Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Reinvention of Hollywood in the Late 60s -

By Noelia Veras

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is set in Los Angeles in the late 1960s following actor Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his stunt double Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt. The film shows the actor and his stunt double struggling in the newly evolving Hollywood industry in 1969.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino’s 10th movie, and came out on July 26 of 2019 in the United States. Because of the aesthetic choices and vintage ambiance, the film is regarded as one of Tarantino’s most visually appealing and well-crafted films yet.

The plot of the film is a convoluted one, tackling not only the changing Hollywood scene but also addressing the rising practice of cults and evolving American culture. 1969 brought with it a rise in psychedelics and the trend of hippies, aspects which marked Once Upon a Time in Hollywood heavily.

Dalton, in the film, has been an actor in Hollywood for a long time who is feeling washed up because of the new up-and-coming talents and expectations of youth. Out of fear of losing his career, Dalton travels to Italy to be in Western films, and yet feels these jobs are not as satisfying as those in Hollywood. Booth, his stunt double, cares for Dalton in his frequent drunken states, saving him from a lot of dangerous situations.

Although the film largely follows Dalton and Booth, it covers the lives of actress Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, and director Roman Polanski, played by Rafał Zawierucha, from the periphery as they are Dalton’s neighbors. Evidently, the film is not extremely historically accurate as Dalton and Booth are completely made up but based on some notable actors and famous stunt doubles from the late 60s. As Tarantino is so widely known for, he manipulates history weaving some partially unrealistic plots together with the actual past and well-known figures. Characters like actor and martial artist Bruce Lee (played by Mike Moh), Tate, and Polanski were real people who Tarantino involved so as to ground the film in truth and history.

Although the film is about much more, it does cover the time period when the Manson murders happened, a phenomenon infinitely linked with the actual death of Sharon Tate, since Charles Manson sent some of his followers to kill her. This aspect of the film is layered and severely crucial to the spirit of the film. Without the gruesome events of the past, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood would not be the well-rounded and profound movie that it is acclaimed to be.

Additionally, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has not gone unnoticed by critics and audiences. Many believe this is Tarantino’s best film because it is so different plot-wise from his most successful films but it still holds true to Tarantino’s trope of reinventing shameful history. Overall, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stands as one of Tarantino’s most original films and reveres the city of Los Angeles in a special way, recounting its past and instilling optimism in moments that are often considered to be dark and frightful. The film is nominated for an Academy Award and has gained praise throughout the world, acting as yet another loved, although contentious, film made by Tarantino.