Cinema | Diptych: Grindhouse | Death Proof

Abstract

<p>The term "diptych" designates visual artworks in two halves that are simultaneously united and separated by a hinging mechanism. This article explores the form's adoption by narrative film through the double case study of <em>Grindhouse</em> (Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodríguez, 2007) and Tarantino's <em>Death Proof</em>, one of <em>Grindhouse</em>'s constituent halves. Considering the diptych's relevance both to the history of film exhibition and to the logics of revenge and masochism, I argue, first, that the diptych stages especially fruitful encounters between material and narrative concerns and, second, that as a narrative form, the diptych is particularly apt at making ethical paradox accessible.</p>