Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood” inserted characters of his own creation into the mythos of 1960s Hollywood. One of the most prominent characters, Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, appears to have died on May 19, 2023, according to a Twitter account for Tarantino’s “Video Archives” podcast. The account piped up out of nowhere to declare that, in the fictional world of the movie’s universe, Rick Dalton died earlier that afternoon at the age of 90.
It’s hard to believe that Rick Dalton would have lived another 54 years given his hard-drinking, miserable demeanour in the film’s 1969 setting. Moreover, his proximity to copious booze and his old pal/occasional murder suspect, Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt in the film, makes his longevity highly improbable. Furthermore, his stormy relationship with his wife Francesca Capucci during the film’s climax makes it hard to believe that they would have stayed married for all this time.
However, who are we to argue with Tarantino’s additions to his own work? “Once Upon A Time…” already ended with an incredibly unlikely happy ending, so maybe Rick getting his act right and living to 90 before dying peacefully in his Hawaii home was also possible. The podcast’s Twitter account also announced that it intends to do an episode about Dalton’s filmography.
Tarantino’s creativity in inserting his own characters, narratives and fan-fiction in his films has long been a distinguishing feature of his signature style. Some argue that this notional crossing of the Hollywood boundaries has exposed long-forgotten parts of the film industry.
In “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood”, fictional characters like Rick Dalton and Booth are inserted into the real-life story of the Manson family murders. This allows Tarantino to revisit an era of Hollywood that he reveres and invites us to indulge in his brand of wishful thinking – rewriting history in a way that is altogether thrilling, and at times, hilarious.
For instance, in the movie, Dalton, whose career is on the rocks, ends up having a chance meeting with Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski. Dalton, who has no idea who Tate is, ends up going to a party at Tate’s house, rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of Hollywood, and even manages to land a role in one of Polanski’s films.
This, of course, never happened in real life. But Tarantino’s fiction adds something to the true story of an actress who was brutally murdered by the Manson family. It makes us yearn for a time when Hollywood was a more innocent place where parties at the Playboy Mansion weren’t precluded by NDA’s and million-dollar paid appearances.
Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood” is a splendid homage to what some call the Golden Age of Hollywood. It’s a masterful portrayal of an industry in transition from the studio system to more independent films. It’s a tribute to a period of time that, for better or worse, has never died in our collective imagination.
The director has a knack for not only casting the right actors but also for using them in a way that borders on their self-parody. DiCaprio as Dalton, who is struggling with his fading fame, and Pitt as Booth, a stuntman who doubles as a butler, essay their roles with the proficiency of actors who are so often lauded for their screen presence.
Moreover, Tarantino portrays the late Sharon Tate wonderfully through the eyes of a neighbour’s out-of-wedlock son, who idolises her as a movie star. Played by Margot Robbie, Tate’s innocence, beauty, and grace are endearing, making it all the more gut-wrenching when she’s killed at the end.
In conclusion, Tarantino’s crossover of fact and fiction makes for a riveting and thought-provoking film. “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood” is a testament to his talent for storytelling and his unique style of filmmaking. While it may be hard to believe that Rick Dalton lived till the age of 90, it’s entirely plausible in the Tarantino universe. And given the director’s track record, who are we to question his unique take on Hollywood history?
