I just wanted to insert a note of surprise that people found _Kill Bill_ even
watchable. I can't remember being that bored at the movies, especially a movie
with this much action and a Yakuza homage to boot. I don't think I've ever
agreed with Demby in my life, but I'm forced to admit that Kill Bill is pretty
much a parable of autism. Once again, Tarantino contrives a non-linear
narrative, but someone just tell me why?   The narrative structure seems to
have no real point--it's not even remotely interesting. And as for the
characters, I can't say I found any of them really interesting or humanized,
with the exception of the first 2 minute of the film when a close-up of Uma
Thurman proves intriguing.

Finally, I have found a film as dull as Natural Born Killers...

Gregg Flaxman
University fo North Carolina, Chapel Hill






Quoting Dorna Khazeni <[log in to unmask]>:

> I'm glad Sarah brought up Kill Bill.  I saw it last weekend KB.  I am
> generally not a fan of Tarantino's work.  I've found always an absence of
> emotion in favor of clever cinematic, structural etc. choices.  The magic
> others see in certain moments usually doesn't happen for me.
>
> I found KB worked very differently.
>
> The over the top violence and fight scenes and were I think coupled with
> sympathy for the characters.  I'm not sure sympathy is the right word.  But
> it is a "humanization" of figures who essentially are like comic book
> figures.  I think the audience's rapport with the characters is cemented  by
> Tarantino's manipulation of genre.  You respond to "the hero" figure that
> resonates and recognize her quickly in the separate narrative segments.
>
> Anime and graphic novels allow for a huge amount of violence that is coupled
> with a great sympathy for the lead, and certainly the Lucy Liu character
> gained some affection by the end of that sequence.  Given the bloody nature
> of the story, I'm not certain a live-action rendition would have resonated
> in the same way.
>
> The Godard comparison is very interesting and one that hadn't occurred to
> me.  I can't say the toes made me think of the JLG coffee cup.  But overall,
> T's ability to introduce elements of lyricism (an example would be the
> visual lyricism of  the snowy garden where the last fight takes place) would
> bear comparison to Godard and his abrupt poetic insertions.  This also
> "humanizes" (here I'm not sure this is the perfect term) the characters.  At
> least it touches the audience with relation to the story on a different
> level than the comic book/violence antics that are enjoyable but from which
> we can remain detached.
>
> As  you mention there is a continual association/dissociation with the
> characters that occurs.  (This in a very intangible reminded me of Lynch's
> treatment of the character in Mulholland Drive).  At times you are so in
> cahoots with him as you watch this absurd tale about absurd characters and
> at other moments you become a traditional viewer going with the genre fight
> sequence or what have you.
>
> I think the most striking thing about the film is the very seamless way in
> which Tarantino shifts tone throughout,  moving from the absurd, violent or
> comical to draw on elements of genre and to achieve moments of real drama.
>
> ---------------
> From: Sarah Nichols <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 08:15:12 -0700
> Subject: Kill Bill
>
>
> I recently saw Tarantino's Kill Bill and was interested in discussing it. I
> am especially interested in the way that he seems to alternate between the
> objectification of his subjects and his humanization of them. Is he
> humanizing them at all? ( Or is Uma Thurman just a body hurling through
> space, killing everything in her path [well, almost everything]. Is the
> anime "backstory" for Lucy Liu's character a way to humanize her?)
>
> Also, for some reason, the close-ups of Thurman's toes reminded me of the
> coffee cup in Two or Three Things I Know About Her.
>
> Anyone's thoughts would be welcome.
>
> Sarah Nichols
>