National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2013
“By turns utterly derivative and audaciously original, Quentin Tarantino's mordantly wicked Möbius strip of a movie influenced a generation of filmmakers and stands as a milestone in the evolution of independent cinema in the United States, making it one of the few films on the National Film Registry as notable for its lasting impact on the film industry as its considerable artistic merits.”
Independent Spirit Awards — 3 wins, 4 nominationsLos Angeles Film Critics Association — 3 winsNational Board of Review — 3 winsBritish Academy Film Awards — 2 wins, 8 nominationsAll 23 wins · 45 nominations on record
Independent Spirit Awards: Best Director
Independent Spirit Awards: Best Male Lead
Independent Spirit Awards: Best Screenplay
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Actor
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Director
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Film
National Board of Review: Best Director
National Board of Review: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
National Board of Review: Best Film
British Academy Film Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
British Academy Film Awards: Best Original Screenplay
Academy Awards: Best Writing, Original Screenplay
Golden Globe Awards: Best Screenplay
David di Donatello: Best Foreign Actor
Cannes Film Festival: Palme d'Or
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Director
National Society of Film Critics Award: Best Screenplay
National Society of Film Critics Award: Best Director
National Society of Film Critics Award: Best Film
MTV Movie Award: Best Dance Sequence
MTV Movie Award: Best Movie
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award: Best Film
London Film Critics Circle Award: Actor of the Year
Scholarship
Named in the title of 25 peer-reviewed works
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pulp Fiction arrived in 1994 through Miramax, directed by Quentin Tarantino on the heels of Reservoir Dogs, and it reshaped independent cinema's relationship with the mainstream. Its nonlinear structure, needle-drop soundtrack, and dialogue-driven set pieces earned it the Palme d'Or and an Oscar for original screenplay, cementing Tarantino as a defining voice of the decade. The film's ensemble cast and pulp-inspired storytelling made it a touchstone for a generation of filmmakers and audiences alike, and its cultural footprint has only deepened in the decades since.
This cell centers on Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, the two hitmen whose partnership anchors the film's structure and gives it its philosophical spine. Played by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, these characters are among the most collected in modern cinema, their pairing synonymous with the film's blend of menace and banter. A 35mm cell bearing both names points to a shared scene, the kind of frame collectors seek for the duo's chemistry rather than any single moment, preserving the pairing that defines the picture's identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby SR·D theatrical release print of Pulp Fiction (1994).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or deformation.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a Dolby SR·D release print.
Edge print
Letters readable along the top edge include 'G', 'A', 'F', 'A', 'G'; additional characters are partially obscured. Full key number sequence not fully legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-greenish tint typical of safety acetate or polyester stock; dye image shows a pronounced violet-purple cast across all three frames, suggesting some colour shift from neutral.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible running through the picture area across the frames, consistent with evidence of projection use.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of Pulp Fiction (1994).
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track is consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1994 release period of the film on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063005
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
