Respond to these rapid questions in our Once Upon A Time In Hollywood quiz and we will tell you which Once Upon A Time In Hollywood character you are. Play it now.
The title of Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” is a reference to Sergio Leone’s classic film “Once Upon a Time in the West,” which is set in the same time period. A nod to the Western genre, which has had an influence on Tarantino’s latest film—both structurally and in terms of plot—as well as the way movies about the Old West interact with historical events. Much like Westerns have frequently used real people and places as models for fictional stories, Quentin Tarantino has created an elegiac elegy to a period in American history in which he has only read about or seen films about. “When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, ‘no, I went to films,'” Quentin Tarantino once said. And it is this education through projector light that runs through every frame of “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” a film that could only have been made by him. Despite this, this is not the film that diehard fans of “Pulp Fiction” and “Inglourious Basterds” may have been anticipating in the first place. It’s melancholy at times, as if it’s attempting to grasp something that’s just out of reach: the promised potential of the people living on the outskirts of Los Angeles, or an attempt to capture a mythical time when movies, real life, and imagination could all come together.
The majority of “Once Upon a Time” takes place over a single weekend in February 1969, and it introduces us to the film’s two main characters, TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stuntman and best friend Cliff Booth (Jude Law) (Brad Pitt). Rick was the star of a popular Western television series called “Bounty Law,” but he’s struggling to figure out what to do next. He’s acutely aware that his days of heroism are numbered as he ages out of Hollywood—and he’s encouraged to go to Italy to restart his career with spaghetti westerns, played by Al Pacino. Cliff, on the other hand, is a lot more laid-back, the kind of guy who loves his dog almost as much as he loves Rick and who says what he means even to people like Bruce Lee (Mike Moh), with whom he engages in one of the film’s most rousing fight scenes. Lee is only one of the well-known characters in Tarantino’s film, as the director populates the world around his fictional creations with real-life celebrities ranging from Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis) to James Stacy (James Franco) (Timothy Olyphant).
Of course, as most people are aware, the real-life figures who live next door to Rick Dalton are the most divisive ones—Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and Sharon Tate, to name a couple (Margot Robbie). A lot has already been said about Robbie’s limited number of lines, and it’s because Tarantino doesn’t see Tate as much as an individual, but rather as an idea—a glimpse of Hollywood’s optimistic happiness—that Tarantino is interested in. No matter if she’s dancing at a party at the Playboy mansion or sneaking into a public screening of “The Wrecking Crew,” she’s almost glowing every time she appears on-screen, providing a counterpoint to Dalton’s increasing anxiety. This presentation of a star who we all know will be extinguished in the real world, Tarantino understands, adds a sense of melancholy and dread to the entire production, even when it is not specifically about Sharon Tate or the hippies out at Spahn Ranch.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Once Upon A Time In Hollywood quiz.
Most of Tarantino’s film is intended as a nostalgic look back at the movie industry and life in Hollywood during the late 1960s. The film includes dozens of scenes in which Cliff chauffeurs Rick around town, primarily to showcase the incredible production design as well as the classic cars and music selections on the radio. Despite the fact that Tarantino and master cinematographer Robert Richardson take a meticulous approach to their work, the film never loses its dreamlike aesthetic for the sake of realism—we’re watching a film that isn’t so much about a period as it is about the films of that period. Once removed from reality, it captures a period in history through the lens of celebrity culture and movies, rather than through the lens of historians. In and of itself, it’s a compelling film to watch, complete with lengthy dialogue scenes that some QT fans will complain lack the pop and zip of his most playful work, but which feel more in tune with his character-driven scenes in films like “Jackie Brown.”
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Quiz
Most importantly, “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is the first Tarantino film to have the feel of a film made by a more experienced director. In the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino was known as the “problem child” of Hollywood, having redefined the industry at a young age. However, “OUATIH” could not have been made by the Tarantino of today (or, at least, it would have been a very different and much worse movie). In Dalton, one can see a reflection of Tarantino, a person looking back on their career and wondering what’s next, still able to get excited about the fact that he lives next door to the director of “Rosemary’s Baby,” but also welling up over a book he’s reading about a fading hero because he recognizes himself in the protagonist.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Once Upon A Time In Hollywood quiz.
DiCaprio proves to be such an excellent choice for the role of Dalton that it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role. In addition to his classic Hollywood charisma, he gives Dalton that poignant mix of yearning and fading optimism that often comes with the passage of time. He enjoys his life and hanging with his buddy, but he’s nervous when he thinks about the future, wondering whether he’s missed out on something that will be with him for the rest of his life. One of his best performances, though he’s arguably outdone by Pitt, who gets a role from his “Basterds” director that reminds viewers just how good he can be when the material is right for him. This is the first time in years that he has been this amusing and charismatic.
About the quiz
The conclusion of “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is likely to draw a lot of attention from viewers. We know what’s going to happen the minute we see that the film has jumped forward to August of 1969 and that Sharon Tate is heavily pregnant. Anyone who has even a passing knowledge of history can predict what will happen. They believe they do, or at least they believe they do. My own critical brain is still ruminating on the effectiveness of the final few scenes, which will undoubtedly be among the most divisive of the entire year. Without giving anything away, the final image, taken from a vantage point high above its characters, has stayed with me. It’s almost as if Tarantino himself is the puppet master saying goodbye to his creations, all of whom are coexisting in a vision of blurred reality and fiction, has stayed with me. The violence that precedes it, on the other hand, threatens to tear the film as a whole apart (and will for some people). Despite the fact that this may be the point of the film—the destruction of the Tinseltown dream, which casts this mix of fictional and real characters back into the annals of Hollywood history.
Also, you must try to play this Once Upon A Time In Hollywood quiz.
I do know one thing for certain: I cannot wait to see this film again. So layered and ambitious, it’s clear that it’s the work of a confident filmmaker who collaborated with collaborators who were completely on board with his vision. Every piece is a perfect fit. Every option has been thoroughly researched and considered. Whether it all adds up to something is now up for audiences to decide, but this is a film that feels like it’s not going away anytime soon. It’s one of those rare movies that will provoke conversation and debate long enough to cement itself in the public consciousness more than the fleeting multiplex hit of the week. Love it or hate it, people will be talking about it. And that’s something the older Tarantino has in common with the younger one. He hasn’t lost any of his power to fire people up. If only there were more like him.
For more personality quizzes check this: The Wretched Quiz.
