KILL BILL,2003, QUENTIN TARANTINO

opening analysis
The first thing that comes into the audiences view is a quote which sets the scene for the entire film. The quote “ revenge is a dish best served cold” sets the mood for the whole film, telling the audience the film genre type and sets the scene for what is to be expected straight after the quote the film scene starts showing a woman laying on the floor. This is a strong film noir link as it shows a distorted storyline, where the outcome of an event is shown before it is explained with the story.
This distorted storyline creates an enigma for the audience to follow throughout the film .This is the aspect of the opening which holds the attention of the viewers but also links to the rest of the film without giving away the entire narrative of the whole film. The enigma in the film is the man who is out of shot. the mise en scene in the shot tells the audience the name of the man as all that is shown of him is a hand and an embroidered handkerchief with his name on.
The dialogue in this shot is very important as it familiarises the characters and shows the viewers that they know each other. This creates a stronger sense of enigma as it leaves questions (such as why is she covered in blood, what’s he done to her, why has he done it etc) unanswered.
After the main opening scene the shot goes to black and the credits start to role. The non diegetic music which sounds over the top of the credits links with the first scene and so the effect of the scene still remains in the audiences subconscious as they listen and watch over the title sequence.
I think Tarantino has listed the titles on a plain black background as it increases the sense of suspense left from the last scene and also gives the audience some thinking time about what has just happened.
Right at the end of the opening sequence the silhouette of the woman laying down is very similar to the characteristics shown in classic film noir, because of this the film immediately seems a bit darker and grittier and it also shows the focus is mainly on that one female character which makes the audience focus more of her side of the story and also makes it clear why the narrative is from the woman’s point of view within the film