"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" Tarantino's love letter to the year 1969, a period of dramatic change in the film industry, written with all his heart.
TV actors and stuntmen standing at the turning point of the times
This film, which has received rave reviews since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, has been described as Tarantino's love letter to Hollywood at the time.
He was a 6-year-old boy in 1969. The reproduction is nothing short of spectacular, and includes everything from the glittering cityscapes and the suffocating atmosphere to the radio broadcasts and hit numbers playing on the car stereo, the classic tunes of TV program hosts, and the memories of your favorite movies. It is impressive that he strives to carefully depict every detail of this era while unraveling the story.
However, did Quentin realize that the film industry at this time was entering a so-called "transitional period"? 1969 marks the end of the good old days. Coupled with the collapse of the star system and changes in people's values, the number of old-style Westerns was drastically decreasing, and the rise of American New Cinema was loudly announcing the arrival of a new trend. “ Shoot for Tomorrow! ” was released in this year. , `` Easy Rider ,'' and `` Midnight Cowboy ,'' you can see that society's needs have undergone a decisive transformation.
Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio is played by an actor named Rick Dalton. Although he gained popularity through the TV series he starred in in the 1950s and 1960s, he was unable to make any further advances, and it is clear that his career will continue to decline if he continues like this. Even though I'm anxious to do something, I can't seem to find a way out. However, no matter the outcome, the sight of him struggling to use all his abilities to produce the best performance is at times humorous, but at the same time heart-wrenching and tear-jerking.
According to Tarantino's remarks (*1), in this era there were many people who made a spectacular transition from the TV industry to movie stars, such as Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Steve McQueen, and Burt Reynolds. For example, there were many people who could not ride the current trend and faded out from the front line, such as George Maharis, Tab Hunter, Vince Edwards, Ty Hardin, Fabian, and Ed Burns. Tarantino, who knows everything about movies, probably gathered the essence of these characters little by little to create the down-and-out yet endearing character of Rick Dalton.
The other main character is Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt. As Rick's exclusive stuntman, he has performed many action scenes, so to speak, he is a shadow figure. Nowadays, his work has drastically reduced and he is content to be Rick's driver, but he is also an important confidant who takes care of Rick's worries and complaints, as he tends to lose confidence. In that sense, the two have a deep bond.
This kind of relationship between actors and stuntmen is similar to Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham (who is also famous as the director of films such as `` Trans Am 7000 '' (1977)), Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins (`` The Great Escape '') There are many stories that have become legendary and passed down from generation to generation, such as the legendary scene where he jumps over a barbed wire fence on a motorcycle at 63).
In that respect, since Tarantino was close friends with Reynolds in his later years, there were probably many anecdotes that he was able to hear directly from Reynolds himself. Reynolds, who was scheduled to appear in the film, unfortunately passed away, but the proof of his life is still engraved throughout this film.
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