First Look: Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

27 years after the release of his debut Reservoir Dogs, the trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has been released. Toni Stephenson gives a round-up of what we know about it so far.

From the trailer we can gather the film will follow TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Rick Booth (Brad Pitt) as they attempt to break into the film industry in 1969, the final golden days of Hollywood. Whilst further details of the plot have been kept well under wraps, the name pays homage to film maker Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America. With these films being about men who feel they’re being left behind in a changing world, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this as a main theme of Tarantino’s film.

A subplot will also feature the Manson Family murders; after Inglorious Basterds (2009), it seems blending fact and fiction for the sake of compelling storytelling is one of Tarantino’s strengths, so it appears that this decision will only serve to enhance the film.

The numerous suspected plot lines and range of characters listed so far have led many to speculate that this film may take on a Pulp Fiction style chopped up narrative which follows numerous different people, and Tarantino himself has even said that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood shares similarities with his most popular film. Indeed, from the trailer there’s no doubt that it will be full of his quirky signature features: graphic, almost comic-like violence; quick-witted, oddball dialogue and an eclectic (very likely 1960s hippy inspired) soundtrack.

For Tarantino fans, both fresh and familiar faces will be seen on the big screen with returning regulars such as Tim Roth, Kurt Russell and Michael Madsen. DiCaprio and Pitt have also both worked with Tarantino before, but this film marks their first on-screen collaboration and it looks exciting! There’s even a legacy casting with Maya Hawke, the twenty year-old daughter of Kill Bill star Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, as ‘flower child’. This this suggests an element of reconciliation between Thurman and Tarantino following the former opening up about a car accident on the Kill Bill set and Tarantino’s subsequent hostile treatment of her during filming, for which he later apologised for. Other names gracing this star-studded cast are Al Pacino as Dalton and Booth’s agent, Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen, Mike Mo as Bruce Lee, Damon Herriman as Charles Manson and Dakota Fanning as “Squeaky” Fromme.

Overall, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood looks to be an excellent addition to Tarantino’s repertoire and a compelling homage to the director’s first love, the golden age of Hollywood.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will be in cinemas 14th August 2019.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.

LUU Theatre Group’s Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Review

On Thursday night LUU’s Theatre Group opened their production of Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, directed by Steph Green, which took the Alex Clegg studio on a journey of humour, grief, jealousy and unity in a series of snapshots from lives across the Iron Curtain.

Starting in 1968 and ending with the fall of the Soviet Bloc in 1989, the play follows the lives of Marxist Cambridge professor, Max, his family and his young Czech protégé, Jan. The play essentially serves as small snippets of their lives in Cambridge and Prague over the 20+ years that it spans, whilst highlighting the nature of Prague’s dissident movement. Questions are raised about whether something as central to everyday culture as music can ever be fully monitored and repressed by state authorities, and how pop culture goes hand in hand with criticism of governing systems as an expression of popular feeling.

The cast met the challenge of the play with compelling performances and convincing eastern European accents impressively sustained throughout. The double casting of a number of characters was an endearing touch, with continuity seen in the performances of India Walton and Kate Winter playing Eleanor and daughter Esme in Act One and adult Esme and daughter Alice in Act Two; highlighting the similarities passed from parent to child in each generation.

The main set, with its simple and unadorned character, neatly doubled as both university staff property and a Soviet-era apartment. A production highlight was the convincing creation of an interrogation room by a stage blackout and single light bulb hanging from the ceiling above a small table; credit going to lighting designer and assistant Ben Nuttall and Emma Garcia. This created a tense claustrophobic atmosphere complementing the performances of Woodley and Fraser. The simplicity also meant the transitions between sets were smooth. The creation of the John Lennon Wall, by a sheet being drawn across the stage like a curtain also succeeded in maintaining its iconic and impressive aura.

Transitions between scenes were helped with video footage helping to situate the historic events surrounding the plot. Projections of the Prague Spring, the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia and later, the Berlin Wall being torn down added context to the scenes and made the plot easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with the history of communist Eastern Europe. With music being central in the story, the soundtrack also served to establish the time period during scene transitions. The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, Lennon and the Beatles, the soundtrack was a comprehensive collection of the music that sought to percolate through the Iron Curtain.

With Theatre Group’s monthly turnaround of plays, the effort and commitment of its members was clear in all aspects of their performance. The quality of production meant it was a night of welcome escape from the library in light of those mid-semester deadlines and exams.