Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-25

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Reality Versus Fiction

This concept is central throughout the novel, especially in its premise. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood reimagines the history of 1969 in Hollywood by presenting the possibility of Sharon Tate’s survival. Since the text links the historical Tate murders with The Decline of Hollywood’s Golden Era, the fictional characters struggle with the presentation of fiction and reality in Hollywood, creating a meta narrative that deals with the same issues.

This theme examines the possibility that normal citizens could have stopped the Manson Family before it terrorized Los Angeles public. However, the novel incorporates reality into the narrative as well. When Sharon Tate offers a ride to a hippie standing on the side of the road, the only criteria for whether she should give the woman a ride is that she “is in a pleasant mood, so she thinks, Why not?” (180). However, the narrative points out that a “year later, the answer to that question would be: because that hitchhiker could murder you. But in February 1969, even people who have something to steal, like Sharon in her cool black Porsche, don’t feel that way” (180). The reality is that Sharon Tate became the victim of violence that caused all of Los Angeles to fear strangers. Nevertheless, the novel makes it clear that the entire premise is fictional because it recreates 1969 Hollywood as a time completely devoid of crime or violence in any way, which is not an accurate retelling of history.

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This fictional Hollywood utopia contrasts with the world that Cliff sees as someone who has experienced trauma outside the confines of Hollywood. His cynicism over American films, and America in general, comes from his experience in World War II. He finds the over-sentimentality of Hollywood films ingenuine. He hates that “they always sentimentalized […] in Hollywood movies, and it was the phoniest thing Hollywood did” (27). This is why he obsesses over the “implications of what’s real and what’s a movie” (33): He enjoys losing himself in a movie, but only if that movie carries the weight of reality.

The novel explores fictional reality to give voice to historical figures such as Sharon Tate. Although the events of the novel are fantasy, it preserves a moment in time before the Manson murders occurred to explore the question of what might have been.

The Decline of Hollywood’s Golden Era

In the 1960s and 1970s, the culture shifted, causing a decline in Hollywood’s golden era. The perception of the American dream through the lens of Hollywood celebrities no longer held the significance that it once did. However, Rick has trouble letting go of the glamor of Hollywood’s past and tries to relive elements of the past in his hair and dress, as well as what he tries to do for his career. Despite Rick’s attempts to preserve the past, old Hollywood crumbles all around Rick as other characters try to help usher him into a new age of filmmaking.

The setting of Spahn Ranch signifies the decline of old Hollywood. When Cliff arrives at the ranch, he finds that “Hollywood has gone elsewhere, and the former movie set has fallen into disrepair” (268). Much like the character of George Spahn, Hollywood has forgotten about Spahn Ranch in pursuit of greater things. The disrepair of Spahn Ranch signifies Hollywood’s fickle nature in how it shifts toward new trends. The Lancer director, Sam Wannamaker, shows the way that Hollywood is shifting when he decides to dress Rick in a way that makes him look like a hippie rather than the in more traditional costume of Hollywood Westerns. Rick clings to old Hollywood because it’s where he found his identity, yet his idealization of this golden era almost prevents him from having a successful career. He prides himself on starring in American Westerns because he doesn’t think anyone likes spaghetti Westerns. However, Marvin reminds him that Hollywood hasn’t been kind to him and that if he could overcome his pride, he’d become a movie star in Italy. Marvin reminds Rick that “the culture changed” and therefore his idea of success must change with it (317).

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Although Rick sees Hollywood as a utopia, the text provides examples throughout of how this fantasy is inaccurate. Although Rick idealizes that Hollywood has changed, the actions of Terry Melcher and Cliff reveal that Hollywood’s past wasn’t really a golden era. Thus, this theme ties into the theme of Reality Versus Fiction because the golden era that Rick strives to emulate is perfect only on the screen; behind the screen, actors experienced mental illness, alcohol addiction, and more. Nevertheless, rather than trying to change these issues, the industry continues to demand more content and refuses to examine areas of abuse, just for the sake of making more movies.

The Difficulty in Transitioning to New Phases

Rick’s inner conflict centers on his struggle with transitioning and adapting to the changes around him, particularly to the changes in Hollywood. Since he always pictured becoming a movie star like Steve McQueen, Rick finds it difficult to face the turn his career has taken. He tells Marvin, “It’s just that I’ve been doing this over ten years […] [a]nd it’s a little hard to sit here after all that time and come face-to-face with what a failure I’ve become. Coming face-to-face with how I ran my career in the ground” (18). Even though Rick sees his career as a failure, he resists turning it in a different direction because this doesn’t align with the life he imagined. Rick must face the reality of his age and the ways in which his career will shift because of it. When he meets Trudi Frazer, who has a wealth of confidence at a young age, he confesses to her while describing the book he’s reading that he feels useless. Because of her youth, Trudi doesn’t understand the connection that Rick makes between himself and Easy Breezy, which is why Rick jokes to her, “Wait till you’re fifteen, you’ll be living it” (162).

Through Trudi’s mentorship in acting and her excitement about their being lucky enough to be actors, Rick regains an element of the passion he once had. He gains a fresh perspective on his life through Trudi’s eyes as he realizes that he has so much for which to be grateful. Although he can never take back the mistakes that he made in his youth with Bounty Law, he can still make a difference in his future career. Although the novel doesn’t include a scene in which Rick accepts the offer to make spaghetti Westerns in Italy, his realization of his fortune in the last page of the novel gives insight into why he accepts the job to work abroad. In those moments, Rick “looks around at the fabulous house he owns. Paid for by doing what he used to do for free when he was a little boy: pretending to be a cowboy” (331). Through “playing” with Trudi in his scenes with her, Rick reclaims an aspect of his job that he forgot about: the realization that everything he does is make-believe, in which an element of youthfulness and imagination is already ingrained that will never change no matter what phase of his life he’s in.