[Craic] Los Angeles Plays Itself (Documentary on Kanopy) & Los Angeles Movies: 57 Films that Best Capture L.A.

[Rob Anderson]

Craicers,

We talk quite a bit about the USA at Craic. Truth is we have spent an amazing amount of time absorbing American culture and forming our estimate of it with movies, and particularly those featuring Los Angeles.

Worth examining what has been the overall impact of these Los Angeles films on our understanding of the culture and how these films have shaped our mythic imagination not only with respect to the USA but also to the human experience itself?
This documentary, “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” on Netflix narrated in a film noir tone features a plethora of images of the city that Hollywood films have poured out over the decades.  The sheer violence and depiction of the dark side of human nature and American culture as imaged with L.A. as the setting is staggering. 

Great clips of movies going back to almost 100 years.

Think of the films that have forged our consciousness:

Blade Runner
Mulholland Drive
Chinatown
L.A. Confidential
Sunset Boulevard
Short Cuts
Double indemnity
Die Hard
The Long Goodbye

Heavy duty stuff!  This final segment of documentary also includes never seen independent films that depict the experiences of Latinos and those in the black community that were rarely given attention in the main stream films.

Well worth a viewing.  Mesmerizing!

Bob

See below for Time Out’s best 57 Los Angeles films.

16. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Because it’s made up almost entirely of clips from other movies, you’re never going to be able to rent or purchase this seminal study of the city’s onscreen presence (assembled by CalArts film theorist Thom Andersen). But if you ever hear of a public screening, clear your schedule: The connections are humorous, with nods to everything from Female (1933) to Swordfish (2001).—Joshua Rothkopf



https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/film/los-angeles-movies-57-films-that-best-capture-la


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