No. 79. (2019) Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood. August 27th.

Film No 79 (2019) August 27th.  1.30PM  PALACE CINEMAS Raine Square,  Perth City . 

"So, is this your son? " (Al Pacino's Marvin Schwarz ironically asks Rick Dalton who this bloke at the bar is, the Brad Pitt, Cliff Booth).

"No, he's my stunt double, Cliff Booth." (Responds Dalton, without a single sense of embarrassment).

 

I'm a child of the sixties. I'm a devoted fan of Tarantino. I'm a believer that Jackie Brown is his smartest and most accomplished film. So it was going to be entirely probable Once Upon A Time ... in Hollywood was going to be thoroughly entertaining, enjoyable and an altogether fulfilling experience. And it was. My interpretation of OUTIH, Quentin's fantasy, will be different to many, and none of us will be wrong. This unique film-maker presents an homage to the 60's; via the year 1969, a year Tarantino quite obviously depicts as the turning point for different times ahead. 

Tarantino uses DiCaprio's Rick Dalton and more pointedly Pitt's Cliff Booth (Dalton's stunt double and personal assistant) as conduits through which to lather us in an era people of a younger generation may see as simply make believe. The fairytale factory was Hollywood. Dalton and Booth were both cowboys of a kind in that factory. Tarantino plays with us as scene after scene plays out randomly, and not necessarily with great continuity, but with dialogue which is never wasted. We meet interpretations of Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), Charles Manson (Damon Herriman), Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) as Tarantino surmises what he thinks was going through their minds at the time.

Then there is the Tarantino commentary along the way - like riddles embedded into the narrative. Is Rick's smoking habit an ironic reference to The Marlboro Man? DiCaprio is noted for his dedication to method acting, Dalton gets a lesson from an unlikely source in a brilliant scene. Was T.V. even taken slightly seriously by Hollywood as he extracts scenes from The FBI and Combat? Tarantino is continually creating food for thought. Oh, and then there is his ultimate twist to bring the curtain down, beautifully played out.

Yes this is more than just my usual Sliver but for good reason; there is simply so much to digest. There has been a very mixed response to OUATIH. I'm part of the adoration team. I now have two favourite Tarantino films; Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and yes, Jackie Brown. 12GUMS.