What's the inspiration for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's name?

It is known that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have a special relationship. As is evident by Tarantino's appearances in Rodriguez' movies and by Grindhouse - their co-directed double-feature.

Is the title of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood some kind of a reference or homage to Rodriguez' Once Upon a Time in Mexico? Or is it just a fun way to capture the time-capsule feel of the movie, sending us back to another point in time? Or is it something else completely?

title once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood

Best Answer

Both Tarantino and Rodriguez are paying homage to Sergio Leone, whose epics Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984) are classics of the Western and gangster movie genres, respectively.

Before Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, Tarantino had made nods towards Leone in several of his films, especially over the last 20 years. The most obvious of these was the beginning title card of Inglourious Basterds, which reads "Once upon a time...in Nazi-occupied France."

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What was the inspiration for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?

Tarantino says that the movie really started to coalesce when an older actor on a movie he was directing (he does not give specifics) approached him about their own stunt double, who they'd been working with for nine years.

Is Rick Dalton based on a real person?

While plenty of real-life figures, including Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski, Steve McQueen, and Bruce Lee are portrayed in Once Upon a Time, Rick Dalton is a fictional creation. Still, some of the character is inspired by real-life stars of the 1950s and '60s.

What serial killer is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood based on?

Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-nominated movie puts notorious serial killer Charles Manson and his followers, the Manson Family, back in the spotlight and, um...we need to discuss the movie's ending ASAP.

what. (Bo Burnham FULL SHOW HD)

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