10 Facts About Pulp Fiction, Tarantino’s Legendary Film

It's no coincidence that Vincent Vega (John Travolta) talks so passionately about Amsterdam in Pulp Fiction. Quentin Tarantino wrote large parts of the script while staying in the Dutch capital, spending months at the Winston hotel in the red light district. Many of Vincent's observations about the Netherlands come straight from Tarantino's own experiences.

One of Pulp Fiction's biggest mysteries is the contents of the glowing briefcase Vincent and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) retrieve. Tarantino has always said it was meant to stay mysterious, but countless theories exist. A popular one is that it contains Marsellus Wallace's soul, since the lock combination is 666 and the golden glow suggests something supernatural.

Before Pulp Fiction, John Travolta's career had stalled after a series of flops. Tarantino saw his potential and gave him the role of Vincent Vega, originally offered to Michael Madsen. It was a masterstroke: Travolta earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and his career was revived.

Pulp Fiction feels like a big film, but it had a modest budget of about 8.5 million dollars, a large part of which went to the cast. The low budget forced Tarantino to be creative, leading to some of the film's most memorable scenes, like the Jack Rabbit Slim's dance contest and the car conversations.

Pulp Fiction's non-linear storytelling was a revolutionary choice at the time. Similar techniques had been used before, for instance in Kurosawa's Rashomon, but Tarantino took it to a new level, earning international acclaim and inspiring a new wave of postmodern filmmakers.

The iconic dance between John Travolta and Uma Thurman at Jack Rabbit Slim's wasn't entirely original. Tarantino has cited Godard's Bande à part as an inspiration, and some also see echoes of Fellini's 8½. Travolta, famous for his moves in Saturday Night Fever, added his own flair, giving the scene its iconic status.

Pulp Fiction is known for its long, often philosophical monologues, like Jules' Bible sermon or the famous 'Royale with Cheese' discussion. These are typical of Tarantino's style: dialogue that doesn't directly advance the plot but deepens the characters, sometimes becoming as important as the action itself.

Tarantino is known for assembling his soundtracks with great care, and Pulp Fiction is no exception. With songs like Dick Dale's 'Misirlou' and Urge Overkill's 'Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon', the soundtrack became as famous as the film. No original score, just carefully selected tracks that perfectly match the mood.

Fans know many of Tarantino's films share a fictional universe. An interesting link between Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs is that Vincent Vega and Vic Vega (Mr. Blonde) are brothers. There was once talk of a prequel about the Vega brothers, but it was never made.