The legendary movie "Pulp Fiction" (1994), directed by Quentin Tarantino (starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman) placed into chronological order.
“Tarantino works with trash, and by analyzing, criticizing, and formalizing it, he emerges with something new, just as Godard made a lyrical work of art in 'Breathless' out of his memories of casually crappy American B-movies. Of course Godard was, and is, a Swiss-Parisian intellectual…. 'Pulp Fiction', by contrast, displays an entertainer’s talent for luridness.” -David Denby, New York
The complex narrative organization of 'Pulp Fiction' plays with temporal sequence, so that it is difficult to understand the causal connection between events. Most jarringly, Vincent, a leading character, is killed halfway through, only to reappear and play a significant role later in the film—but earlier in the temporal sequence of events.
Robert Ryan as Stoker Thompson in "The Set-Up" (1949) directed by Robert Wise. Like many noir protagonists, Stoker is looking for the decisive lucky break that'll put him in the big time. But he's doomed without knowing it. His manager, who expects him to lose anyway, has agreed for him to take a dive in the third round. He just hasn't told Stoker. "Yeah, top spot. And I'm just one punch away" -Stoker Thompson.
John Garfield as Charley Davis in "Body & Soul" (1947) directed by Robert Rossen
There can hardly ever have been a face so perfectly suited to the compromise, suffering and hard-won understanding at the heart of the big-screen boxing lesson than the star of ‘Body and Soul’, John Garfield. While Paul Newman looked plaintive and martyred in ‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’ (1956) and Robert Ryan skulked, complicit, through ‘The Set-Up’ (1949), Garfield’s fallen-angel countenance offers a far more complete portrait of hope and frustration.
Garfield’s performance alone is enough to elevate it into the highest echelons of sporting dramas. Its few, brutal fight scenes are a clear inspiration for the purgatorial pummelings of ‘Raging Bull’, and Garfield’s eventual predicament even foreshadows that of Bruce Willis’s wilful slugger in ‘Pulp Fiction’. A poem that has no time for poetry and a parable with little taste for allegory, ‘Body and Soul’ forgoes the butterfly for the bee every time, yet still soars. Source: www.timeout.com
Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy in "On The Waterfront" (1954) directed by Elia KazanAfter the war, "Body and Soul" returned Americans to the issues posed in "Golden Boy" and developed them with renewed eloquence in the noir style. "On the Waterfront" (1954) featured a retired boxer, haunted by his fall.
'Pulp Fiction' (Quentin Tarantino; Miramax, 1994) Written by Quentin Tarantino; cinematography by Andrzej Sekula; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Uma Thurman, Rosanna Arquette, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino
"Body and Soul" (1947) and "The Set-Up" (1949), both feature a boxer who is under the influence of shady organizations that operate in the underworld of boxing world. But in general, boxing became a common profession for the noir loner, as seen in films like "The Killers" (1946) directed by Robert Siodmak and "Killer’s Kiss" (1955) directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Butch the boxer and Julius the hit man in 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) strive to escape from death in the underworld, but the ironic play of pop culture toys with the earnestness of their quest. These films engage with the body and soul conflict, offering up fresh perspectives that bear witness to the fertility of the genre in addressing the deepest concerns of its audience.
