Quentin Tarantino is known for being inspired by filmmakers of the past. From Hong Kong cinema to American grindhouse to classics by Federico Fellini, the Pulp Fiction mastermind speaks the language of filmmaking. It comes as no surprise, then, that Tarantino drew on one of Hollywood’s greatest for his segment of the 1995 comedy Four Rooms.
Titled “The Man from Hollywood,” it centers around an intriguing bet inspired by “Man from the South,” an episode of 1960s TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a series that was hosted and executive produced by the legendary director. The biggest twist, however, may be the complicated relationship he has with the filmmaker that inspired him.
Two Men, One Crazy Bet in ‘Four Rooms’
The two titles were released 35 years apart, feature different casts and different outcomes, but both are inspired by the same tale. Based on a short story by Roald Dahl, “Man from the South” was first broadcast in 1960 and stars a young Steve McQueen as the Gambler. Down on his luck in Las Vegas, he is approached by Carlos (Peter Lorre), a man who loves high-stakes bets. After hearing the young man talk about his prized lighter, Carlos offers a wager — if the Gambler can light it 10 times in a row without fail, Carlos will give him his convertible.
If the lighter stalls before then, Carlos takes the Gambler’s finger. Watched by a curious observer (Tyler McVey) and a young woman (Neile Adams), each flick of the lighter progresses with classic Hitchcock tension until the final lighting, where the bet is stopped by Carlos’ wife (Katherine Squire), who reveals it as an elaborate con. Thrillingly, the next time the Gambler uses his lighter after the bet is called off, it stalls.
In the anthology comedy Four Rooms, Tim Roth plays a hotel bellboy named Ted serving several strange patrons on New Year’s Eve. The final segment, “The Man from Hollywood,” is directed by Tarantino, who also stars. Ted enters the penthouse suite to find four drunk Hollywood types led by film director Chester Rush (Tarantino). Mistakenly calling it “The Man from Rio,” Chester mentions the Hitchcock episode by name and that he and his friends are keen to recreate the wager from the story with friend Norman (Paul Calderón), who would be betting his finger against Chester’s vintage Chevrolet Chevelle, with Ted cutting off Norman’s finger if he loses. Paid $1,000 to participate, Ted agrees, and the moment lingers before the first lighting. Hilariously, it fails on the first attempt, with the bellboy severing the finger and leaving the chaos behind.
8 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Written by Quentin Tarantino
Wait, he wrote WHAT?
Quentin Tarantino is “Not a Hitchcock Fan”
“The Man from Hollywood” is a ’90s spin on the story from Hitchcock’s show, yet Tarantino confessed to not being a big fan of the director’s work. Speaking on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, he was asked if he liked the filmmaker, to which he replied: “Not a Hitchcock fan.” When the host expressed surprise at this, he added: “He’s one of the greatest directors who ever lived … [but] I think he was held back by the times that he worked [in].”
Expanding on that opinion, he revealed he wasn’t generally a fan of Hitchcock’s third acts. “Often times, they peter out,” he explained, before adding that he felt he was restricted by the Hays Code, a set of rules restricting Hollywood pictures’ sex and violence content that was in place from 1934 to 1968.
Taken as a whole, it’s a more nuanced criticism than simply not liking Hitchcock’s films. Tarantino is simply saying he feels like the stories were not allowed to go as far as they potentially could have because of the standards of the time. So, is “The Man from Hollywood” a sign of Tarantino’s insincerity? Maybe not. Perhaps it was showing just how far that third act could go.
Tarantino Finished What Hitchcock Started
If you keep in mind that the younger director’s issue with the Master of Suspense was that he couldn’t fully realize the danger presented, then “The Man from Hollywood” is less a homage and more a remake in his vision. Both are set in the aftermath of excess — the 1960 story in a Vegas bar with the Gambler down on his luck, the latter tale in a wrecked penthouse filled with decadent malcontents. Both stories deal with what one will do for the right price — in the Gambler’s case, the potential dismemberment, and in Ted’s, the maiming of a stranger.
However, the third acts of each story are where they diverge. Hitchcock’s show pulls back the blade at the last minute, saving the young protagonist from a gruesome end. Tarantino goes further, with Ted plunging a meat cleaver through Norman’s bone, showing the consequences of such hubris. Learning from a great of the past, Tarantino took the tension and paid it off his way.
Great storytellers build on what came before, and this short, comedic segment of Four Rooms can be seen as Tarantino’s way of building on the work of giants. With the safety of working in the context of a side-project, rather than in one of his main numbered filmography, Tarantino was able to change the perceived rules of cinema, pushing things a little further.
