The document provides an analysis of the opening scene of Pulp Fiction. It summarizes the scene as follows: The scene opens with Ringo and Yolanda, a couple, discussing in a restaurant how robberies are too dangerous. Ringo then tells a story about robbing a bank with a phone. They discuss robbing the restaurant they are in, kissing romantically before standing on their chairs and announcing they will rob the restaurant, subverting expectations with Yolanda screaming furiously. This creates a juxtaposition of romance and crime for comedic effect.

1. Pulp Fiction Opening
Sequence Analysis
By Christopher Osbyrne

2. Pulp Fiction’s opening scene is similar to
our film’s because it has the typical
iconography and tone of a classic
robbery/heist film.

3. The sequence opens with a medium two-
shot of characters Ringo and Yolanda sat
at the table of what seems to be a
breakfast restaurant. Each of them are
discussing how each of them are through
with doing robberies because it’s “too
dangerous” and how Yolanda believes that
he “quacks” every time he says that he is
not going to do it ever again. The shot
holds for roughly for 30 seconds for the
audience to concentrate on each of the
characters and to familiarise themselves
with how each of them look.
After this, there is a brief cutaway to a
close-up shot of a waitress approaching
them asking if they want any more coffee
which Yolanda’s character replies to her
exaggeratingly happily with “yes, thank
you”. From this we can infer that each of
the characters, especially Yolanda, are
very charismatic and also that they want
to keep what they are talking about a
secret to others, despite them talking
about such a criminal subject in a public
restaurant.

4. The scene then cuts back to the original
shot used at the beginning of the two
them beset in a mid two-shot. As they
carry on a conversation about a man who
allegedly was able to rob a bank with a
telephone, the shot then cuts to a
medium close-up of Yolanda as she
finishes pouring milk into her coffee and
makes eye contact with Ringo. This shot
brings the audience closer to the
conversation and the characters and
allows us to focus on the story Ringo is
telling just like how Yolanda suddenly
becomes interested in his story.
There is then a few quick cuts between
Ringo and Yolanda having a back and forth
conversation, cutting between the single
medium close-up of Yolanda and an over-
shoulder shot from Yolanda to Ringo;
conforming to the 180-degree rule.

5. It then, again, returns to the original two-
shot from the beginning once Ringo
explains why he is telling the story and
that he wonders why nobody “robs
restaurants” and that “we’d be better off
robbing banks”. He also makes a slight
racist comment about the how most shop-
owners are “gooks” or old Jewish people,
further establishing each other characters
as the rebellious and criminal type.
Moments later Ringo shouts “Garcon,
coffee!” referring to the waitress who
came to them before. Whilst she
approaches them, Ringo suddenly says
under his breath that he wants to rob the
restaurant they are currently in. They go
all the advantages each of them have
over the customers and “bus boys” in the
restaurant because they are not
expecting it. Ringo also comments on an
idea that Yolanda had about “stealing
people’s wallets” and how that could get
them even more money. Ringo’s affection
and encouragement of Yolanda’s idea
conveys that each of them are most likely
a couple.

6. Lastly, as they confirm that robbing the
restaurant they are currently in would be
beneficial to them, they is a quick cut to
a close-up of Ringo’s handgun and another
to the two of them sharing a romantic
kiss, as if it was going to be their last.
This then confirms to idea that each of
them are a couple and the terms of
endearment, “Honey-bunny” and
“Pumpkin”, they call each only enforces
the closeness between them. In contrast
to this, each of them stand up on top of
their chairs and announce to the
restaurant that they’re going to rob it.
Yolanda screams furiously with strong
language, which subverts gender
stereotypes where the male would
commonly be stronger, which creates a
complete juxtaposition of romance with
crime; thus creating a comedic tone.