pure simulacrum

Rating: 6/10 (27 October 2003)

Once upon a time, people used to tell stories as a means of human communication - perhaps the highest means. Kill Bill is the zenith of the refusal of meaning - it's claim is to exist in a realm of its own, as "pure" filmmaking, "pure" cinema, which ideologically means "pure" ENTERTAINMENT. All of which makes the film a typical product of Capital - let me say, a commodity. The interesting thing is that the film is not only a blatant commodity in itself (one which exists purely as spectacle) but it also exhibits some consciousness of itself as a commodity by being ABOUT commodities. The figures that populate the film are images to be sold; each of them both exemplifies and exhibits the most extraordinary fetishism. The film is about both the objectification of its characters and their place in a world which privileges objects. The climax of this first part has The Bride proving the worth of her sword, which is a fetishized product, a special brand which gives satisfaction. In fact, the film renders its ostensible premise - "Revenge" - to the status of commodity, of fashion accessory. And as the `old Klingon proverb' quoted at the film's start states - such products `are best served cold' i.e. heartless and without any human content. Like all products, the film offers the possibility of gained satisfaction - as does "Revenge" for The Bride, and the sword she has made (which stands for the film itself) is proved within the plot-line to be satisfactory. Whether the second part will confirm or challenge the claims of these THINGS to provide satisfaction remains to be see, but the movie is nothing more or less than the quintessential commodity of consumerist society. Also, whether it is a Zen lesson in commodities or a mere product of the system is something I can't as yet figure out... figure out...