‘ Reservoir Dogs’

‘ Reservoir Dogs’(1991) dir.Quentin Tarantino ‘Reservoir Dogs’ is the debut film from writer/director Tarantino. The film is an unusual example of a heist film particularly in terms, of the narrative. Upon its release the film caused controversy due its ‘extreme ultra violence’ and was then banned from being released on video. ‘Reservoir Dogs’ is seen by many as a key film in the last 20 years as it encouraged more independent filmmaking in the US.

1 Write an adjective to describe three of the characters on the whiteboard.

‘ Lets go to work’…. Do Now: 1 Write two adjectives you would use to describe the character you’ve been given on the whiteboards provided. Feedback.

Objective: discuss narrative structure ideological themes and issues of representation in Tarantino’s ‘Reservoir Dogs’.

Narrative What can we say about the narrative in ‘Reservoir Dogs’? Non-linear - Told through flashbacks. Why did Tarantino decide to construct the narrative like this? There is also an ‘anecdote/dream sequence’ with Mr Orange which is vey unusual. Why was that included? Told from different character perspectives- Mr White, Mr Orange and Mr Blonde. Why just them? What can we say about the narrative time frame?

Ideological Themes What themes are present in the film? Friendship and loyalty. Trust. Any others? What is the moral message of the film?.

Historical- Social context What does historical-social context mean? Reservoir Dogs was made in Therefore we need to look at the film in the context of the time it was made. The film reflects the early 1990s zeitgeist. What does that mean? Zeitgeist: the spirit or mood of the time. So what was the zeitgeist was the film capturing? The early 90s was the time of ‘lad culture’ when men begin to reassert dominant patriarchal attitudes.

Lad Culture "The image of the 'lad' or 'new lad' arose in the early 1990s as a generally middle-class figure espousing attitudes conventionally (though not necessarily correctly) attributed to the working classes". In an ironic, self-conscious fashion, "lads took up an anti-intellectual position, scorning sensitivity and caring in favour of drinking, violence, and a pre-feminist attitudes to women as sex objects’. Lad culture began with the magazine industry notably Loaded and FHM. These magazines reflected the zeitgeist of men who wanted to enjoy traditional male pursuits such as chasing women, football, drinking and violent films. Lad culture soon moved into film and Tarantino’s early films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are notable ‘lad films.’ Tarantino’s scripts refuse to be ‘politically correct’ and are often seen as offensive in their reference to women and black people.

Characterisation What does characterisation mean? The construction of a fictional dramatic character. From your own knowledge do you know any terms associated with dramatic characterisation? Protagonist: the main character that the narrative revolves around. Antagonist: character that causes problems for the protagonist in the narrative. Lets remind ourselves of the characters.

They’re so male? Who is responsible for constructing a characterisation? The writer and in part the actor playing the character. In ‘Reservoir Dogs’, Quentin Tarantino is responsible for creating these characters. ‘They’re just so male’ – a quote from Tarantino’s mother, Connie about the characters.

Lets get into character. Main task: Back from the dead….character hot seating. Firstly a character will introduce themselves, their ‘CV’ and a description of their character. They will then be interviewed about their role in the heist. The rest of the group need to create questions they would ask the character.

To finish Task: name tags will be shuffled. From the tag that you are given note down the following: One or two adjectives to describe them. Would you consider them to be a protagonist or antagonist? What can you about their representation of masculinity? What is their role in the narrative/heist?

Issues of masculinity Lets go back to our list of adjectives to describe your character. What does the film say about the characters and their masculinity? Watch this clip. Why are there no women in the film? How are women referred to? Watch this clip. Next lesson we will examine the zeitgeist of the early 90s and issues of gender.

What have we learnt? Characterisation Protagonist Antagonist Representations of masculinity. Character’s involvement in. H/w: ‘How are male characters represented in ‘Reservoir Dogs’. Refer to at least two characters.

Technical Aspects In groups discuss the four main technical areas: Cinematography Sound Editing Mise en scene Feedback to class.

Iconography or mise en scene What can be said about the iconography? Costume Props Sets What is the iconography of the heist genre? Is there a set of iconographic tools these films have?

Todorov and Propp Todorov’s narrative theory. Narratives have an equilibrium –enigma- resolution. Can this be applied to Reservoir Dogs? Propp’s spheres of action Propp suggested that narrative was ‘character driven’ by character types: The herothe anti hero The villainthe donor/helper The wise manthe princess Which of these could you apply to the characters in Reservoir Dogs?