"They're Freaking Out": 1 Key Pulp Fiction Scene Was Almost Cut After First Screening

Pulp Fiction producer Lawrence Bender has revealed that one key scene in the Quentin Tarantino classic was almost cut from the movie following an incident at the first screening. Out of all the movies Tarantino has directed, Pulp Fiction remains one of his most classic, featuring a multi-perspective narrative told out of order about crime in Los Angeles. The movie has been praised for its acting and screenwriting, with many highlighting its approach to violence. This comes alongside many quotable scenes from characters like Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis).

Speaking with Variety on the movie's 30th anniversary, Bender revealed how one moviegoer had a medical emergency during Pulp Fiction's first screening. It happened during a scene where Uma Thurman's Mia Wallace has adrenaline injected into her heart after accidentally overdosing on heroin. The audience member was taken home, but it caused producers Harvey Winstein and Bob Shaye to fear the film's violence would make it fail. However, the story's circulation drummed up more attention for the film, resulting in the scene staying and the movie being released without cuts. Check out what Bender had to say below:

The first major screening of the movie was at the New York Film Festival. It’s a massive theater and we’re in the box seats, and right when Uma gets stabbed with a needle, you see some rustling down below. Someone screams, “Is there a doctor in the house?” I jump out of my seat and run downstairs, and the manager of the theater runs up to me, “What do I do?” I say, “Turn the lights on.” So the movie shuts down, and the lights come on. And the guy, he had a sugar shock or something, and that scene shocked him into this kind of thing where he fainted. So me and Harvey Weinstein walk over, a couple of people help him up and they give him some orange juice. Harvey gives him his limousine and he takes him home so he can be fine, and everything’s fine. But now, the biggest fear Harvey and Bob [Shaye] had at the time was that people were going to see this movie as too violent, and they wanted to promote this movie and make it be a big hit. So now in the upstairs lobby, they’re pacing back and forth, “What do we do? If this gets out that this guy went into shock because of the violence in the movie, that’s going to be the only thing that people hear about.” They’re freaking out. But the story did not get out, and the reviews were great. And that was the beginning of a successful launch of the movie.

What Bender's Story About Pulp Fiction's First Screening Says About The Movie

Its Hyper Violence Makes It Memorable

Close

The cast of Pulp Fiction emphasized the movie's crime and violence with powerful performances, Thurman's Mia being a standout because of her flirtatious relationship with Vincent Vega (John Travolta). The scene in which she's injected with adrenaline is an intense sequence, made more stressful by a lack of music and realistic performances from Thurman, Travolta, and everyone else on-set. Unlike some of the more violent storylines, Mia's ends without tragedy, her life saved and agreeing with Vincent not to tell her husband, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), what happened.

Related Pulp Fiction: How Scientifically Accurate The Adrenaline Scene Really Is One of the most memorable scenes in Pulp Fiction is the one of the adrenaline shot, but is it scientifically accurate? Let's take a look.

Mia's adrenaline shot is considered one of the best scenes in Pulp Fiction, offering a stressful yet fitting end to her and Vincent's storyline. Without the elongated sequence in the movie, her overdose wouldn't be as thematically poignant, feeling muted compared to other, more violent parts of the film. Thankfully, the story of someone passing out helped bolster the film into becoming a classic, with the movie now considered one of the best crime dramas ever made - if not one of the best films of all time.

Our Take On Bender's Pulp Fiction Screening Story

It's A Good Thing Mia's Overdose Wasn't Cut

Pulp Fiction wouldn't be the same without Mia's overdose scene, as it offers a dynamic look at her character in crisis while commentating on drug crime in Los Angeles. Without the sequence, Vincent's storyline would also feel blander, as his date with Wallace's wife wouldn't have been as impactful on the overarching themes of the movie. Thankfully, the audience member who passed out was fine, and their reaction helped cement the film's success not only at the box office, but also in cinematic history.

When Pulp Fiction was released, it earned $213.9 million at the box office against an $8.5 million budget, making it a major theatrical hit.

Source: Variety