Did Federico Fellini inspire one of Quentin Tarantino’s greatest scenes?
Some of the world’s greatest directors require deep dives into their filmographies to understand exactly why they are considered among the best. Quentin Tarantino is not such a moviemaker. He has continuously displayed his stylistic preferences and storytelling techniques for all to see, and his magnum opus, Pulp Fiction, requires no introduction.
Considered by many as an iconic moment in the history of cinema, Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece is probably the most influential film of the 1990s. The Oscar-winning script by Tarantino and Roger Avary is an intersection of multiple narratives featuring Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta in the roles that reignited his career as hitmen who have philosophical conversations on mundane topics like French names for American fast food products. Just one moment in the movie set it apart from the rest of the Hollywood set.
The picture has become an even more prevalent reminder of creativity, trumping the notion of studio style. Tarantino’s storytelling technique is what has always set him apart and his second movie was no different. Through outrageous violence, witty exchanges and a self-indulgent exploration of language, Pulp Fiction has managed to establish its own myth in popular culture.
During an interview with Roger Ebert, Tarantino said, “When I’m writing a movie, I hear the laughter. People talk about the violence. What about the comedy? Pulp Fiction has such an obviously comic spirit, even with all the weird things that are happening. To me, the most torturous thing in the world, and this counts for Dogs just as much as Pulp, is to watch it with an audience who doesn’t know they’re supposed to laugh. Because that’s a death. Because I’m hearing the laughs in my mind, and there’s this dead silence of crickets sounding in the audience, you know?”
Over the years, Tarantino has been accused of liberally borrowing ideas from other filmmakers, and it’s one the filmmaker has usually agreed to. A noted lover of movies above all else, Tarantino did not go to film school, getting his education in the cinema. With that education, he has been able to craft a series of films that pay homage to the world of Hollywood, perhaps typified in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Similar charges have been levied against the iconic dance scene from Pulp Fiction. Critics have noticed the undeniable similarities between a scene from Federico Fellini’s seminal 1963 masterpiece 8½, featuring Barbara Steele dancing with Mario Pisu, and the delightful routine performed by Uma Thurman and John Travolta at Jack Rabbit Slims. However, Tarantino has maintained that the scene was actually inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s masterful 1964 crime drama Bande à part (starring Anna Karina) which had an iconic dance scene of its own.
John Travolta later clarified that a significant portion of the routine was improvised in an attempt to debunk the claims of cinematic plagiarism. “That was improvised quite a bit,” Travolta told The Daily Beast. “I’d actually told Quentin about the dances I grew up with. The Twist is what he wanted, but I said, ‘There were other fun dances from that era! The Spin, The Batman, The Hitchhiker.”
A gifted dancer, Travolta continued: “’You can expand this, and don’t have to include just The Twist.’ And he said, ‘Okay.’ So I said, ‘Why don’t you film it, and you call it out? We’ll start with The Twist, and then when you get bored with The Twist, throw out something else.’ So he was behind the camera going, ‘The Swim! The Batman!’ He’d mix-and-match. We shot it during the section of the day, and there weren’t that many takes.”
For the discerning viewer, we have linked the two scenes below so you can decide whether Pulp Fiction’s dance scene was borrowed from Fellini’s masterpiece or not. While Tarantino notably suggested that Godard truly inspired the legendary dance-off, considering his distaste for the French director, it feels a little strange that he would become the critical spark of inspiration for such a role.
The truth is that Tarantino likely picked pieces from an array of different films, varied movie scenes and a wild spread of smoky backroom chats about those magical on-screen moments to create a patchwork picture that would change the entire cinematic landscape. Like all of his movies, Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction is an amalgamation of everything he ever saw.
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