Quentin Tarantino’s wickedly entertaining black comedy of underworld hoods is one of the most original and exhilarating movies ever to explode across the big screen. Forget about trying to comprehend this visually-rich film in the pan-and-scan format on VHS. Any 'Pulp Fiction' devotee worth his or her weight in Quarter Pounders will want the letterboxed edition.
The matting of the 2.35:1 Panavision ratio is pleasing but is not quite perfect. A scene during Chapter 5 is a perfect example: Jules is standing just left of center frame, talking to Brett (he’s seated farther right at the breakfast table); Mr. "Flock of Seagulls" is lying on the sofa at the extreme left of the frame and Marvin is standing against the wall, to the extreme right of the frame; as Marvin speaks and is abruptly cut off by Jules, you can tell the framing just isn’t wide enough because you can barely see Marvin edging into the right side of the frame. There aren’t too many sequences like this when Tarantino and cameraman Andrzej Sekula use the extremities of the frame to such effect, so there aren’t too many times when it’s obvious that the letterboxing should be wider, but still...
The colors are as bright and vibrant as they were in the theaters, perhaps more so: the warm electronic glow inherent in home video lends the film a "thicker," more saturated look. The colors are deeper, the contrast more pronounced. The high-contrast lighting occasionally looks over saturated (check out the opening scene with Pumpkin and Honey-Bunny in the diner), but that’s the effect Tarantino and his cameraman were going for.
The 2-hour, 34-minute film is spread evenly across three sides, with remarkably well-timed side breaks, given the fact that many natural fade-to-black spots occur with music or sound effects continuing in the background (a side break during any of these spots would be too jarring).
Sound is typically good for a THX title, but there aren’t too many moments that take advantage of the rear-channel. The rear-channel boost is utilized mostly for the music and the occasional explosive sound effect.
The THX mastering is up to par with other THX titles, but it seems the THX stamp is only here for prestige factor: there’s nothing about the movie or disc of 'Pulp Fiction' that will wow laser maniacs or win converts.
Kudos to Miramax Home Video for giving laser buffs what they really want:
Side 3 ends with five theatrical trailers (the U.S. preview and 4 international trailers). The hilarious German-dubbed trailer may be worth the price of this disc. There’s also a gratuitous cross-promotion trailer for Tarantino’s upcoming project 'Four Rooms', representing the first time a laserdisc has ever boasted a yet-to-be-released theatrical film trailer.
My only complaint involves the quality of the disc itself. You can distinguish between picture quality and disc quality, so even though the picture is excellent, the quality of the disc is disappointing: I’ve gone through four copies so far, because each copy I’ve viewed has a subtle horizontal distortion (noticeable mostly during dark scenes and fade-to-black transitions). It can only be described as a "wave" that goes from top to bottom, or bottom to top. The "wave" varies in its severity on each of the four copies I’ve viewed so far, so this obviously isn’t a constant problem on every disc; I hope I can eventually get a hold of a copy without this defect.
Final note: Word is executive producer Danny De Vito (himself a rabid laser fan) has promised a special-edition 'Pulp Fiction' laserdisc by Christmas, to feature deleted scenes, a running commentary by Tarantino and other filmmakers (Travolta and Jackson too? Who knows.), and other collectible goodies. More details will surely follow.
Vital statistics: Miramax Home Video; 3 sides; CLV; Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); Stereo Surround; THX; Chapter stops; $39.95.
S. Damien Segal.
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