DVD Cover Analysis

PULP FICTION - (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

This is the DVD cover for the film Pulp Fiction which quickly gained cult status, was the tenth biggest film of 1994, and made it as a top-10 UK bestseller in book-form, meaning its screenplay was the most successful in UK publishing history.

The cover consists of a dark grey background, with white text at the top centre stating the production and distribution company (Miramax), and linking the film to Miramax, thereby linking it to previous successes from the company, and in turn linking the company to the success of the film. The DVD logo is also in the bottom left-hand corner in white.

The cover's image is enclosed by an oblong, outlined in white, with a black background, which is stylish and connotes mystery, as well as emphasising the central image. Centred at the top is small white text, which says [I think] 'A FILM BY QUENTIN TARANTINO', before the film's title in big, bold, yellow letters, in a comic-book style font. This relates to the title of the film itself, Pulp Fiction, referring to fiction originating from a pulp magazine (a magazine made with cheap paper and low printing costs, which contain fictional shocking or sensationalist stories by low-paid writers). On the magazine theme, there is also a section in the right-hand corner of the image that is red, outlined in white, as though part of the front has been torn off revealing this colour underneath on a different page. The colour red also connotes passion, blood and therefore danger & violence, and anger. It also suggests that there may be many layers to the plot, and stories within the story, in the same way that a magazine contains a lot of different stories.

At the bottom of the image is a credit block with the names of the stars of the film, all successful actors, with the most famous in the most prominent places, meaning the eye of the viewer is drawn to them first, and again, their past successes are connected with the film, as well as helping the audience identify what kind of film it may be. The audience classification is rated as an 18 and the symbols to show this is in the bottom right hand corner.

The main image itself consists of Uma Thurman, who plays the character of Mia Wallace, lying on her front, leaning on an orange cushion, with her legs crossed in the air behind her. In this way we can see her shoes, black high heels, and black outfit, which is only stopped from blending in completely with the background by the reflection of light on the lower half. She has short black hair with a fringe, and is wearing make-up and nail varnish which can both be seen from the image, and she is shown to be a sexy character, from her positioning and dress code. The shot uses direct mode of address, and she looks as though she has been interrupted by the viewer, with a slightly annoyed, bored, and contemptuous expression. With one hand, she is holding a lit cigarette, and the other hand is flat on a magazine, cover facing outwards, placed this way so we can see on the front 'Pulp Fiction', which once more links to the magazine theme, not only by having a magazine in the image, but with the reference to the film's title. The fact that she has put the magazine face-down also shows she is concentrating on the person who has just walked in or approached her. Both these things also make the character look fashionable and 'cool'. It could be understood that she is, in fact, just posing, because she is not holding the magazine particularly tightly, rather just resting her hand on it. It could also be understood as a state of readiness, where she is prepared to pick up the gun.

Against the orange cushion, we can see a gun, with light reflected off it - without the cushion, it would blend in with the background. The fact that it is so casually placed and that its presence seems to have no effect on Mia shows that it is something she is used to, again giving the audience the idea that the film is going to contain violence. It also connotes that she is quite a dangerous character. Below the gun is a packet of cigarettes, though it's hard to tell in this image - the image from the cover would be widely recognised by most people, as it's a less detailed version of the image on the original, highly iconic, poster for the film (click here to see it!). The poster is even more in the style of a cheap magazine - it has a price of 10¢ on it, and it has a faded, battered look about it, and the poster is, overall, highly successful in helping to create the narrative image for the film and promote it.