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Wednesday, 30 November 2011

What was a "Pulp Fiction" movie print with guns locked and loaded doing in the British embassy in Iran? -

What was a "Pulp Fiction" movie print with guns locked and loaded doing in the British embassy in Iran? - 
TEHRAN, IRAN - NOVEMBER 29: A man holds a poster featuring American actors John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in a scene from the film 'Pulp Fiction' following a break in at the British Embassy during an anti-British demonstration in the Iranian capital on November 29, 2011 in Tehran, Iran. Getty Images - TEHRAN, IRAN - NOVEMBER 29: A man holds a poster featuring American actors John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in a scene from the film 'Pulp Fiction' following a break in at the British Embassy during an anti-British demonstration in the Iranian capital on November 29, 2011 in Tehran, Iran. Getty Images | Getty Images

When Iranian protesters climbed the fence and stormed the British embassy compound in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday, there were few surprises in what the protesters focused on: embassy documents thrown into the air and several portraits of the Queen that were ripped apart in front of crowds chanting anti-Western slogans.


What did surprise was one image: an almost-confused Iranian protester holding a large print, believed to be retrieved from inside the British embassy, showing a scene from the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction. Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, played by John Travolta and Samuel Jackson, can be seen with guns locked and loaded.


For everyone who has seen the film, it is a scene that captures the intensity of the two central characters and the violence that runs through the film.


Now, which British diplomat is the Pulp Fiction fanatic? And how would such a print fit with the image the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office is trying to project abroad - and in the Islamic Republic of Iran no less?


The choice of an iconic image from 20th century film is probably quite deliberate, and it may not have been the decision of any one diplomat or employee in the embassy.


The British government has a collection of more than 13,000 paintings, sculptures and prints. They are showcased in government buildings and embassies around the world.


Read more - 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/what-was-a-pulp-fiction-print-doing-in-the-british-embassy-in-iran/article2255053/

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