Interview: The Full Story Of The 'Pulp Fiction' Watch (2024)

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Pulp Fiction debuted at Cannes 27 years ago today, winning the Palme d'Or and forever changing cinema. It changed how filmmakers use dialog. It changed how they play with the concept of time. And It changed how viewers engaged with movies.

"Because it was a film that was so structurally, thematically, and metaphorically complex, it really benefited from the kind of hyper analysis and hyper-detailed research that was just sort of starting to happen on a broad scope via the internet," Jason Bailey, who literally wrote the book on Pulp Fiction," told HODINKEE. "I've such clear memories of AOL chat rooms that were specifically targeted at talking about the minutiae of Pulp Fiction. Obviously, this is all unconscious and accidental, but it's a text where the structure of the picture also sort of mirrors those new ways of reading and researching and thinking online. It's a 'hyperlink movie' that hopscotches through the narrative, where a keyword or idea will take us to the next section instead of the natural order of chronology."

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Quentin Tarantino winning the Palme d'Or for Pulp Fiction at Cannes in 1994. (For Kan / Getty Images)

In his book, Bailey breaks down the chronological order of the film step by step. Ignoring linear storytelling, Tarantino begins and finishes the film in a SoCal diner, delivering an ending in which hitmen played by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta defuse a robbery and strut out as iconic, Tarantino antiheroes. But if you've seen the movie – and I hope you have, because I'm about to spoil a 27-year-old classic – then you already know Travolta's character dies. You saw it happen. Bruce Willis's Butch Coolidge killed him earlier (but really later), while doubling back for a family heirloom, a Lancet trench watch.

Pulp Fiction is about intersecting stories. But it's also about that watch, which basically has its own scene with Christopher Walken. HODINKEE spoke to Jonathan R. Hodges (Reservoir Dogs, First Man), the prop master of Pulp Fiction and the person who sourced one of cinema's most iconic timepieces. Join us as we continue the tradition of talking about Pulp Fiction on the internet.

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The Pulp Fiction cast at Cannes in 1994. (Eric Robert / Getty Images)

How did you pick the watch?

Almost all the information about the watch is given in the speech by Christopher Walken: It was one of the first wristwatches, it was worn by his great-grandfather, his grandfather, and then his father, who was captured in Vietnam and kept the watch hidden inside his body cavity. Pre-internet, we couldn't look things up the way you do now. I was familiar enough with the history of watches – it wasn't something I had studied – but I knew wristwatches started becoming common in probably the late teens, early '20s and prior to that people wore pocket watches. So what I was looking for was a watch that had the basic shape of a pocket watch but could be used as a wristwatch.

I started going to antique stores. I can't tell you exactly where I bought it. Before the internet, you just went out to your sources and shopped. Somewhere along the way, I saw this watch. The main thing that struck me was if you look at it, yes it's round and approximately the size of a wristwatch, but the little pieces on each side to run a band through [wire lugs] are like welded on. It's not crudely done as if someone did it themselves, it's obviously done by the company. But it's like, "Oh, we have a watch, and we're going to weld these things on so that someone can put a strap through." It really fit the bill, and I bought it and showed it to Quentin.

When Bruce Willis saw it, he requested that I put a Speidel stretch band on it. There was only one of them, a lot of times we try to have doubles, but there was one watch. It's kind of obvious, but, because of the story, the watch had to be of a size and shape that it was believable that someone would store it inside themselves for a certain number of years.

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The watch on the Speidel Twist-O-Flex, as requested by Bruce Willis. (Courtesy Miramax)

I was going to say, part of the premise of the scene was that the watch was stored in a certain place for a number of years.

Yes, if you're going to shove something in your butt, it needs to be a certain size and shape.

How much did it cost?

I would guess the watch was definitely under $50. It could have been $20. The stretch band was probably five bucks.

Even in the early '90s, a vintage gold watch is likely to cost more than $50.

I don't think it was a solid gold watch. But again, it's a prop. The audience wasn't gonna reach out and bite into it to see if it was gold all the way through.

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The Lancet watch. (Courtesy Miramax)

What was it like seeing a whole scene devoted to one of your props?

I also did Reservoir Dogs, which was much more low-budget. Pulp Fiction had a lot of very specific props. It wasn't that I thought about it like, "Oh, it's one of my props with this person.” It was more about getting it right. The thing is that working with Quentin Tarantino at that time – and I haven't worked with him since – the working environment was really good. The lines of communication were very open. I wasn't scrambling around at the last minute to find a watch. This is something that I had found. I didn't really offer them options. Because when I found that particular one, I was like, this is it. And Quentin and Bruce looked at it said, "That's it."

I didn't think about it in terms of it being about me. I just love filmmaking. That's why I got into the business. And you're sitting there watching this great scene in a great movie, and it's pretty cool.

The scene establishes the watch as an object Bruce would be willing to risk his life for. It could have been anything, right? But Tarantino chose a watch. Why do you think that is?

That's a really good question. Well, it's small enough to fit in someone's body. It's an item of personal jewelry. And it's not uncommon for men in particular to wear a watch that came from their father or their grandfather or something that's associated with the war.

The thing about Bruce saying “I want a Speidel” on there – well Bruce Willis is known for wearing watches. And he knew that putting the stretch band on indicates that this is something he wears on a frequent basis. There's a lot of emotional associations. There's a history there of something that has gone through the family into battle, and what other prop could you have that they would have taken into battle. A necklace with a crucifix on it? It doesn't really work the same way.

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The watch resting on the tail of Tarantino's ceramic kangaroo. (Courtesy Miramax)

What happened to the watch after the movie?

So I am reading the script, and it talks about how Butch goes back to the apartment to get the watch, and how it's sitting on the tail of a little ceramic kangaroo. Again, this was before the internet. I was going to antique stores and racking my brain. This is one of the most obscure things, and the script's description was so specific. So finally I went to Quentin and said, "Look, I've been searching and searching and searching for this thing, but I can't find it.” He goes, "Oh, it's sitting at home on my desk, I'll bring it in."

As for the watch, that would have gone to Quentin.

Top image courtesy Miramax.

Interview: The Full Story Of The 'Pulp Fiction' Watch (2024)

FAQs

What was the point of the watch scene in Pulp Fiction? ›

The watch also became a symbol of luck for many. In the movie, the watch helped Butch's great-grandfather survive World War I. While his grandfather kept the watch away for his son just three days before his death, it's fairly upsetting to say that without it, he clearly would not survive.

Why is the watch so important in Pulp Fiction? ›

The watch is a family heirloom with an interesting but strange backstory, and it has also been interpreted as a symbol of karma in Pulp Fiction as well as a symbol of luck.

What is the storyline of Pulp Fiction explained? ›

Pulp Fiction's narrative is told out of chronological order and follows three main interrelated stories that each have a different protagonist: Vincent Vega, a hitman; Butch Coolidge, a prizefighter; and Jules Winnfield, Vincent's business partner.

Who gave Bruce Willis the watch in Pulp Fiction? ›

Butch's Watch

Butch (Bruce Willis) is shown as a child receiving his father's watch from world war 2. The watch is given to him by Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) a friend of his who explains its origins.

What is the overall message of Pulp Fiction? ›

Pulp Fiction is a cacophony of violence and redemption. Its themes are not so easily categorized, but I think it all boils down to fate. Each of these characters are put into a situation where they are forced to choose something based on fate or happenstance.

What is the disturbing scene in Pulp Fiction? ›

We see a figure standing behind Butch and hear a shotgun being cocked. “Step aside, Butch,” Marsellus says. Butch does, and Marsellus then blasts his rapist in the groin. (As Jason Bailey points out in his recent book on Pulp Fiction, one of the first things we learn about Marsellus, courtesy of Samuel L.

What is the point behind Pulp Fiction? ›

As I said, in general, the film is about American nihilism. More specifically, it is about the transformation of two characters: Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Butch (Bruce Willis).

What is the moral story of Pulp Fiction? ›

It's a story about 2nd chances, faith and redemption. Both witness the same “miracle” - when they survive being shot at. The moment is very important to Julius, and he takes it as a sign that he needs to become a better person.

What the heck is Pulp Fiction about? ›

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Did Fabienne forget the watch? ›

He hides out with his girlfriend, Fabienne, in a motel planning to leave the next morning for Tennessee to collect his money. When Fabienne forgets his father's watch while transferring their goods from their apartment to their motel, Butch storms to his apartment to retrieve it.

Who did John Travolta shoot in the face in Pulp Fiction? ›

Pulp Fiction (1994)

John Travolta discusses the scene where Jules accidentally shoots and kills Marvin.

Why is it called Pulp Fiction? ›

Pulp fiction gets its name from the paper it was printed on. Magazines featuring such stories were typically published using cheap, ragged-edged paper made from wood pulp. These magazines were sometimes called pulps. Pulp fiction created a breeding ground for new and exciting genres.

What was the watch used in Pulp Fiction? ›

The Trading Places watch was a fictional “Rochefoucauld” and while sharp-eyed viewers have identified the WW1 trench watch in Pulp Fiction, it is from a long-defunct brand called Lancet. This is a long way from the watches you see in movies and on TV these days.

What was the point of The Gimp scene in Pulp Fiction? ›

Apparently, The Gimp is a hitchiker who fell victim to Maynard and his brother. Plus, Tarantino intended for the poor guy to die by the end of the film: “It doesn't quite play this way in the movie, but in my mind when I wrote it, the Gimp's dead. Butch knocked him out and then when he passed out he hung himself.

What was the point of the dance scene in Pulp Fiction? ›

As I mentioned above, Vincent knows just rubbing Mia Wallace's feet might get him tossed off a roof. So the dance is the conflagration of all the flirting and feelings. This dancing also builds trust between the two characters, especially for what comes after this scene—the overdose and adrenaline needle.

What is the point of the first scene in Pulp Fiction? ›

The first scene sets the mood for the whole plot and reveals the overall meaning of the film. The viewer can conclude that the most violent scenes are the result of random spontaneous events.

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