Jackie Brown (1997) Part 1 - Title Sequence

Jackie Brown
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino, Elmore Leonard

Cast:
Pam Grier - Jackie Brown
Samuel L. Jackson - Ordell Robbie
Robert Foster - Max Cherry
Bridget Fonda - Melanie Ralston
Michael Keaton - Ray Nicolette
Robert DeNiro - Louis Gara

I am going to analyse three clips from the film Jackie Brown one these clips is the Opening Sequence.




The opening sequence introduces to the audience Pam Grier's character Jackie Brown. Quentin Tarantino establishes Pam  Grier's character by using a lot close up shots.

Camera Angle Shots and Movements

The scene first starts off by using a Medium Close up shot of Jackie as she walks through the airport terminal. The use of the medium close up shot brings focus to the character and no one else that is on the shot.

The scene then cuts to a Long shot. The use of the long shot establishes the location fo the scene (which is the Airport). This shot shows how stewardesses recieve special treatment and how they didn't even have to go through customs and security.

The scene then cuts to a Low Angle shot  which shows power, that Jackie has a much higher status than everyone else around her. Her clothing also illustrates this. Everyone is wearing ordinary clothing and she wears her uniform which makes her different from everyone else in the crowd.

The scene then cuts to a close up shot as Jackie is walking through the terminal. The use of Close Up shots enables the audience to see Jackie's emotions. Which shows that she is happy.

The scene then cuts to a Over the Shoulder shot of Jackie as she walks to the terminal gate. The use of the Over The Shoulder shot shows as if there is another presence following her. Also, the sue of the shoulder shot puts the audience into Jackie Brown's shoes. She's late  she didn't want to miss her flight so she runs.







Sound

Throughout this whole scene. Quentin Tarantino only used non-diagetic sound. Which comprimised the use of music.




Lighting

Throughout the scene Quentin Tarantino mostly used natural ambient lighting where possible. An example of this is when Jackie was walking through the  terminal, where windows can be seen because light could be possibly reflected. Quentin Tarantino used non-ambient lighting in the indoor scenes where there is not that much lighting.

Costumes

In this scene Jackie Brown wears her stewardess uniform. The use of her stewardess uniform shows her as this powerful and sophisticated person because she is different to the other people such as the passengers because it shows that she has power over them.













Intertextual References


There is a TV series which started in September 2011 called Pan Am which revolved around the Pilots and Stewardesses of Pan American World Airways .

One of the characters of the show named Kate Cameron played by Keli Garner works for the CIA which involves her smuggling documents or swapping them with anyone who flies Pan American. A Character which is nearly similar to Jackie Brown.

Another Intertextual that I have found is that the music used (Across the 110th Street) describes the women in Blaxploitation films such as Coffy and Foxy Brown. The lyrics said "Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak" or "Woman trying to catch a trick on the street." these lyrics descirbes the characteristics of Foxy Brown or Coffy on the films that Pam Grier was in.