ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD: We’re Captive on the Carousel of Time

About halfway through writer and director Quentin Tarantino‘s newest film Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) is driving through downtown Los Angeles. She turns on the radio and we hear Buffy Sainte-Marie cover Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game.”

It’s one of many driving scenes in which Tarantino highlights his characters driving through the city with the radio on in the background. What makes this one stand out is the message he’s delivering.

For context, here’s a selection of the lyrics from “The Circle Game.” Bolded emphasis are my own.

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, when you’re older, must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him,
Take your time, it won’t be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down

In the scene, Tate picks up a hippie hitchhiker. Even as a budding movie star and gorgeous young woman, she isn’t worried about picking the girl up and what could happen. She’s carefree, sweet and innocent, much like the industry and city she’s living in before her untimely murder six months later.

This scene with this song perfectly sums up what Tarantino is trying to tell us in his most meaningful film. Tate, as has been discussed across much of the internet, represents the sweetness and innocence people come into Hollywood with and the industry’s roots, while Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton represents the realization of being past your prime and fighting against the stream to keep your place.

But as “The Circle Game” tells us, we can’t return – we can only look back. Just as Hollywood can’t go back to life before the horrible Manson murders, Dalton can’t go back to being the star he was. But that doesn’t stop Tarantino from dreaming in the film he’s been waiting years to make. While it won’t be for everyone, Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood stands among Tarantino’s very best while also being his most unique. It’s a love letter to the world he grew up in and a fairy tale he’s created for himself to live in.

Warning: The rest of this review contains spoilers.

A Tarantino fairy tale

While some have had issues with Tarantino’s revisionist history ending, calling it disrespectful to Tate and what actually happened, I view it as quite the opposite. The entire movie – including the name – show it as a fairy tale he’s built for himself.

Tarantino sees old Hollywood – Westerns, classically handsome cowboys, neon lights and open roads – with rose colored glasses. They’re his greatest memories and how he fell in love with film. He knows it could never last, but can’t help think, “What if.”

And that’s where Dalton and his best friend Cliff Booth (a cool as a cucumber Brad Pitt) find themselves. Dalton is staring down the fact that he knows it won’t last, just like his novel’s hero Easy Breezy. While Booth has accepted his fate in the business, Dalton just got hit in the face with the hard truth thanks to Marvin Schwarzs (Al Pacino). He even warns an 8 year old actress named Trudi (a standout Julia Butters) that she’s 15 years away from the same fate.

Tate, meanwhile, represents what could have been. Everyone wants to stay that wide-eyed, green fresh face. She doesn’t need extra dialogue to be the purity and innocence Tarantino himself has lost after all this time.

And as the director faces what is likely the back half of his career, he’s looking back at where he came from. He’s been marred in controversy in his career, but has still managed to put out hit after hit. You can’t help but think Tarantino sees himself in Dalton. He’s facing down the eventual reality that he may not put out massive hits – he wants to stay as a Tate forever.

But eventually, the metaphorical Mansons always come and ruin that for everyone. That doesn’t mean the writer and director can’t indulge himself in his foot fetish soaked fairy tale with a full future ahead of him where his early days and his innocence are still intact. A future where Rick Dalton regains his stardom and Tate never faces her fate.

Awards-worthy performances

It goes without saying you can expect great things when actors like Robbie, DiCaprio and Pitt team up with Tarantino. Of course, they don’t disappoint.

DiCaprio has the more challenging role, playing an actor facing an inner crisis. Not only is he playing that actor, he has the be the characters Dalton plays as well. He does it with such range and purity in his emotions, it’s one of the first times you can look past DiCaprio and see the character more than the actor. There’s a scene in his trailer that is especially raw and stands out. Pitt, on the other hand, is as cool as they come. He’s effortless and somehow still as captivating as he was in Inglorious Basterds. Booth has a mysterious nature about him that Pitt nails with subtle looks and gestures.

While Margot Robbie doesn’t have a ton of dialogue – and I don’t think she needs it. She’s a symbol and supporting character, not a storyline – she does most of her work without words. She seems right at home in the late ’60s. The way she walks, her dance moves, her smile, her innocence, even the inflection in her voice all add up to a rich portrayal of the famous actress.

All three should be in the awards conversation. DiCaprio will most likely get a nod for lead actor, while Pitt might not be as lucky given it wasn’t as much of a departure from how we’ve seen him before. The most likely to be overlooked is Robbie because of her lack of dialogue and perceived slight by many. Without her, a lot of the film’s meaning falls apart. She’s so crucial, she deserves a supporting nomination.

Can’t talk Tarantino without controversy

Of course, you can’t go through any Tarantino movie without cries about his violence, how he treats women characters and more. I believe everyone has the right to make up their own minds about this, but I’ll share my point of view.

Regarding the violence, this is his least violent film. That doesn’t say much, but it’s worth noting. It’s also important to point out that the victims of the vast majority of the violence in Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood are members of the Manson family. It’s pretty hard to feel bad for them. It’s his way of taking out revenge for the end of innocence in LA.

With regards to Tate, I’ll point out that Tarantino spoke with Tate’s family and got her blessing. He even changed the release date so it wasn’t the same time as the 50th anniversary of her murder. Sure, she doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, but I think she’s treated with respect and made to be a beacon of light and all that he sees as good back then.

One last controversy is the family of Bruce Lee being upset with how he’s shown. A few points on this. Lee’s primarily shown in a flashback from Booth’s point of view. Anything shown within that is from Booth’s perspective as a character, not as a fact or from Tarantino’s perspective. I also think he’s shown to be strong of mind and body. On a second watch, you realize he speaks very highly of Muhammad Ali and all boxers, despite what Lee’s family says, and only say’s he’d cripple him when forced on the subject. Confidence in ones self isn’t disrespect to another. The other times we see him he’s being kind and generous, helping train Tate for a role.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: One of Tarantino’s very best

I always think it’s worth seeing a movie as provocative as Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood so you can make up your mind about it for yourself. Despite the inevitable controversy surrounding it, the film features some of the best, most fleshed out characters Tarantino has created. With stellar performances, Tarantino has crafted his ultimate fairy tale world. He knows he won’t be able to keep doing this forever, but as “The Circle Game” tells us, “We’re captive on the carousel of time/ We can’t return we can only look behind/ From where we came/ And go round and round and round/ In the circle game.”

The Verdict: 9.2/10

Did you see Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood? What did you think. Let us know on Twitter (@_ReelBigFilms) or in the comments below.

Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood hit theaters July 26.