Hateful Eight intensiverer tempo og spænding via hypervold, mens volden i Once Upon a Time in Hollywood er mere sparsom men auditivt og effektmæssigt æstetiseret og derfor opleves særligt slagkraftig. I alle tre film understøtter volden fortællingen ved at etablere tilskuerens sympatier og moralske orientering: gennem hævnens logik i Kill Bill: Vol. 1, som kompas i et hadsk persongalleri i The Hateful Eight, og ved at befæste tilskuerens alliance med Rick og Cliff i Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Alle tre værker rummer desuden sublime dimensioner, der inviterer til moralsk refleksion: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 problematiserer en amerikansk parathed til vold gennem æstetiseret kamp, The Hateful Eight fremhæver racekonflikter via en æstetisk magtinversion, og Once Upon a Time in Hollywood fremstår som et sublimt hele, hvor den æstetiske omskrivning af en historisk tragedie vækker etiske overvejelser. Specialet konkluderer, at Tarantinos auteur-prægede, stærkt visuelle æstetik kan nydes som fiktiv aflastning, men at hans brug af det sublime samtidig opfordrer til bredere moralske overvejelser, og at han gennem æstetiseret filmvold forsøger at rette op på amerikanske onder i fiktionens rum.
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