Saturday, September 24, 2011

2001 analysis - part 10: Another hint from 'Pulp Fiction'

CATEGORY: MOVIES **Contains spoilers for Pulp Fiction**










From Pulp Fiction: Boxer Butch Coolidge places a phone call.



The above screencap from Pulp Fiction depicts boxer Butch Coolidge making a call to find out when he can collect on some gambling winnings. The background to this is that Butch had promised gang boss Marsellus Wallace that he would throw a fight (i.e., lose on purpose), but he then proceeded to win the fight instead, killing his opponent, Floyd Wilson, in the process. Prior to the fight, he gambled all his money on himself to win, and now is in a position to collect a large payoff. After the fight, he flees the arena, then calls a man named Scotty from a payphone, to find out how much he has won and when he can collect. During the phone conversation, movie-goers hear only Butch's part of the dialog. First we'll look at the conversation itself (below, with the foul language omitted), then we'll see how it refers to things having to do with A Space Odyssey.

Butch (into phone): "What'd I tell ya, hah? As soon as the word got out the fix was in, the odds went through the roof. I know, I know. Unbelievable. Hey, Scotty, if he was a better boxer, he'd still be alive. If he never laced up his gloves, which he never shoulda done in the first place, he'd be alive. Yeah, well, it's over now. Yeah, well, enough about the poor, unfortunate Mr. Floyd - let's talk about the rich and prosperous Mr. Butch. How many bookies you lay it around on?"

(pause)

"All eight? How long to collect?"

(pause)

"So you'll have it all by tomorrow night?"

(pause)

"No, I understand, a few stragglers aside. Ah, Scotty, that's good news, that is great news, man. Yeah. No, me an' Fabienne are gonna leave in the morning. It'll probably take us a couple of days to get down to Knoxville. Okay, my brother. (Laughs.) You're right, you're right. Alright, Scotty, next time I see you, it'll be on Tennessee time. Cool, brother."

Butch hangs up.

---------------------

Though "Mr. Floyd" ostensibly refers to the now deceased boxing opponent whom Butch defeated, Floyd Wilson, it is also to be taken as a reference to Heywood Floyd from 2001. "Scotty" is a reference to the Montgomery "Scotty" Scott character from the original Star Trek TV series. What's being suggested is that Butch is talking with someone who is, in some sense, 'in outer space'. "Tennessee time" is probably a reference to 'Jupiter time' from A Space Odyssey, i.e., it is a reference to the Jupiter mission.

It remains to be determined exactly what we are supposed to conclude about Kubrick's movie, from the above hints in Pulp Fiction.



      

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