Pop Art Cinema to Encapsulate the 90s

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2004)

Having extreme close-ups of objects such as a hamburger and a syringe (they are particularly reminiscent of James Rosenquist's paintings), quoting from numerous historic flicks, and referring to subculture icons in a humorous manner (most notably, Travolta wearing the T-shirt of UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs), Pulp Fiction is a film version of American Pop Art, visually, technically, and conceptually. Retrospectively, it is a bit odd that it didn't take place earlier than the 90s; probably the narrative film is a relatively conservative art form and had to wait until the sampling concept became popular in the other field, i.e., music. Along with other ingredients, such as jocularly detailed dialogues and a non-linear plot, Quentin Tarantino has established one of the biggest trends in the mainstream American cinema in the 90s. The impression that the film now starts belonging to the past tells how much impact it has had on the particular era; it represents, summarizes, and encapsulates the 90s in the same way Easy Rider does for the 60s.