A list of our five favourite props from Quentin Tarantino films to cross the auction block
Iconic props from Quentin Tarantino movies are notoriously rare, because most of the items end up going home with the cast. Tarantino himself has a great collection, including Jules' 'Bad Mother ******' wallet from Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill Pussy Wagon. However, a few items have ended up in the hands of regular collectors. Here are five of the coolest...
5) Pulp Fiction adrenaline syringe
You know a date hasn’t gone well when you end up reviving someone with an adrenaline shot to the heart. Pulp Fiction’s classic scene in which John Travolta saves Uma Thurman’s life after an accidental heroin overdose remains almost unwatchable tense – even when you know what happens next. The cardiac adrenaline syringe kit used in the scene sold for $1,500 at Profile in History in 1998. (Image: Profiles in History)
4) Jackie Brown Colt pistol
Jackie Brown is perhaps Tarantino’s most underrated film, featuring career-best performances from Pam Grier and Robert Forster in a slow-burning homage to Blaxploitation cinema. This prop .38 Colt Detective Special pistol was used in several of the film’s most memorable scenes by both Grier’s titular Jackie Brown and Forster’s detective Max Cherry. It sold at Julien’s Auctions in November 2013 for $3,200. (Image: Julien's Auctions)
3) Django Unchained Remington pistol
Django Unchained is Tarantino’s blood-soaked ode to Spaghetti Westerns, and a fearless depiction of slavery in the Deep South. This gun – an 1858 Remington Cap and Ball pistol – is used by Jamie Fox’s slave-turned-bounty hunter Django to take revenge on pretty much everyone during the final scenes. He even kills the director himself, playing a slave trader with a truly questionable Australian accent. Created by legendary gunsmith Thell Reed, the pistol was sold at Premiere Props in March 2013 for $13,000. (Image: Premiere Props)
2) Pulp Fiction Colt pistol
“And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." In the space of 45 seconds, Jackson instantly became one of cinema’s greatest badasses with his Ezekiel 25:17 speech – which spelled the end for Brett (despite his big brain). This Nickel-plated Colt 1911 .45 caliber automatic pistol with pearl handgrips, used by Jackson in perhaps Pulp Fiction’s most famous scene, sold at Profiles in History in 2005 for $11,800. (Image: Profiles in History)
1) Death Proof car
Tarantino’s ode to Grindhouse movies ‘Death Proof’ may not be his greatest film, but there’s no denying that Stuntman Mike’s car is one of the coolest and creepiest movie rides in recent years. This matte black 1971 Chevy Nova SS 396, complete with a skull and lightning bolts on the hood, was one of two that survived the production (five were completely totalled during filming). It ended up on eBay, where after a few attempts it finally sold for $39,990. (Image: eBay)
