Historical Archetypes & Myths in Film and TV: Jackie Brown and the 3 of Pentacles

an in-depth exploration ofthe underlying symbolism in the movies we love

this article series will explore and dissect characters and the different ways archetypes and myths like tarot and astrology appear in film and TV.

i will be highlighting films included in my original film recommendations article in order to highlight my reasoning for recommending them and also films that i did not include initially. sooooo let’s dive right in.

the first film, i want to highlight and discuss is Jackie Brown (1997) directed by quentin tarantino and the 3 of pentacles tarot card symbolism that is woven in the subtext of this film.

jackie brown is his 3rd film and in my humble opinion one of his absolute best. the characters and story are so ‘laxed, it feels like you’re peering into an alternate dimension and watching real people live out their real lives. it doesn’t feel like a movie but its highly cinematic at the same time. the lighting is perfectly subtle you almost don’t notice the ways the cinematographer pulls you into this neo-LA NOIR fantasy. drizzle in a little bit of blaxploitation, add pam grier, samuel l. jackson, robert deniro and robert forester and you’ve got yourself a cult masterpiece.

it’s a film that i can watch at any given moment and i try to rewatch it at least once a month… what typically happens is that i’ll watch the film, get so entranced in the lives of these characters and can’t help but rewatch it every day for the next 10 days. it’s really THAT good.

so to circle back to the point, of this article; illustrate the connection between cinema and historical archetypes and myths. to do so, we must discuss a few things, starting with, the hero’s journey. a term coined by joseph campbell during his studies of ancient myths across various cultures. during his studies, he discovered that every folktale or myth about a “hero” who sets out on a journey of either saving himself or his community, was met with the same trials and tribulations which ultimately became known as “the hero’s journey”. in film and tv, the protagonist of the story is also known as the hero. both terms are interchangeable and we use the hero’s journey as a way to assist in the structure to help us get our protagonist to the end of the story.

every film mimics real-life… the synchronicities, our interactions with each other and the way our choices impact the direction we take our lives in. when we watch movies and see these characters go on these journeys of self-discovery and fulfilling their goals, we are watching a contrived piece of art that is created to resonate and inspire. movies are no different than us sitting by the campfire and listening to the wise storyteller relay stories that teach us something.

which is the same with tarot, astrology and other historical myths and archetypes. tarot is a form of divination that uses pictorial symbols and imagery to reflect the “unseen” like messages from your subconscious and the energetic patterns at play in every single human interaction. now, this essentially means, that there are a certain set of archetypes that exist in the interim or collective unconscious as carl jung would put it and if every one of us, is a certain character or archetype (zodiac sign) then, there are certain archetypal interactions and relationships or stories that we play out with one another as we journey through life and become more of ourselves. we are each the hero’s of our own journey and along the way, will come across allies, tricksters, enemies, and antagonists but it’s up to us, to choose the way we overcome or embrace these connections. can we learn what is meant to be learned or will we fall victim to the journey we were destined to take?

next, we need to do an introductory lesson on tarot. in tarot, the major arcana (major mysteries of arcane knowledge), perfectly depicts the archetypal patterns of the traditional hero’s journey. with the fool being the “hero” of this story, and along the way, the fool encounters different archetypes, experiences, and tests along his journey through the major arcana until he masters “the world” which is the final card in the major arcana. only to begin again and again with each suit in the tarot deck (cups, wands, swords, pentacles). each suit coinciding with a particular element. cups being water. wands being fire. swords being air and pentacles being earth.

as we continue to build upon this concept and explore more films along the way, i think the picture i am painting will become a lot more clear and you will understand film in a new way.

finally, let’s get back to jackie brown. jackie brown is a film that follows, a 44-year-old flight attendant who works for the shittiest airline in her industry due to a criminal past. she’s not fulfilled in her work and she’s really just getting by. she also hasn’t abandoned her criminal life and has been smuggling money from mexico to los angeles, for a weapons dealer, ordell robbie, who the police are actually looking for. when one day on her way home, she is stopped by the feds on suspicion, her life gets turned upside down once again when they threaten to arrest her and lock her away if she doesn’t comply and help them find the man she is working for.

the scene i wanted to highlight is about 30 minutes into the film and it’s right when she hops off the plane and is in the LAX parking lot on her way to her car. before she can even make it, the feds stop her and ask her if they can look in her luggage, she resists at first but then complies and they find a bag with $50,000 in it. which is $40,000 over the legal amount anyone can bring in without declaring it to customs.

this scene is an archetypal illustration of the 3 of pentacles in the rider-waite tarot deck. watch the clip below, pay close attention and tell me if you see it. analyze the 3 of pentacles card and you will see what i mean. the 3 of pentacles traditionally revolves around three parties and money. in the scene, jackie would be the person, building the three pentacles as depicted in the card while detective dargas and detective nicollet would be the bystanders/accusers.

they then take jackie in for questioning but she doesn’t cooperate and then they discover a small bag of cocaine in her bag and book her for possession. this scene and this film is a perfect illustration for the ways in which these archetypes can work against us. traditionally the 3 of pentacles has a lot to do with collaboration, teamwork and harmony. to give it a modern spin, i also like to think of it as a commission art piece and the clients are reviewing your work so far. so, in the film, it’s kind of the same idea in the sense that these detectives are reviewing jackie and how far she has come since her last run-in with the law for essentially the same type of illegal activity.

so our hero (the fool), jackie, is being cosmically tested. her morals and her choices have finally caught up to her once again and she must decide if she will take fate into her own hands or succumb to the role society wants to keep her in as a black woman.

throughout this process she finds wonderful allies like max cherry, the detectives and ordell robbie, she discovers love and she ultimately finds a way to play both sides to ensure that she gets exactly what it is that she wants AND needs out of this fucked up situation.

have you seen jackie brown? if so, did you like it? if you haven’t go watch it ASAP and let me know what you think.

i hope you enjoyed reading this, there are more breakdowns to come. next, we will discuss the film eve’s bayou and the 3 of cups.

with love
xx