Nearly 30 years after the release of “Pulp Fiction”, Tarantino fans are still wondering what could be inside Marsellus Wallace’s famous briefcase. Warning, spoilers!
SPOILERS – Warning, the article below reveals potential spoilers. If you do not wish to know its contents, please do not read what follows…
In cinema, there are two types of films. The ones you come away with all the answers to, and the ones that leave you leaving with a nagging question in your head.
What does Bill Murray whisper in Scarlett Johansson’s ear in the last sequence of Lost in Translation? Who, Childs or MacReady, is the alien creature at the end of The Thing? What does Tom Hanks’ last FedEx package contain in Alone in the World?
Indeed, some filmmakers sometimes take great pleasure in keeping a significant element of mystery surrounding a major element of their plot. Thus, in the famous Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, awarded the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1994, it is impossible to know what really contains the precious briefcase recovered by Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winfield (Samuel L. Jackson). on behalf of their boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames).
In the last minutes of the film, when Tim Roth’s character opens the briefcase, we can see that a mysterious golden glow escapes from it and that, according to the robber’s own words, the contents of the suitcase are “Magnificent”. But that’s all !
Since the release of the film almost 30 years ago, Quentin Tarantino has formally refused to give any answer to this question that all his fans are asking, and this for a very specific reason:
“Whether the audience knows or not, I know the characters’ pasts, and I want the actors to know it too. But the audience doesn’t need to know.”declared the director on the channel Outstanding Screenplays about the mark that was around Aldo Raines’ (Brad Pitt) neck in Inglourious Basterds.
Bac Films
“I like the idea that you open a briefcase in Pulp Fiction and I don’t tell you what’s inside. But it’s up to you to find out what’s there. in. And so, it’s your movie. You’re going to make that decision yourself, later, at some point. If I told you the answer [ici et maintenant], you would get rid of it, and I don’t want you to get rid of it. It’s your movie.”
Many spectators seem to have followed the director’s advice because over the years, several theories concerning the famous briefcase have begun to flourish on the web.
Bac Films
Thus, some think that Marsellus’ suitcase contains an Oscar for his wife Mia (the gangster’s wife who always dreamed of becoming an actress), a gold Elvis Presley costume (exactly the one worn by Val Kilmer in True Romance, whose screenplay was also signed by Tarantino) or the soul of Marsellus Wallace, who would have sent his two henchmen to recover it after signing a pact with the Devil.
This last theory allows us to explain why the code for opening the briefcase is 6-6-6 and why Marsellus wears a plaster on the back of his neck (according to legend, this is where the soul of those who make a pact with the devil).
Are you convinced by any of these theories?
(Re)discover our video dedicated to the famous briefcase…