Quentin Tarantino has always been a filmmaker that wears his inspirations on his sleeve. Some call it homage, others call it…something else. But whatever your definition, it’s clear that Tarantino likes to take what other filmmakers have done and put his own spin on it. And that seems to extend to spoiler letters, as well.
Following in the footsteps of the Russo Brothers and Bong Joon-ho, Tarantino has released an open letter asking people who are going to get early access to his upcoming “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” to avoid posting spoilers.
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“I love Cinema. You love Cinema. It’s the journey of discovering a story for the first time,” the filmmaker wrote. “I’m thrilled to be here in Cannes to share ‘Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood’ with the festival audience. The cast and crew have worked hard to create something original, and I only ask that everyone avoids revealing anything that would prevent later audiences from experiencing the film in the same way. Thank you.”
It’s not surprising to have a filmmaker, especially in this day and age, want fans to experience the shocks and surprises of their film while sitting in the theater. Not when they’re on social media. So, in that respect, we understand Tarantino’s plea. But the spoiler letter is also interesting for another reason — history.
When the Russos and Bong Joon-ho released their letters, no one questioned why. Before you sit down and watch “Avengers: Endgame” or “Parasite,” respectively, the plot twists and story beats are largely a secret. However, with ‘Once Upon a Time,’ at least with one major angle —Charles Manson’s crimes– the story is well known and very public. So, why the spoiler warning?
Perhaps, Tarantino is just being cautious and wants people to avoid sharing the secrets in the plot involving Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt’s characters. Sure, we can see that. But maybe, it’s more than that. Maybe, the filmmaker is ready to pull a little “Inglourious Basterds” and change history.
We all know that Sharon Tate was brutally murdered at the hands of Manson’s “family,” but we can’t put it past Tarantino to change that up and add a wrinkle to history that would pump up his story, just a little. Sadly, this sort of twist is likely to be fine…or terrible. Case in point, “The Haunting of Sharon Tate,” which was released earlier this year and tried its best to honor the victims but also deviate a bit from history. It’s not good.
Obviously, we can’t know for sure until we see it. And luckily, unlike many of the films at Cannes, we know that ‘Once Upon a Time’ will get its time in theaters sooner rather than later. So, even if you’re not in France right now, you won’t have to avoid spoilers for long.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is premiering in Cannes this week and will arrive in theaters on July 26.
#NoSpoilersInHollywood pic.twitter.com/d2cZcNfibh
— Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (@OnceInHollywood) May 20, 2019
