The Academy Collection Acquires Tarantino’s Handwritten ‘Pulp Fiction’ Script, Now Boasts 52 Million Items

Building on what is already the largest film-related collection in the world, comprised of more than 52 million items, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed some of their most recent acquisitions today, including the Studio Ghibli animation collection, which contains more than 80 pieces of original art by Hayao Miyazaki and Noboru Yoshida, as well as the studio’s Japanese movie posters and animator’s desk. Another hot ticket item, presented at the Academy Museum Gala on October 19 in Los Angeles, is Quentin Tarantino‘s personal, handwritten script for “Pulp Fiction,” which won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar and celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

Filmmakers Curtis Hanson, Nicole Holofcener, Barbara Kopple, Oliver Stone, and Paul Verhoeven also donated their personal collections to the Academy, which features production records, photographs, scripts, and more from films such as “L.A. Confidential,” “Harlan County, U.S.A,” “Platoon,” “Showgirls,” and “Enough Said.” Others in the industry who’ve donated their work to the Academy Collection include the late poster artist and illustrator Richard Amsel, makeup artist Ve Neill, producer Tom Sternberg, and costume designer Marlene Stewart.

And speaking of costumes, the Academy Museum is now about to play host to many new items, such as glasses worn in John Waters’ “Pink Flamingos,” hair pins and combs from Martin Scorsese’s “The Age of Innocence,” gloves worn by Joanne Woodward to the 30th Academy Awards ceremony in 1958, Snake Plissken’s outfit worn by Kurt Russell in John Carpenter’s “Escape from L.A.,” a tearaway dress worn by Jamie Lee Curtis in James Cameron’s “True Lies,” and much more.

Other highlights include new 70mm prints of “Laurence of Arabia,” “Ryan’s Daughter,” and last year’s Best Picture winner, “Oppenheimer.” All of these films and more will be screened exclusively at the Academy Museum’s David Geffen Theater.

In celebrating these new acquisitions, Academy Collection and Preservation Executive Vice President Matt Severson said, “We are thrilled to welcome these iconic pieces into our collection. Overseen by our skilled team of researchers, preservationists, and curators, the Academy Collection plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of moviemaking. We are grateful to our donors for their remarkable gifts to the Academy and commitment to preserving our film history.”

The Academy, through its Academy Foundation, has been a global leader in the conservation, preservation, and exhibition of film-related objects and materials since 1927. These items can be accessed by the public via exhibitions, public programming, and screenings held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library reference and research collection located in Beverly Hills, the Academy Film Archive Center located inside the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood, or online at oscars.org.

All of the new collection items are listed below with language provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

COSTUMES

• Collection of hair pins and combs from “The Age of Innocence” (1993), hair designed by Alan D’Angerio; Gift of Alan D’Angerio
• Glasses worn by Mink Stole as Connie Marble in “Pink Flamingos” (1972); Gift of Mink Stole
• Two ensembles worn by Bette Midler as Rose in “The Rose” (1979), costume design by Theoni V. Aldredge; Gift of Bette Midler
• Tearaway dress worn by Jamie Lee Curtis as Helen Tasker in “True Lies” (1994), costume design by Marlene Stewart; Gift of Jamie Lee Curtis
• Costume worn by Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2007), costume design by Colleen Atwood
• Pair of gloves worn by Joanne Woodward to the 30th Academy Awards® in 1958
• Dress worn by Joanne Woodward as Eve Black in “The Three Faces of Eve” (1957), costume design by Renie 
• Two dresses worn by Meryl Streep as Clara in “The House of the Spirits” (1993), costume design by Barbara Baum
• Costume worn by Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken in John Carpenter’s “Escape from L.A.”(1996), costume design by Robin Michel Bush

PRODUCTION OBJECTS

• Animator’s desk used at Studio Ghibli; Gift of Studio Ghibli Inc.
• Carved mermaid figurine from “The Lighthouse” (2019), production design by Craig Lathrop; Gift of Cameo Wood
• Green Harmony Stratotone guitar from “La Bamba” (1987); Gift of Lou Diamond Phillips
• Gentle Jungle Wild Animal Rentals sign; Gift of Ralph D. Helfer and Tana Helfer Herbert
• Two sets and six puppets from Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” (2022), production design by Curt Enderle and Guy Davis, character design by Guy Davis; Gift of Netflix
• Character reference maquettes from “Ghostbusters II” (1989): Slimer, Nunzio Scoleri, and Tony Scoleri
• A selection of animator’s maquettes from “Pinocchio” (1940): Figaro, Gideon, Geppetto, Lampwick, and Coachman; character design by Walt Disney Animation Studios Artist 
• Head of Pinocchio maquette from “Pinocchio” (1940), character design by Milt Kahl; Gift of Bryan Jossart
• A selection of animator’s maquettes from “Fantasia” (1940): Madame Upanova, Bacchus and Jacchus; character design by Walt Disney Animation Studios Artist 
• Animator’s maquette from “The Lion King” (1994): Scar; character design by Andreas Deja

TECHNOLOGY

• ARRI IIC 35mm camera owned by Murray Lerner, used to film Oscar®-nominated film “Festival” (1967)

AWARDS

• PATSY (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) award for Zamba in “The Lion” (1962); Gift of Ralph D. Helfer and Tana Helfer Herbert

GRAPHIC ARTS

• Studio Ghibli animation collection: More than 80 pieces of original animation art, including drawings rendered by Hayao Miyazaki and conceptual drawings by Noboru Yoshida for “Ponyo” (2008) and the studio’s Japanese movie posters; Gift of Studio Ghibli Inc.
• Kalina Ivanov papers: Six storyboards by Academy Production Design Branch governor Kalina Ivanov for Best Picture Oscar winner “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991); Gift of Kalina Ivanov
• Richard Amsel papers: Drawings, paintings, and posters documenting the work of commercial illustrator Richard Amsel, including his preliminary artwork for the 1981 release of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as well as a variation for the film’s 1982 re-release; Gift of Dorian Hannaway 
• Marlene Stewart papers: Costume design drawings, production records, and photographs from costume designer Marlene Stewart, including materials from “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” (1995), “The Saint” (1997), “Ali” (2001), “The Holiday” (2006), and “Night at the Museum” films; Gift of Marlene Stewart
• Production artwork from storyboard artist John Coven, including a mix of analog drawings and digital files for “X-Men” (2000), “The Muppets” (2011), “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), and “The Lion King” (2019); Gift of John Coven
• Four dozen production design drawings for titles including “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925), “The Circus” (1928), “City Lights” (1931), “The Invisible Man” (1933), and “The Lady from Shanghai” (1947)
• Twelve original James Bond comic strip art boards by John McLusky, originally published in the Daily Express newspaper between 1958 and 1968; Gift of Sean and Graham McLusky
• Mike and Jeanne Glad animation collection: Poster for “The Mad Doctor” (1933), one of three known copies for this title, added to the collection; Gift of Mike and Jeanne Glad
• Edward Mapp Collection: Poster for “Paul Robeson” (1959) added to the collection; Gift of the estate of Edward Mapp

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

• Original handwritten script draft for “Pulp Fiction” (1994) from filmmaker Quentin Tarantino
• Barbara Kopple papers: Photographs, historical film posters, press reviews, archival documents and production files from documentarian Barbara Kopple’s nearly 50-year career, which began with her Oscar-winning documentary feature “Harlan County U.S.A.” (1976). Kopple also received an Oscar for “American Dream” (1990); Gift of Barbara Kopple
• Oliver Stone papers: Production records, scripts, correspondence, and photographs from filmmaker Oliver Stone, including materials from “Platoon” (1986), “The Doors” (1991), “Natural Born Killers” (1994), and “Nixon” (1995); Gift of Oliver Stone
• Paul Verhoeven papers: Production records, scripts, storyboards, and photographs from filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, including materials from “Showgirls” (1995), “Starship Troopers”(1997), and “Hollow Man” (2000); Gift of Paul Verhoeven
• Nicole Holofcener papers: Production records and scripts from filmmaker Nicole Holofcener, including materials from “Enough Said” (2013) and “You Hurt My Feelings” (2023); Gift of Nicole Holofcener
• Curtis Hanson papers: Production records, scripts, and photographs from filmmaker Curtis Hanson, including materials from “L.A. Confidential” (1997), “Wonder Boys” (2000), and “8 Mile” (2002); Gift of Deuce Three Productions
• Ve Neill papers: Production records, scripts, and photographs from make-up artist Ve Neill, including materials from “The Amazing Spider-Man” films, “The Hunger Games” films, and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films; Gift of Ve Neill
• Tom Sternberg papers: Production records, scripts, and correspondence from producer Tom Sternberg, including materials from “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999), “Under the Tuscan Sun”(2003), and “Sleuth” (2007), as well as material related to Zoetrope Studios and the release of “Apocalypse Now Redux” (2001); Gift of Violetta Sternberg

FILM AND VIDEO ELEMENTS

• Barbara Kopple Collection: Film elements, videotapes, and digital files from Barbara Kopple’s films, including “Harlan County U.S.A.” (1976) and “American Dream” (1990); Gift of Barbara Kopple
• Prints of “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), “Ryan’s Daughter” (1970), and “Oppenheimer” (2023) were added to the Academy Film Archive’s 70mm film collection, one of the largest in the world and screened exclusively at the Academy Museum
• Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection: Original camera negatives and audio elements of Rodgers and Hammerstein 70mm classics “Oklahoma!” (1955) and “South Pacific” (1958)
• Digital scan of the original 35mm negative of James Moll’s Oscar-winning documentary feature “The Last Days” (1998); Gift of James Moll, Allentown Productions
• Paul Verhoeven Collection: Production video, including casting, rehearsal, and choreography tapes, for several of Paul Verhoeven’s films, including “Basic Instinct” (1992), “Showgirls” (1995), and “Starship Troopers” (1998); Gift of Paul Verhoeven
• A reel of Super 8mm film shot in the early 1970s, featuring footage of the MGM backlot before it was torn down; Gift of Mike Malone, a former park ranger at Paramount Ranch
• DVD-Rs featuring footage of “Jurassic Park” (1993) senior animator Randal Dutra and colleagues performing the groundbreaking computer animation capture done with the electronic dinosaur armatures for the film; Gift of Randal Dutra
• Several reels of home movies related to the career of producer Adolph Zukor; Gift of Jim Zukor