In the film Pulp Fiction what is in the briefcase that Marseilles Wallace wants so badly?

Answer 1

I think it is his soul

Answer 2

I know this!

In the film Marsellus has a plaster on the back of his neck. This is a sign that he has had a hole put in his neck, which in magical circles is a method of extracting the soul.

The soul of Marcellus is in the briefcase!

Quentin told this to the guys at www.aintitcool.com after he was pestered for months about it.

Very cool.

Statement by Roger Avery, co-producer of Pulp Fiction: "Originally the briefcase contained diamonds. But that just seemed too boring and predictable. So it was decided that the contents of the briefcase were never to be seen. This way each audience member would fill in the blank with their own ultimate contents. All you were supposed to know was that it was "so beautiful." No prop master can come up with something better than each individual's imagination. At least that was the original idea. Then somebody had the bright idea (which I think was a mistake) of putting an orange lightbulb in there. Suddenly what could have been anything became anything supernatural. Didn't need to push the effect. People would have debated it for years anyway, and it would have been much more subtle. I can't believe I'm actually talking about being subtle."

Addition: An additional point to the soul in the briefcase: When the guy gets shot after the Ezekiel speach by Jackson, the same light is seen as in the briefcase. If the soul is in the briefcase, then the light was the guys soul leaving when he died.

Answer 3

The thing is that no one can ever know what was in the case and we're not supposed to know. Even Quentin Tarintino does not know. The point is that it doesnt really matter as the briefcase is just a way to motivate the characters and storyline.

Its whats known in films as a "Mcguffin" which is a device to move the plot along, involve the characters and catch the viewers attention, but what it actually is has no real relevance to the film.

You can find other examples of "McGuffins" in films like Mission Impossible 3 (the rabbits foot), Ronin (the contents of the briefcase) and many Alfred Hitchcock films (e.g. Psyco and North by Northwest)

Answer 4

It's really just a MacGuffin (a plot device). They used a light bulb when filming and it could be anything. Wikipedia says

The only indisputable observations about the stolen attaché case recovered by Jules and Vincent are that its latch lock combination is "666", the "Number of the Beast" as given in the Biblical Book of Revelation, and that the contents of the case either glow yellow or are highly reflective. The only acknowledgements of its contents include the captivated stare of Vincent, the character called "Ringo" and his reaction, "Is that what I think it is?", and his response (to Jules saying "Uh-huh"), "It's beautiful." Whenever asked, director Tarantino has replied that there is no explanation for the case's contents: it is simply a MacGuffin. Originally, the Pulp Fiction case was to contain diamonds (stolen in the film Reservoir Dogs), but this was seen as too mundane. For filming purposes, the briefcase contained an orange lightbulb with a battery. Despite Tarantino's explanation, many theories have been proposed for the contents of the briefcase.

Answer 5

Speculation abounds as to the nature of the mysterious glowing contents of the case:
Could it be Elvis's gold suit, seen worn by Val Kilmer (as Elvis) in True Romance (1993)?
The most persistent theory (most usually attributed to a friend of a friend who saw it posted on a message board by someone whose brother had read a report of a radio interview with Tarantino himself) is that it is Marcellus Wallace's soul. The story goes that when the Devil takes a person's soul, it is removed through the back of the head (this isn't part of any known religion, but this is what the message board posters say). When we see the back of Marcellus's head he has a Band-Aid covering the precise spot indicated by tradition for soul removal. Perhaps Marcellus sold his soul to the devil which would also explain why the combination to open the briefcase is 666.
Quentin Tarantino has said that the band-aid on the back of Marsellus Wallace's neck had nothing to do with an allusion to the Devil stealing Marsellus's soul... but that the actor Ving Rhames had a scar on the back of his neck he wanted to cover up.
Or could it be simply a 20-watt light bulb?
According to Roger Avary, who co-wrote the script with Quentin Tarantino, the original plan was to have the briefcase contain diamonds. This seemed neither exciting nor original, so Avary and Tarantino decided to have the briefcase's contents never appear on screen; this way each filmgoer could mentally "fill in the blank" with whatever struck his or her imagination as best fitting the description "so beautiful". The orange light bulb (projecting shimmering light onto the actors' faces) was a last-minute decision and added a completely unintended fantastic element.
In a radio interview with Howard Stern in late 2003, Quentin Tarantino was asked by a caller the contents of the briefcase, and he answered, "It's whatever the viewer wants it to be."

Answer 6

It's an orange lightbulb.

The most persistent theory (most usually attributed to a friend of a friend who saw it posted on a message board by someone whose brother had read a report of a radio interview with Tarantino himself) is that it is Marcellus Wallace's soul. The story goes that when the Devil takes a person's soul, it is removed through the back of the head (this isn't part of any known religion, but this is what the message board posters say). When we see the back of Marcellus's head he has a Band-Aid covering the precise spot indicated by tradition for soul removal. Perhaps Marcellus sold his soul to the devil which would also explain why the combination to open the briefcase is 666.

Quentin Tarantino has said that the band-aid on the back of Marsellus Wallace's neck had nothing to do with an allusion to the Devil stealing Marsellus's soul... but that the actor Ving Rhames had a scar on the back of his neck he wanted to cover up.


According to Roger Avary, who co-wrote the script with Quentin Tarantino, the original plan was to have the briefcase contain diamonds. This seemed neither exciting nor original, so Avary and Tarantino decided to have the briefcase's contents never appear on screen; this way each filmgoer could mentally "fill in the blank" with whatever struck his or her imagination as best fitting the description "so beautiful". The orange light bulb (projecting shimmering light onto the actors' faces) was a last-minute decision and added a completely unintended fantastic element.

In a radio interview with Howard Stern in late 2003, Quentin Tarantino was asked by a caller the contents of the briefcase, and he answered, "It's whatever the viewer wants it to be."

Answer 7

Marseilles Wallace's soul. That's why be had a bandage on the back of his neck (there's an old superstition that if the devil takes your soul he removes it from the back of your neck). And in the hamburger scene, when the dude unloads the automatic on them, the wall behind them is filled with bullets but they didn't get hit (Divine intervention). There are clues throughout the whole movie.

Answer 8

It's not his soul. When Tim Roth's character looks in the briefcase he says "It's beautiful", yet Marceilles Wallace would have an evil soul.

What's actually in the case is a big box of Terry's All Gold.
"See the face you love light up with Terry's All Gold", remember that?

Answer 9

There are alot of arguments around this. But as stated in the script, the briefcase contains time.

Yes sounds weird, but it contains all time.
Time is money and he who controls time controls the universe etc etc hence it is so important.

The proof is laidout throughout the movie although very vague. Whenever you see a clock, the time is exactly the same. It is also the reason the move is cutup and all mixed about cause timelines don't exist.

Answer 10

As above, When interviewed on Channel fours Big Breakfast, the great Samuel L. Jackson said "Two heavy **** Batteries and a light". However I could be wrong it may have been four batteries the interview was years ago.

Answer 11

its a case with Marseilles soul in as this also explaines the plaster on the nape of the neck. This is how souls are removed