The two “Kill Bill” films should be understood as a complete work; they can hardly be separated from each other. Simply because the atmospheric second part can only find its pathetic release because it can rely on the tension of the mysteries built up in the first part. This includes, for example, the epic battle with Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah). But also the quieter tones such as in the intimate meeting with Bill (David Carradine).
In “Kill Bill: Volume 2” the secret of the bride’s (Uma Thurman) name is also revealed: Beatrix Kiddo. Tarantino keeps it a secret throughout the running time. He repeatedly censors her name and instead assigns her code names such as Black Mamba or “The Bride”. Tarantino gives himself away in more than one place and ruins this detail for us.
Tarantino spoils us – twice!
In fact, Tarantino spoils the bride’s name early in the first part. After waking from her coma and thirsting for revenge, she chooses O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) as her first target. To start her campaign, she books a plane ticket to Okinawa, Tokyo. If you press pause after 45 minutes and 5 seconds, you will clearly see the name Beatrix Kiddo on her boarding pass.
It doesn’t seem like a mistake, because Tarantino spoils us again – even earlier! In the opening scene, Bill calls the bride by her real name when he says, “You know, Kiddo, I guess you’re aware that there’s nothing sadistic about my actions (…) No, Kiddo, at this point At that moment I am extremely masochistic.”
It’s easy to miss this point. On the one hand, because you cannot know on the first viewing that the name of Uma Thurman’s character will still play a central role. On the other hand, because ‘Kiddo’ can also be interpreted as a reference to the age difference between the two. However, if you watch it more often, you’ll notice that before Bill fires his fateful shot, he simply uses her real name, which Tarantino then turns into a mystery.
These are unlikely to be film errors. It’s much more likely that Tarantino was trying to fool us. which fits very well with the poetics of the film: Kiddo, who seems to have lost everything – even her name – has in reality always kept it. She never lost herself. There is something very powerful in that.