Kill Bill Volume 1 Opening Titles Analysis

Kill Bill is the fourth film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Its main theme is revenge as a bride attempts to kill the people who attempted to murder her at her wedding day. In the opening tension is built up through dialogue and a soundtrack to give the sense of an intriguing thriller.

Camera

The first shot of the opening titles is a close up of the brides bloody face.
A close up is used so the audience can see the damage done to her and the injuries she has sustained, because she is still able to speak and function after taking a vicious beating it suggests the idea of her being a tough character. The close up allows us to see that she is a bride and it also connotes that she is a main character, as she fills up the entire screen. The CU adds tension because you are intrigued as to how she got into that situation and you want to know more information about her.

Another close up is used of someone's boots clumping across the wooden floor. The close up allows us to see in detail this characters clothing, the ornate boots and the crisp suit trouser. This connotes the idea of a professional well kept character who cares about his appearance. The close up shows the boots pacing towards something suggesting the idea of power and control, the previous close up was a woman covered in blood on the floor whereas here it is a clean polished boot pacing across the floor, which makes us think that the boot wearer is in control. This adds tension because the audience would want to know who he is and why he has so much power.

The final shot used in the opening is a wide lens mid shot of a silhouetted woman lying down on something. This could suggest that she is sleeping or dead, if we connect this woman to the one shown in the close up earlier. The mid shot allows to see the side profile of this character and to show us that it is a female body because of the feminine shape of the head. The mid shot makes this character appear as if they were dead on some kind of plinth which makes it more interesting and sudden if this character were to not be dead. This shot builds tension because it intrigues the audience further, who is this character?

Editing

This quote is used at the start of the opening and is in the same style text as the rest of the font, creating a house style. This quote is about revenge which sets the genre and theme of the film from the off, the audience know that revenge will play an important role in the film, which makes it more of a thriller and enhances tension as we would want to know who is getting revenge on who and why. It says "best served cold" which is a phrase synonymous will ruthless and bloodthirstiness. This suggests that violence and cruelty would need to be used to get revenge which adds tension because it makes it more exciting.

The style of the text is the same font throughout but different font sizes are used for actors and the roles they pay. A larger font is given to the 'bride' and the members of the deadly viper assassination squad which suggests that these are the main characters. Because the bride gets the largest font (Uma Thurman) it would suggest that she is the main character and because of the theme of revenge established we could assume the viper squad to be her enemies. The style of the font is bold and thick, which makes it stand out. This boldness could reflect the themes of the film which are quite dramatic.


Editing is also used cleverly in this opening to omit certain aspects. The character Bill, who the bride is talking to, is never shown even though his voice is heard. This suggests that he is a very secret character but also someone the bride knows well which adds questions in to the mix as to how does she know him. There is no eyeline match of the bride looking at Bill, which could suggest that he is too powerful for her, he has a higher status. But also it could suggest that he is a bad character, because he is not shown.

Sound

The enhanced breathing of the bride can be heard over the titles at the start of the opening. This creates a great deal of tension because the breathing is quick and laboured with hints of desperation which suggests someone in pain. This instantly grabs the audiences attention because it is loud and boosts tension as we would want to know why she is breathing so heavily.

Whist the shot of the boots is shown there is another enhanced sound of the boots walking across the wooden floor towards the bride. It has more volume and drowns out the brides breathing which suggests the idea of power, even these characters footsteps can drown out a crying woman.

The gunshot is so sudden and loud that it shocks the audience, the dialogue suggested an air of friendliness, the two characters knew each other so when the gunshot is heard very loudly it is very striking. This sound starts the theme of violence and could be the climax to the tension in this scene as it is so shocking, it would make the audience want to know why he shot at her.

The soundtrack is Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra and has a western style to it. It has a slow pace which matches the slow pace of the shots previously. The lyrics of the song talk about a sister who is oppressed by her brother then who takes revenge which matches the revenge theme established at the start and could suggest that the woman might take revenge against the man who shot her.

Mise-en-scene

Lighting

The camera shots are black and white throughout the opening, which gives it an old fashioned style, but this juxtaposes to the extreme violence creating an interesting contrast that could appeal to cult audiences.

In the final shot there is sunlight streaming through a window which does not hit the woman lying down, it casts her in shadow. This could suggest that she is not a morally good character and that she has a secret/ a dark personality. This is intriguing to the audience as they would want to know what kind of person she is.

Props

The handkerchief with 'Bill' stitched into it that soaks up some of the brides blood suggests that the owner is an arrogant man, who has his own name stitched into things. It also suggests that he cares about his appearance as he buys embroider handkerchiefs.  

The bracelet the man wears is thick and chunky but looks to be ornate which could make it expensive connoting that this man is rich. This makes him more interesting to the audience as they would want to know how he acquired wealth.

Costume

The bridal wear on the bride like the veil covered in blood is a striking image, it is splattered in blood which contrasts the idea of a bridal dress. It is supposed to connote purity and a happy occasion yet here it is ruined and tainted with blood. The audience would be appalled that someone would do that to a bride and also intrigued as to why they would do it.