Once Upon a Time...sets a high bar for Oscar

Whether or not Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece will have to wait until he calls time on his career. However it is, by some considerable distance, the finest film of his career to date. More important than that, even separated from his own body of work, this is a stunning piece of cinema that left me gasping with astonishment by the end.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood shows what can be done by a director who has finally hit a career sweet spot. My biggest criticism of Tarantino is that he is a writer of great scenes – even in his worst movies – but is not a teller of great stories. This one is different. This shows what can be done with masterly storytelling combined with superb craft skills – of which more later – and marvellous performances.  

It is, without doubt, the first serious Oscar contender of the year and sets a very high bar in the process. The only thing holding it back for me is his continued sophomoric treatment of women which in the era of #metoo and given his own personal history is hard to fathom.

Tarantino is famous for his movie geekery but this is the first time it has been put to good use; his overwhelming knowledge of the period informs almost every frame of the film. It is steeped in nostalgia for the good old days of the studio system but in a very constructive way.

The story is set across three separate days in 1969 in the last knockings of the studio system. By the start of the film New Hollywood has already announced itself with cutting edge work such as Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and The Graduate (1967) while the studios are still churning out loss-making overstuffed turkeys such as Hello Dolly (1969), one of many films referenced in the production design of this one.

Although set in Hollywood, the focus of this story is on the small screen. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a fading television star whose life is on a downward spiral. His declining career path is outlined in a brutal scene with small-time producer Al Pacino. Rick’s only friend is his constant companion Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a former stuntman who harbours a dark but open secret. It’s rumoured he murdered his wife and, while not a key plot point, is referenced often enough to make him the most interesting character in the movie.

The other central figure in the story is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie); 1969 was infamously the year of the Manson Family massacres and those of us old enough to remember it spend much of the picture wondering how this fits into the story. That it does, and seamlessly, is a tribute to Tarantino and his skills. As I said, the writer of great scenes is now the teller of a great story.

In its own way this film is a tribute to Sharon Tate who was a huge star in the making and apparently much-loved. She is presented here as a blithe spirit, a force of nature, and a breath of fresh air amid the stale corruption of Hollywood.

Tarantino has been criticised for her lack of dialogue, and it’s true she doesn’t say much but neither does Pitt. For me, her lack of lines need not include her among Tarantino’s other infamously silent women. I’m not sure what else we needed to know about Tate, in story or historical terms, other than what we see here. She is an idealised character but, for me, that was the point.

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is a very mature film. His usual dazzling dialogue and flashy camera work is substituted here by classic Hollywood filmmaking; this is a film that looks like it could have been made when it was set. Robert Richardson’s sublime cinematography allows for one ostentatious camera movement, but even that is revealed to be in service of the story.

The film feels substantial and everything about it seems right; the production posters in the background, the film titles on cinema marquees, the news stories and songs on the radio. The art direction and sound design are magnificent and the film would be much less immersive without their efforts.

DiCaprio gives another faultless performance but he is perhaps just shaded by Pitt who has that rare quality in this picture of making you wonder where he is every time he’s off screen. The supporting cast is excellent too and again Tarantino’s inner geek comes to the fore. The film is set in the world of TV so the cast comes from a motley crew of current and former TV stars. If you’re quick you can spot the likes of Nicholas Hammond, Clu Gulager, Martin Klove, Brenda Vaccaro and the late Luke Perry among the cast.

The look and sound of the film is perfect and Tarantino’s handling of the mood is faultless. The key scene for me is when Brad Pitt accidentally finds himself at the home of the Manson family. It suddenly seems like we might be in Rob Zombie territory and there is genuine, uncomfortable tension throughout. It’s a transgressive moment that shifts the tone of the film.

From here on the mood is darker, but still substantial, until we come to that glorious bait and switch ending. I had a number of minor issues throughout the film – the Bruce Lee sequence for example – but the ending is like a lightbulb moment where you suddenly realise where the film has been leading you. The clue is in the title.

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is a stunning piece of work and two weeks later I am still thinking about it and can’t wait to see it again. I have no interest in Tarantino’s indecision about how many more films he makes. If he never makes another it wouldn’t bother me. I’m just glad he made this one.