It'll probably go down as the easiest starring role Robbie will ever play. She's good for the role, has star power at the box office, interacts well with the rest of the cast when she does, does a good promotional interview, but she still doesn't look anything like Tate - which is maybe a good thing in this case. She is Tate's stunt double.
I can’t believe after seeing that I actually want to pay to see it yet again! Great, great clip. Love it when someone smart conducts an interview like that. Great questions.
Good points. In the Playboy Mansion scene, Robbie might actually have even looked a little better than Tate...
A minor role? Quite the contrary. It was an extremely major role. Not in terms of lines or interacting with other actors, but she is the thread and character that floats along the entire film. She's the constant rock in a way that continues moving forward while every other character is in some sort of personal turmoil. She is the one constant shining light. And a very important thread to the whole film
.......and the most pertinent as it relates to the fractured fairy tale of once upon a time in hollywood.
That would be the piece called "Miss Lily Langtry" from the score to The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. It's a beautiful, haunting and emotional piece of music. I think it's composed by Maurice Jarre.
Not many movies I'd go to see twice in a theater. This one I will as, I gather, at least some on this thread have or will return for seconds or thirds. Hopefully box office will plateau and incrementally build this into a bigger hit than it seems to be right now. I'm thinking: sequel. September-December 1969, ending New Years Eve 1970. Cliff and Bruce rematch. More TV antenna repairs. Cliff and Rick happen by the Morrison Hotel while the Doors are grabbing their album cover shot.....
Jim asks Cliff and Rick to help out with a film he's working on. They agree and the film becomes a modest success, prompting Jim to stay in LA and work on movies instead of going to Paris...thanks to Cliff and Rick, Jim lives!
I read somewhere before I saw this film that a friend of Sharon's was quite critical of the portrayal of her in the film. Which I think is an argument one should at least consider, which I did. But when I saw the film and understood the whole counter-factual thing, the "fact" that the portrayal and Robbie's look is not on point is really not an issue. I think QT wanted to do a sort of tribute to the real Sharon Tate but not necessarily an accurate one. Robbie was certainly cast in part because of her overall look and that she could pull off that sixties appearance. I found it amusing they had a character playing Michelle Phillips, since arguably Robbie looks more like her than the real Sharon Tate. But both Michelle and Sharon like millions of other women and girls were going for that same look (which of course continues to influence women today). So, that the real Sharon Tate was not really like the portrayal here in either demeanor or appearance I think ends up being not a real issue, with all due deference to the opinion of Sharon's friend.
Sorry, can I ask another question about music? What is the song that Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch) puts on the record player when he is at Sharon's house, shortly before the Manson hippies come to attack? Saw the film last night, and loved it, and the music!
As has been mentioned earlier in this thread, Sharon's sister is very happy with the portrayal, and in fact Margot is wearing a piece of Sharon's jewelry that she loaned to Quinton.
As far as the film itself is concerned... It's certainly a film that I recommend seeing. But I am not sure I would call it a great film. I think that might take some sinking in over time. I suppose part of my ambivalence is I am not sure how I feel about the relation of the plot or narrative to the overall point of the film. On a purely plot driven level, one can understand the ending as showing how the events preceding, and what brought Rick not only to be there but to "win" in the way he did against the gang, led to his being invited into Sharon's house. Which presumably would be a prelude to him getting to eventually meet Roman Polanski who would get him some acting work and all that. A return to the top. But I don't think it's really best to understand that to be so much the point of the film. But I am also not sure how much the point of the film is clearly centered around Rick's encounter with the young "actor" and her encouragement to do his best. I'll get back to that.... One thing is for sure is this is a film in which both Brad and Leo do fantastic work. I think Brad is overall an underappreciated talent. He's one of those whose celebrity status works against his being taken seriously. The way he makes his performance seem so effortless also sort of works against him. But his timing, his delivery and overall performance are excellent here, all in service of showing us the character as written and directed. And Leo if anything is even better in a role which really has a challenging range required to show us the Rick character. More generally the casting throughout is excellent, like Al Pacino but really everyone. I loved the actress who played the Manson girl who invited Cliff to the ranch. Whatever one thinks of QT, it's obvious actors like to appear in his films. As others have noted what may be even better than the cast is the art and set direction. The look of this film is fantastic. No film since Dunkirk succeeded as well on that level at least that I have seen, again (like Dunkirk) I take it with minimal CGI. The music was also excellent although a bit jarring to hear Out of Time covered. One thing I was troubled by is what some call hippie punching. There was a bit too much of not distinguishing between the Manson clan and the general hippie scene both in LA and in general at the time. Back to the point of the film. I think the point is that the kind of success and lack thereof that Rick sought, bothered when it seemed (was) in decline, and his real effort to do better by putting more of himself into it, the film was not really all that idealistic in such regard. There was a feeling of a certain amount of luck in what seemed like his partial return to greatness by doing the Italian westerns, and what to feel about it if one result was going to be the end of the working relationship with Cliff? I think the better way to understand the film is not on a plot or even character development level. Instead it has to do with the interplay and comparisons between Rick and Cliff. Both are problematic, but in different ways. My takeaway is that it was the way that made their different qualities fit together that made their friendship work, and hence this was the point of the film.
Back in the 1969 and the 60s and early 70s in general, lots if people dumped hippies all in one category. Older folks, straights and people in the middle of the country, saw them as all dirty, long haired, drug using people. In their view, the Manson family or anyone who looked like that were all the same.
Brad Pitt is a tremendous character actor, trapped in the body of a movie star. Anyone who thinks he can't really act has not seen enough of his films. They definitely need to see Kalifornia and 12 Monkeys.
I agree. I also thought his performance in Burn After Reading was a revelation. And A River Runs Through It is one of my favorites.
I was curious about that Piece of music,too. I was certain it must be from some Sergio Leone/ Enrico Moriconi (sp) collaboration . Surprisingly enough it turns out to be from an American film George Roy hills “the life and times of Judge Roy Bean.” By Maurice Jarre.
Yes, I was thinking Ennio Morricone when I heard it. It really is a beautiful piece. As far as I can see the soundtrack to "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" is not available on CD, which is a shame as I'd like to hear the full soundtrack.
