NationMaster - Encyclopedia: True Romance

True Romance is an American motion picture released in 1993, directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. It stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette in an ensemble cast; the film contains notable performances by some seasoned actors along with early appearances by later stars. It is billed as a "love story", albeit an unconventional one, as the plot revolves around drugs and violence. Clarence Worley (Slater) and Alabama (Arquette) attempt to start a new life for themselves using cocaine stolen from Alabama's former pimp and find themselves on the run from the Mafia, ending in a dramatic double-crossing when the police get involved. Image File history File links True_romance. ... See also Tony Scott for the American clarinet jazz musician. ... Born Morocco, 17 December 1953. ... Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, actor, and Oscar-winning screenwriter. ... Christian Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. ... Patricia T Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an Emmy Award-winning and a Golden Globe Award-nominated American actress. ... Gary Oldman (born Leonard Gary Oldman on March 21, 1958 in New Cross, London, England) is an English actor. ... Image:War-at-home. ... Dennis Hopper (born May 17, 1936) is an American actor and film-maker. ... James R. Gandolfini (born September 18, 1961) is a prominent, three-time Emmy award winning American actor, known for his multi-faceted portrayals of conscientious yet often inherently sinister characters. ... Christopher Shannon Penn (October 10, 1965 â€“ January 24, 2006) was an American film actor. ... Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. ... Saul Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian film actor, often cast as a shady professional. ... â€œSamuel Jacksonâ€ redirects here. ... Edward Lauter is an American actor, born on October 30, 1940 in Long Beach, Long Island, New York. ... Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Hans Florian Zimmer (born September 12, 1957) is an Academy Award, Grammy, and Golden Globe award-winning film score composer. ... Warner Bros. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... See also Tony Scott for the American clarinet jazz musician. ... Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, actor, and Oscar-winning screenwriter. ... Roger Avary, photographed for Score Magazine at the Hotel Costes K, Paris. ... Christian Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. ... Patricia T Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an Emmy Award-winning and a Golden Globe Award-nominated American actress. ... An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. ... Love Story is a 1970 romance motion picture drama based on the 1970 best-seller, written by Erich Segal, and directed by Arthur Hiller. ...

True Romance was a breakthrough of sorts for Tarantino. It was his first screenplay, and he had hoped to direct the movie himself, but ended up selling the script: the money from the sale enabled Tarantino to direct Reservoir Dogs. Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut feature film of director Quentin Tarantino. ...

Also notable is the film's score, by Hans Zimmer: its leitmotif is based on a familiar piece by Carl Orff. Hans Florian Zimmer (born September 12, 1957) is an Academy Award, Grammy, and Golden Globe award-winning film score composer. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Carl Orff (July 10, 1895 â€“ March 29, 1982) was a German composer, most famous for Carmina Burana (1937). ...

Plot summary

Clarence Worley (Slater) is watching a Sonny Chiba triple feature in a theater on his birthday when Alabama (Arquette) walks in late and sits directly behind him. She proceeds to dump popcorn all over him, then jumps in the seat next to him and asks what she has missed in the movie. They leave playfully joking around seemingly enjoying one another's company. Alabama invites Clarence for pie. They go to the diner and get to know each other. After taking Alabama to see his place of work, a comic book store, they then go back to Clarence's place and make love. When Clarence wakes up, he sees Alabama sitting outside. She confesses to him that she is a call girl, set up for him by his boss, and confesses her love for him. Clarence is in love with her as well - and they proceed to get married the next day. Shinichi Chiba ), also known as Sonny Chiba (born January 23, 1939) in Fukuoka, Japan is a Japanese actor. ...

Clarence has a vision that Elvis Presley (Val Kilmer) convinces him that he needs get rid of Alabama's pimp. He decides to pay a visit to Alabama's former pimp, Drexl (Gary Oldman), to get her belongings. Clarence refuses Drexl's offer to sit down, instead handing him an empty envelope "for his conscience". A fight breaks out, and Clarence is swiftly subdued by Drexl and his doorman Marty. Drexl takes Clarence's driver's license and orders Marty to drive to his address and collect Alabama. While he is distracted, Clarence pulls a concealed gun and shoots them both. Clarence orders Drexl's other girls to pack up Alabama's things, and then escapes (unknowningly leaving his ID behind). Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 â€“ August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... Val Edward Kilmer[1] (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. ... Gary Oldman (born Leonard Gary Oldman on March 21, 1958 in New Cross, London, England) is an English actor. ... Current EU driving licence, German version - front 1. ...

Clarence gets back he finds that he has taken the wrong suitcase: the one he now has is full of cocaine. Clarence and Alabama then visit Clarence's estranged father (Dennis Hopper), a former cop. Clarence asks him to find out if the police are looking for him; his father reports that the crime has been resolved as a gang warfare incident. Clarence departs on good terms, telling his father that he is leaving for California to visit his friend Dick (Michael Rapaport) in Hollywood. However, Clarence's lost ID allows Drexl's Mob employer, Vincent Coccotti (Christopher Walken), to track down Clarence's father and obtain Clarence's whereabouts. Dennis Hopper (born May 17, 1936) is an American actor and film-maker. ... Image:War-at-home. ... ... Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ...

In Hollywood, Clarence shows Dick the cocaine and arranges through Dick's friend Elliot (Bronson Pinchot) to meet with an esteemed movie producer named Lee Donowitz (Saul Rubinek), who is interested in purchasing it. They meet Elliot at a theme park; the discussions with Elliot make Clarence uncomfortable, so he has Elliot call Donowitz, whom Clarence arranges to meet. Elliot asks for sample for Lee but keeps it for himself and goes on cruise with a coke whore. He gets pulled over for reckless driving and spills the coke all over him. Bronson Pinchot (right) as Balki with Mark Linn-Baker as Larry on Perfect Strangers. ... Saul Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian film actor, often cast as a shady professional. ...

Virgil (James Gandolfini), one of Coccotti's men, tracks Clarence and Alabama down to the Hollywood Safari Inn from Floyd (Brad Pitt). When Alabama arrives alone while Clarence is getting hamburgers, Virgil attempts to beat the suitcase's location out of her. After tearing the room apart Virgil eventually finds the coke under the bed; as Virgil prepares to finish her off, Alabama manages to subdue him with improvised weaponry, grab his gun and kill him; when Clarence arrives he and Alabama flee with the cocaine. James R. Gandolfini (born September 18, 1961) is a prominent, three-time Emmy award winning American actor, known for his multi-faceted portrayals of conscientious yet often inherently sinister characters. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. ...

Elliot is caught in possession by the police, and detectives Nicholson and Dimes convince Elliot to tell them about Clarence's upcoming deal; he offers to wear a wire at the meeting in order to stay out of jail.

At the meeting, Donowitz (protected by a pair of heavily armed guards) buys Clarence's story and agrees to make the deal. When Clarence goes to the bathroom, the police burst in to make the arrest. Lee's bodyguards hate cops and want to kill them; as the intensity builds, Coccotti's men then enter the room demanding their coke back. When one of the officers uses Elliot's name, Donowitz realizes Elliot is working with the police. In a moment of anger, Donowitz splashes a pot of hot coffee in Elliot's face and everyone starts firing. In the ensuing chaos, Donowitz, Elliot and the majority of the cops and mobsters are killed. Clarence walks out of the bathroom and is shot in the eye. Dick throws the suitcase of cocaine in the air, allowing him enough time to escape. In the aftermath, Alabama is able to revive Clarence and get him out of the room which is about to be covered in cops. They grab the money, escape the police and get away. The movie ends with Clarence and Alabama on a beach in Cancún with their new son Elvis. Giant Mexican flag in the Hotel Zone CancÃºn (pronounced can-koon) is a coastal city in Mexicos easternmost state, Quintana Roo. ...

Script

The script for Natural Born Killers had been sold when Tarantino was introduced to director Tony Scott. Tarantino was a big fan of Scott´s The Last Boy Scout. Scott read both True Romance and Reservoir Dogs and wanted to direct both, but Tarantino was already set to direct Reservoir Dogs, so Scott took the other. Other than the ending (Clarence was shot dead during the climactic Mexican Standoff in the script) and the ordering of the scenes, Scott's film uses Tarantino's original script. Image File history File links Circle-contradict. ... For the song, see Natural Born Killaz. ... The Last Boy Scout is a 1991 thriller film starring Bruce Willis as a former Secret Service agent, and Damon Wayans as a retired professional football player, who join forces to prevent a corrupt United States Senator from being assassinated. ... Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut feature film of director Quentin Tarantino. ... In the film Reservoir Dogs, Eddie, Joe, and Mr. ...

Originally the screenplay began with the same "I'd fuck Elvis" scene, set before the opening credits, as the release. But the first scene in Tarantino's script is the scene where Drexl steals the cocaine. After that, the next scene was Clarence and Alabama showing up at Clarence's father home, from which point the scene order is the same up to where Clarence and Alabama meet Dick, which ends Act I. Dick asks how they met, which leads to the theater scene, marriage, and killing of Drexl and mistaken stealing of the cocaine. Act III begins with the scene where Dick sees the cocaine, after which the scripts converge. Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known as The King of Rock and Roll, or as just simply The King, was an American singer who had an immeasurable effect on world culture. ...

Tarantino, in the commentary on the unrated director's cut DVD, mentions how this structure to the three acts results in the characters in the movie knowing everything in Act I while the audience doesn't know anything; the audience catches up in Act II, and the audience knows more than the characters in Act III.

A number of dialogue ideas in the film are refined in subsequent Tarantino scripts. For example in the fairground scene Clarence questions Elliot with "Do I look like a beautiful blond with big tits and an ass that tastes like French vanilla ice-cream?" - a rhetorical trick played out once more in Pulp Fiction when Jules questions the young men with the briefcase as to whether Marsellus Wallace is a woman. The 'Tasty burger' lines also bear a esembalance to Pulp Fiction.

Cast

True Romance is notable for its ensemble cast. Featured actors who were popular at the time of production include Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson. Other actors featured had yet to achieve the peak of their fame at the time, including Brad Pitt and James Gandolfini. Jack Black had a role as a movie theater attendant in a deleted scene. Christian Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. ... Patricia T Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an Emmy Award-winning and a Golden Globe Award-nominated American actress. ... Val Edward Kilmer[1] (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. ... Gary Oldman (born Leonard Gary Oldman on March 21, 1958 in New Cross, London, England) is an English actor. ... â€œSamuel Jacksonâ€ redirects here. ... Dennis Hopper (born May 17, 1936) is an American actor and film-maker. ... Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Image:War-at-home. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. ... Bronson Pinchot (right) as Balki with Mark Linn-Baker as Larry on Perfect Strangers. ... James R. Gandolfini (born September 18, 1961) is a prominent, three-time Emmy award winning American actor, known for his multi-faceted portrayals of conscientious yet often inherently sinister characters. ... Christopher Shannon Penn (October 10, 1965 â€“ January 24, 2006) was an American film actor. ... Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. ... Saul Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian film actor, often cast as a shady professional. ... Dennis Hopper (born May 17, 1936) is an American actor and film-maker. ... Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Val Edward Kilmer[1] (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. ... Gary Oldman (born Leonard Gary Oldman on March 21, 1958 in New Cross, London, England) is an English actor. ... â€œSamuel Jacksonâ€ redirects here. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. ... James R. Gandolfini (born September 18, 1961) is a prominent, three-time Emmy award winning American actor, known for his multi-faceted portrayals of conscientious yet often inherently sinister characters. ... Jack Black (born Thomas J. Black, Jr. ...

Notably, some of the appearances by the supporting cast are very brief. Christopher Walken appears in only one scene, but gives a very memorable speech (as he would do in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction); Val Kilmer's face is never even seen in focus; Samuel L. Jackson's part was mostly edited out, though the full performance is included as a deleted scene on the 2-disc unrated director's cut DVD. Brad Pitt's character, in his few scenes, is never sober. This article is about the film. ...

The Sicilian scene

Clarence's father, Clifford Worley (Dennis Hopper), is paid an unwelcome visit by Vincent Coccotti (Christopher Walken), consigliere to a Mafia boss named "Blue" Lou Boyle. Coccotti questions Worley as to the whereabouts of Clarence and the missing narcotics. Clifford realizes during the interrogation that he will be killed regardless of how he answers. Apparently to deliberately provoke and enrage Coccotti, Worley brings up a history of the ancestry of Sicilians. Worley is allegedly quoting history (but in reality an urban legend) on the claim of Sicilian people having Black people's ancestry through the Moors (who themselves were not "black"), or, as Hopper puts it in the movie: "Sicilians were spawned by niggers." This speech is the precursor to Worley's death. A consigliere (IPA ) is an adviser or counsellor, especially to a mafia boss. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 kmÂ² (9,926 sq. ... An urban legend or urban myth is a kind of modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ... A Masai man in Kenya Black people or blacks is a political, social or cultural classification of people. ... Moorish Ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I of England The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including present day Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal) as well as the Maghreb and western Africa, whose culture is often called Moorish. ... // Nigger is a racial slur used to refer to dark-skinned people, especially those of African ancestry. ...

This scene has been nominated by Tarantino himself (on the True Romance Unrated Director's Cut DVD commentary) as one of his proudest moments. "I had heard that whole speech about the Sicilians a long time ago, from a black guy living in my house. One day I was talking with a friend who was Sicilian and I just started telling that speech. And I thought: “Wow, that is a great scene, I gotta remember that.”

In an interview with MOJO magazine in September 2006 Walken commented on his genuine friendship with Hopper implying that this helped create the warmth that exists between the otherwise antipathetic characters, "we really like each other, but I kill him anyway." He also expressed admiration for the Tarantino dialogue which was too good to improvise around instead being delivered meticulously as scripted.

On an episode of "Inside the Actors Studio", Hopper was questioned by one of the film students if "the Sicilian scene" was scripted or improvised. After laughing for a moment, Hopper replied that the scene was mostly done as scripted, and the only part that was improvised was the "eggplant" and "cantaloupe" remarks. Inside the Actors Studio is the Emmy-nominated, longest-running original series on the Bravo cable television channel, hosted by James Lipton. ... Improvisation is the act of making something up as you go along. ...

This scene has been colloquially named the Sicilian scene and become a cult favorite - and is included in Tarantino's original script.^[1] The dialogue from the scene can be found in wikiquote. A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech or writing. ...

Trivia

"I look back and I'm amazed/and my thoughts were so clear and true/that three words went through my mind endlessly/repeating themselves, like a broken record/you're so cool/you're so cool/you're so cool..." Marvel Comics (Stan Lee is behind many of the superheros) is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nick Fury is a fictional army hero and spy, featured in Marvel Comics. ... This article is about the film. ... Lawrence Tierney in Born to Kill (1947) Lawrence Tierney (March 15, 1919 â€“ (February 26, 2002) was an American actor. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor based in New York City. ... Mr. ... A consigliere (IPA ) is an adviser or counsellor, especially to a mafia boss. ... Shinichi Chiba ), also known as Sonny Chiba (born January 23, 1939) in Fukuoka, Japan is a Japanese actor. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Kill Bill: Vol. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815 County Wayne County Mayor... Dearborn is a city of nearly 98,000 people located in the Metro Detroit metropolitan area and Wayne County, Michigan. ... Old DTW Airport Layout Showing The Edward H. McNamara Terminal Detroits colorful Light Tunnel connecting Concourse A with Concourse B/C in the McNamara Terminal Edward H. McNamara Terminal The McNamara Terminal ExpressTram is used to transport passengers from one end of the terminal to the other Detroit Metropolitan... Romulus is a city located in Wayne County, Michigan. ...

Jackie Brown is a 1997 motion picture, the third film directed by Quentin Tarantino. ...

References

External links

Categories: Self-contradictory articles | Articles with large trivia sections | 1993 films | Cult films | Action films | Crime films | Films directed by Tony Scott | Warner Bros. films | American films | Heist films Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, actor, and Oscar-winning screenwriter. ... My Best Friends Birthday (1987) is an unfinished black and white student film by Craig Hamann and Quentin Tarantino, shot during their youth days while working at the Manhattan Beach Video Archives in Los Angeles. ... Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut feature film of director Quentin Tarantino. ... Pulp Fiction is an Academy Award-winning 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote the screenplay with Roger Avary. ... Four Rooms DVD cover Four Rooms is a 1995 film. ... Tarantinos trademark trunk shot. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Kill Bill: Vol. ... For the exploitation/cult film distribution company, see Grindhouse Releasing. ... Inglorious Bastards is an upcoming war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. ... The Vega Brothers is a film to be directed by Quentin Tarantino. ... For the song, see Natural Born Killaz. ... From Dusk Till Dawn is a 1996 action / horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez, and written by Quentin Tarantino. ...