Mise en scene; Kill Bill

fig.1

Contrary to typical Hollywood action films, the protagonist is female. Played by Uma Thurman, the character is known as Beatrix Kiddo, who is on a mission of revenge to kill her one time lover and boss, Bill. This is a long shot, where Kiddo is walking from a bright light in the desert, which the gold sands signify.

   It is an extremely iconic image, which can easily be related to the bible and Christianity, symbolising the resurrection of Christ. This comparison can be intensified as the scene prior to this saw Kiddo climbing from her grave. Blue, gold and white are the three signifying colours within this shot, again denotes an ideal of heaven, as blue signifies the sky, white signifies angles and the clouds, whilst gold signifies the crown and what Christians argue as the eternal Kingdom. This shot can be compared in this way to Fig. 2.

   Staggering through a desert, simply denotes that Kiddo is obviously dehydrated, hot and probably not very happy. As the background is blurred, and comes in and out of focus during the shot, a conclusion can be made as we associate blurriness and waves of heat with high temperature. Also the fact that a human figure walks out from a bright light denotes spirituality and in the case of ‘Christ’, the white shirt denotes purity. Although the audience are positioned in the film to side with Kiddo, she is not portrayed pure.

   Kiddo’s character is strong, independent and feisty. Connotations can be drawn that Tarrintino is breaking the traditional gender roles created by the hegemonic values installed within film. The fact that Kiddo appears rough, dirty and un-kept in this shot could connote a feminist ideal that men are not exclusive to hard lined macho hero roles. Yet the imagery comparable to the bible could forward a feminist stance, questioning the role of women in that particular text.

fig. 2

   Both texts resemble one another as they consist of the same three dominant colours and the silhouette of a human in front of a bright light. Fig. 1 illustrates what could be argued as the resurrection of Kiddo, whilst fig.2 demonstrates the same but of Jesus Christ. Whilst the New Testament of the Bible was written nearly two thousand years ago, in a culture where men were the dominant sex, what can be read from the image in fig.1, is the question, Are the hegemonic values of the past really relevant in modern society and religion? A polysemic reading could be that the director Tarrintino, by questioning the morals of an established religion through the symbolic codes within this shot, simply degrades Christians and their beliefs. As a result of using the character Kiddo, who in the film seeks revenge through murder, strengthens the argument that the encoder is criticising this religion. After all, the sixth commandment concludes; ‘Do not commit Murder.’ (Exodus 20:13)

Digging deeper into the myth of the main religions would read that they all promote peace, yet they specify one must be a believer. However, the use of a killer within a frame if such iconic symbolism connotes a possible reading that religion is the primary source of conflict within the world. This would agree with the growing contemporary outlook upon this subject, especially with worldwide events that have occurred in the past decade such as 9/11 and the problems in Israel.