How do you like your vengence?

[avrelia]

We have finally seen “Kill Bill”, and I love it dearly.
I don’t particularly like Tarantino, but he is a brilliant storyteller. The way everything in this movie cams together just right – picture, music, story, editing, actors, choreography – every single piece. The way they add to each other – meaning, colour, poignancy, gore. Even that ridiculous, over-the-top bloodiness, even some random details, even the cartoon in the middle…
Did I mention how much I enjoyed it?

And then I realized that vengeance is one of my bullet-proof kinks in fiction. Vengeance often makes for an interesting plot, but when it is not just the plot, but the workings of mind of the avenger, but when we have not just cool vengeance, but also its consequences, it gets me. I don’t like “Count Monte-Cristo” – classical vengeance story, though, I am not sure why – I tried to read it long ago, stopped, and never came back. I am thinking about reading “The Oresteia” – speaking of classics. I was kind of scared of reading Ancient Greek literature, so I had some bits and pieces, but recently I am in Greek mood, so probably I’ll give it a try.
Another movie I remembered while thinking about “Kill Bill” – “The Bride wore black” with Jeanne Moreau.

Comments

[onetwomany.livejournal.com]

Kill Bill was hilarious. I'll admit I was rather stunned by the sheer wanton excessively of the violence, but what's not to love about a couple of hours of hot lookin' chicks kicking arse. Much fun, and I can't wait for the next part. :)

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

The violence is very grafic, but somehow it doesn't bother at all. May be because it is so over the top, it doesn't feel real and just serves the story. Waiting for the second part now.

[jonesiexxx.livejournal.com]

The Jacobeans do great revenge. Have you read or seen Kyd's Spanish Tragedy, or of course Hamlet.

I had some thoughts about Kill Bill when I saw it a couple of months ago.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/jonesiexxx/41652.html#cutid1

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link, I have read your post on Kill Bill. Partly we were coming to this movie on different perspectives: a lot of moments you pointed out I hadn’t noticed – for a number of reason, one is that I am still a cultural outsider, and many connections and allusions are lost on me. For example, the song “Bang Bang” for me was just a song that fit the story. So it was great to see your perspective.
Now, to take the story itself – it made me think and let me enjoy the picture. To see how vengeance gets its way, how it changes all sides of it (exacting and receiving), how it goes the full circle. Often revenge is a gut reaction, no matter how nice and civilized we are, no matter what our morality tells us: when we (or someone we care about) are hurt, we want to hurt back. But vengeance is never an end in itself. So, the revenge story allows us to question a lot of things – in characters, in ourselves, plus it gives a fascinating action. Going back to Kill Bill – I root for the Bride, but she cannot win, possibly nobody can win in this story, and I have a bad feeling that the girl in the beginning was actually her daughter.

I read Hamlet, but interestingly, it never comes to my mind when I am thinking about the “revenge” plot. May be, because it begins as a revenge story and then turns into something else. We’ll see what “Kill Bill” can turn into. And I will look into Jacobeans too, thanks for the advice.