Media Art: Good Film Does Not Have To Be Done In Order - Essay Example

Media Art: Good Film Does Not Have To Be Done In Order According to French filmmaker Georges Franju, movies should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. In response to this, Jean-Luc Godard agreed, but said not necessarily in that order. Of all people, Godard would know the truth of this, having taken part in numerous films that were done with a nonlinear narrative, which is when the story is told out of chronological order. Despite how a story is told, in or out of order, or mixed in among other subplots, there is still a beginning, a middle, and an end to every story.

Pulp Fiction, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in 1994, is one of the most famous movies that implements the nonlinear narrative. Tarantino has become well-known for his constant use of nonlinear narrating in his film. This movie, no different than the others, starts in the middle of the story. Furthermore, there are numerous stories taking place within the one story, though they all eventually come together as the same story with the same ending. Though the way they are played out may be confusing, they still manage to come together in one piece once all has been said and done.

Pulp Fiction is said to have a total of seven narrative sequences, three of which are the main storylines, with the other four being subplots. The seven narrative sequences are as follows: Prologue - The Diner; Prelude to Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife; Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife; Prelude to the Gold Watch (which includes both a flashback and a return to the present); The Gold Watch; The Bonnie Situation; Epilogue - The Diner (Pulp Fiction). If this film had been put in chronological order, the flashback to the Gold Watch would be what viewers saw first and the Gold Watch sequence would be seen as the final clip of the film.

The previous list is the order in which the scenes appear in the film. The order of sequences in Pulp Fiction may not be in order, but they still present a beginning, a middle, and an end (Villella). The only difference between Pulp Fiction and other films that use a linear narrative method is that Pulp Fiction’s sequences are out of order - but that does not mean that it lacks a beginning, middle, and end. The list of sequences that were previously mentioned tell a story both in and out of order.

In its original sequence, there is a beginning, middle, and an end; in chronological order, there is still a beginning, middle, and an end. Godard is correct when he states that beginnings, middles, and ends do not need to be in that specific order. As long as they exist, as Franju believes they should, then the story will make sense and have a concrete foundation. Pulp Fiction supports Godard’s beliefs of beginning, middle, and end, but the nonlinear narrative method also showed him that a good film does not have to be done in order.

Works CitedPulp Fiction. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson. Miramax Films, 1994. DVD.Villella, Fiona A. "Circular Narratives: Pulp Fiction and Lost Highway." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. N.p., 7 Jan. 2000. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. .