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Los Angeles ("don't call it L. A. !). The archival footage of all those noir films alone is worth the viewing. But this film has more than nostalgia on its mind: how a city is portrayed in film can expose much about the societal views of that city--- and how its inhabitants are viewed.
"No one walks in Los Angeles!"
"Everyone drives everywhere in Los Angeles."
Well, yes, if you're talking everyone except the large population of lower-income folks.
"Exiles." "The Sheep Killer." These two documentaries about, respectively, Native Americans and African-American experiences in the City of Angels, have largely been ignored--- even though they most truthfully depict the stories of significant numbers of residents.
But, don't think the film is preachy or didactic--- it's entertaining as hell and, for all those fascinated by the large melting pot this megalopolis has become, a not-to-be-missed experience.
Follow Ups:
I have always wanted to watch a good film on the history of Los Angeles.
Watched it a few weeks ago. A little long in spots but really interesting in others.
Worth it for any movie history buff.
"We are all in God's hands... and God is a malign thug."
-Mark Twain
Good point. I saw "Los Angeles Plays Itself" last month on Netflix - I liked it, although I thought it deteriorated toward the end (where the narrator strays from the depiction and movie persona of Los Angeles itself), and I thought some of the points and glib assertions (a couple of which you pointed out: no one walks, everybody drives, etc.) were merely the conceits of an artiste. I also chuckled at another of his points, which was that everybody thinks people in LA work in the movies, but, in reality, "only 1 Angelino in 40 works in the entertainment industry". That still seems like a pretty darn high number to me!
Nevertheless, as I mentioned, I still liked it - partly for the nostalgia. (Until I was a senior in high school, I was living about a mile and a half from Disneyland.)
are you agreeing with the "artiste" of the film?
Certainly, when the documentary moved to the "character" of the city, the focus changed: I am not uneasy with a filmmaker pointing out seemingly obvious, but almost never remarked upon, "institutional racism." It is absolutely remarkable that, in 2015, minorities still are being categorized and that one must seek out films produced and directed by them to get any inkling of "normal" humanity. Of course, there are exceptions. But what makes them noteworthy is that very exceptional-ism.
Anyhow, it's a powerful film with more than a few thoughts to take away and mull.
. . .that some of the artiste-narrator's assertions seemed like glib conceits to me (and I thought to you too, based on your OP). Still, the movie is interesting enough that I don't want to give him too hard a time. But while I'm thinking about it, he should have included more than the single brief excerpt from "Mulholland Drive" - maybe he doesn't know what to make of David Lynch's offerings. ;-)
Nt
...pretty much sums up LA all by itself.
In a way it could be seen as a documentary.
----------------------
"Have you a water buffalo?"
...what a difference 10 years made to the place!
statements on the unintentionally biased WASP view of Los Angeles.
And, I think you confused Mulholland Drive with Mulholland Falls: the latter I recall being referenced, not the former?
...that explains a lot ;-)
When I lived in Long Beach in the 1970s I dated a girl who lived near Disneyland - we would sit out on her back porch at 10pm and watch the fireworks.
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