Guests:
Jesse Sertle (fellow group member of CineMadison; previously on Rounders and Easy Rider; @jsertle on IG)
Keith Techmeier (brother-in-law of Tom, previously on Ghostbusters, Red River, and Saving Private Ryan)
Cast:
Quentin Tarantino, Writer/Director
Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton
Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth
Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate
Emile Hirsch as Jay Sebring
Margaret Qualley as "Pussycat"
Timothy Olyphant as James Stacy
Julia Butters as Trudi Frazer
Austin Butler as "Tex"
Dakota Fanning as "Squeaky"
Bruce Dern as George Spahn
Mike Moh as Bruce Lee
Luke Perry as Wayne Maunder
Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen
Al Pacino as Marvin Schwarz
Damon Herriman as Charlie
Lena Dunham as "Gypsy"
Madisen Beaty as "Katie"
Mikey Madison as "Sadie"
James Landry Hébert as "Clem"
Maya Hawke as "Flowerchild"
Victoria Pedretti as "Lulu"
Sydney Sweeney as "Snake"
Harley Quinn Smith as "Froggie"
Scoot McNairy as Business Bob Gilbert
Kurt Russell as Randy Miller and the Narrator
Michael Madsen as Sheriff Hackett on Bounty Law
*Recognition:
Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood wide released on July 26, 2019.
It grossed $374 million worldwide and received praise from critics for Tarantino's direction and screenplay, the performances (particularly from DiCaprio and Pitt), cinematography, soundtrack, sound design, costume design, and production values.
The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named Once Upon a Time in Hollywood one of the top-ten films of 2019, and the film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director (Tarantino), Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Original Screenplay (Tarantino), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing); winning two (Best Supporting Actor for Pitt and Best Production Design).
A novelization, written by Tarantino in his debut as an author, was published on June 29, 2021 that includes extended looks at each of the major characters in the film.
In December 2021, the film's screenplay was listed number twenty-two on the Writers Guild of America's "101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far)".
Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood currently holds an 86% among critics on RT, an 84 score on Metacritic, and a 3.8/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: Welcome to 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, and the golden age of Hollywood is giving way to something darker. Enter Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a former TV Western star struggling to find his place in a rapidly evolving industry. Alongside him is Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), Rick's laid-back, enigmatic stunt double and best friend, who's equally adrift but with a mysterious past that suggests he can handle anything thrown his way.
As Rick navigates a career in freefall, he's desperate to reclaim the limelight, landing guest roles in TV series and contemplating a move to Italy to star in spaghetti westerns. Cliff, meanwhile, spends his days driving around the sun-drenched city, running errands for Rick and crossing paths with an eclectic mix of Hollywood's fringe characters.
Just next door to Rick lives Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), the radiant rising star whose life is brimming with promise and possibility. Unbeknownst to Rick and Cliff, Sharon's fate is on a collision course with the notorious Manson Family, a group of twisted outcasts led by the sinister Charles Manson (Damon Herriman).
As the lives of Rick, Cliff, and Sharon intertwine in unexpected ways, they each face their own reckonings with the harsh realities of a changing world. Set against a meticulously crafted backdrop of a bygone era, Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood is a love letter to the city of angels, an exploration of fame, friendship, and the insidious shadows lurking just beneath the glittering surface.
Did You Know:
The producers had some initial difficulties convincing Hollywood Boulevard vendors to allow their premises to be fitted with period facades to better reflect the 1960s. However, after the production wrapped that section of the shoot, most of these same people asked if they could leave the facades in place, since they now much more preferred that period 'look.'
Very rare for a Quentin Tarantino film, some scenes contained improvisation, particularly when Rick Dalton forgets his lines when filming "Lancer" and afterwards rants to himself privately in his trailer. Leonardo DiCaprio had a very difficult time playing the scene as Dalton, rather than as how he himself would, especially since Dalton is supposed to be an actor of limited range. DiCaprio suggested that Dalton forget his lines mid-scene--ironically, to help him stay in character as Dalton. The subsequent scene in the trailer was also unscripted, improvised.
Sharon Tate puts her feet up on a seat in the theater while watching The Wrecking Crew (1968). If one looks closely you can see that her feet are rather dirty. In real life, Tate hated wearing shoes and would take any possible opportunity to not wear any in public unless the situation absolutely called for it. Tate would even go as far as wearing rubber bands on her feet to give the illusion of wearing sandals while out eating at restaurants.
During the film, Cliff and Rick watch an episode of The F.B.I. (1965) in which an Army truck is hijacked. A producer went to a local source for film vehicles searching for a similar truck to recreate the scene and, to his surprise, he was taken to the actual truck used in the TV show. They cleaned it up, gave it a fresh coat of paint and used it in this movie.
While scouting for locations, Quentin Tarantino visited Lee Van Cleef's home. While there, he noticed a giant poster of Van Cleef's face hanging in his garage. Tarantino thought this was both funny and strange, and decided to give Rick Dalton the same thing on his driveway.
Burt Reynolds was originally cast as George Spahn, the ranch owner, but he died before he was scheduled to shoot his scenes. Bruce Dern replaced him in the role. Additionally, the role of James Stacy was originally written for Bill Paxton, who unfortunately passed away while the script was being written. Paxton's role would instead go to Timothy Olyphant.
Ask Dana Anything:
Jesse Sertle (CineMadison)
What is your favorite Tarantino film?
Best Performance: Brad Pitt (Cliff)/Leonardo DiCaprio (Rick)/Quentin Tarantino (Writer/Director)
Best Secondary Performance: Production Design/Quentin Tarantino (Writer/Director)/Leonardo DiCaprio (Rick)
Most Charismatic Award: Brad Pitt (Cliff)/Leonardo DiCaprio (Rick)/Margot Robbie (Sharon)
Best Scene:
Dalton Meets with Schwarz
Cliff Fights Bruce Lee
On the Set of Lancer
Spahn Ranch
The Manson Family v. Cliff and Rick
Favorite Scene: The Manson Family v. Cliff and Rick/Spahn Ranch
Most Indelible Moment: The Manson Family v. Cliff and Rick/Meeting Pussycat
In Memorium:
Benji Gregory, 46, American actor (Alf)
Shelley Duvall, 80, American actress (The Shining, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Nashville, Annie Hall)
Richard Simmons, 76, American fitness guru (The Richard Simmons Show, Arrested Development, General Hospital, and The Larry Sanders Show)
Shannon Doherty, 53, American actress (Beverly Hills: 90210, Charmed)
James Sikking, 90, American actor (Hill St Blues, Doogie Howser, MD, The Pelican Brief, and Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock)
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
Narrator: When you come to the end of the line, with a buddy who is more than a brother and a little less than a wife, getting blind drunk together is really the only way to say farewell.
Jay Sebring: Is everybody okay?
Rick Dalton: Well... the fuckin' hippies aren't. That's for goddamn sure.
Rick Dalton: My buddy and his dog killed two of them and, no shit, I torched the last one.
Jay Sebring: Torched?
Rick Dalton: Yeah, I burnt her ass to a crisp.
Rick Dalton: All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?
Flamethrower Trainer: Rick, it's a flamethrower.
Bruce Lee: You're the one with the big mouth, and I would really enjoy closing it, especially in front of all my friends. But my hands are registered as lethal weapons. That means, we get into a fight, I accidentally kill you? I go to jail.
Cliff Booth: Anybody accidentally kills anybody in a fight, they go to jail. It's called manslaughter. I think all that lethal weapon horseshit is just an excuse so you dancers never have to get in a real fight.
Sadie: Fuck you, Katie! Sorry I don't know the name of every fascist on TV in the 50s.
Cliff Booth: All right. What's the matter, partner?
Rick Dalton: It's official, old buddy. I'm a has-been.
Rick Dalton: Hey, Dennis Hopper! Move this fucking piece of shit!
Sharon Tate: Dirty movies have premieres?
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 7.75
Impact/Significance: 8.75
Novelty: 8.88
Classic-ness: 8.13
Rewatchability: 9
Audience Score: 7.15 (73% Google, 70% RT)
Total: 49.66
Remaining Questions:
Does Cliff actually fight Bruce Lee?
Did Cliff kill his wife?
Did Rick get a part in a Polanski movie?
If Sharon isn't murdered, does Polanski end up a fugitive from justice?
Does Rick continue to employ Cliff?
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