MovieChat Forums > Four Rooms (1995) Discussion > Did anyone else notice the similarity?

Did anyone else notice the similarity?

posted 15 years ago by bobkaare
14 replies | jump to latest

Firstly, let me just say that I havent seen the movie yet. I picked it up at my local video store the other day for next to nothing, and I read a bit about it on here and such. It seems to me, without having seen it, that the Quentin Tarantino segment is basically a carbon copy of the Roald Dahl short story "The Man From The South". This movie has been out a while, so I suppose this is well known by fans of this movie, but I couldnt find any (active, at least) topics on here about it. So does Roald Dahl get any credit, or has Quentin just stolen that story?

For those who are not familiar with the story, its about some rich guy who meets a young fellow in some hotel, and they make a bet where the young guy has to light his lighter 20 (i think) times in a row, and if he manages that, he gets the rich guys car, a rolls royce IIRC, but if he loses the rich guy gets his pinky finger. They even order up a block of wood, nails, a hatchet and some rope to the hotel room and everything. In Roald Dahl's story though, the rich guys wife comes up and stops the bet from taking place, just before the lighter fails. It is too similar to be a coincidence, isnt it? There might have been something I missed, where the similiarity is acknowledged, but I just thought I'd say this here.

[–] pneff-1 14 years ago

Hmmm well that description is definitely almost identical to the film. However, in the film, they make references that they are copying a story called "the man from rio" from an old episode of "Alfred Hitchcock presents..." So it could be that Roald Dahl stole it from that tv show, or vice vera (or maybe he wrote it).

[–] duhbigbadwolf 14 years ago

its part of the humor for people who have read the short story.

the whole time, you're expecting someone to come up and stop it, then they don't and dude loses his hand.

[–] mrjohnausten 14 years ago

the alfred hitchcock short they refer to is actually called man from the south and is based off of roald dahl's short story, they are one and the same haha.

Here's the episode on youtube in case you're interested
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wlUY3FjsKI&feature=related

Severin, your servant comesinbells, please don’tforsakehim Strike, dear mistress and curehisheart

[–] pete159 14 years ago

omfg....
you have not seen this movie yet you post about it....
plz disconnect your internet connection and never again post a message online...

[–] icequeen_vienna 14 years ago

Roald Dahl is actually credited at the end under 'With Thanks To ...'

[–] puschit-1 14 years ago

Tarantino almost alwas "borrows" material and ideas. However, it's the way how he directs it, how he writes the dialogue and how he resolves the story. Watch it, it's worth it.

[–] un_comfortably_numb 14 years ago

I'm sorry but you're a moron. Watch it first, for fnck sake.

[–] lennon_emu 14 years ago

I don't think QT is trying to hide the reference to "The Man from Rio" or "The Man from the South", notably from the fact his segment is called "The Man from Hollywood" and the characters talk at lenght about the Hitchcock episode.

In any event, this is hands down the worst thing QT has written or directed (not hard considering the rest of his work his fantastic, in my opinion). It doesn't help that he acts (not particularly well) in it. The whole thing, bar a couple of great moments, just makes me cringe.

'My name's Buck...and I'm here to *beep*

[–] un_comfortably_numb 14 years ago

And youre telling me this because...

[–] lennon_emu 14 years ago

Just replying to the general thread, not specifically to anything you have written.

'My name's Buck...and I'm here to *beep*

[–] mizzlefoshizzle 12 years ago

First off how the hell do you know a part of this film is a reference to hitchcock or roald dahl without watching it?Also,the segment called 'the man from hollywood' isnt named because of anything to do with A.H or R.D,it is about the room being rented by a film director from hollywood,played by quentin tarantino!

[–] toph1980 12 years ago

The name is a reference to both, duh.

--
A picture with a smile - and perhaps, a tear.

[–] jabbathewocket-364-751127 12 years ago

Ok people please for the love of god DO NOT MAKE the mistake that this poster did..

I realize that we have alot of kids on the internet and they think time began the day they where born.. however.. time does move on.. without you..

The sequence is as follows:

Roald Dahl is the writer of *all* variants of this story (Hitchcock presents, 4 rooms (more on that later) the short story, as well as the pilot episode of Tales of the Unexpected..

It was written by Dahl sometime prior to 1960..

It was converted into an episode of the Alfred hitchcock presents series (1960)

it was also used as the pilot for Tales of the unexpected (1979)

it was AGAIN used in 1985 for the relaunch of Alfred Hitchcock presents (1985) oddly enough the Dahl Series was still on in 85 (didnt end until 88)

There was also a 1979 Tamil movie Ninaithale Inikkum (later remade in 2009)

All of this precedes the CREDITED IN THE FILM segment of 4 rooms.. which was a reworking of the Hitchcock Presents (1960) variant and the cast they refer to are from THIS version..

As far as copying things.. the entire segment was indeed attempting to "re-create the episode" as that was the idea behind it (that the dudes in penthouse where copying this old episode)

There is also a "special thanks" to Dahl in the credits for 4 rooms, and Tarantino has mentioned on numerous occasions that he is one of the storytellers whom he admired and most influenced him..

So lets think before we post or better yet learn to search interwebs before we post..

[–] richardsixone 12 years ago

i'm sure i remember reading at the time though that Roald Dahl's estate threatened to sue the makers as they did not obtain the rights to the story. just acknowledging the source isn't enough. it would be like doing an adaptation of The Da Vinci Code and saying "with thanks to Dan Brown" without paying him for the adaptation rights