Hacker Cinema
Los Angeles Plays Itself
2004 · Film · documentary · 169 min
Directed by Thom Andersen
From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. In this dazzling work, Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and meticulously, judiciously revealing the real city that lives beneath.
8 positive1 neutralfrom 9 commenters
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10 comments on Hacker News
There is a documentary called "Los Angeles Plays Itself". Thom Andersen is as erudite about movies as anyone could possibly be, but he still saw value in movies like "L.A. Crackdown" and "Death Wish 4". Terminator and Terminator 2 are both given shout-outs for their depiction of L.A. and the LAPD in particular.
https://youtu.be/Ifii8LvR-ss
Seeing as encounters with law enforcement are probably more deadly on average than jaywalking - I wholly support this change. Being poor in a car city is something most folks in the circles I run in now have never experienced or thought about. The documentary “Los Angeles Plays Itself” has a fantastic section about this.
Riding Solo to the Top of the World (2006) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903013/
The Atomic Cafe (1982) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083590/
At Sea (2007) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1829648/
The Vietnam War (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877514/
Lessons of Darkness (1992) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104706/
Tim's Vermeer (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3089388/
Weiner (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5278596/
Jodorowsky's Dune (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379357/
The Art of Japanese Life (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7002974/
The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief (2006) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493420/
The Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires (1996) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115398/
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4299972/
Adam Curtis' short "Oh Dearism" (https://thoughtmaybe.com/oh-dearism/) 12 minute mini-documentary is a good ramp up to his longer movies and is a critique of the failings of television news media in the late 20th century. My favorite of his is "Bitter Lake" (https://thoughtmaybe.com/bitter-lake/), a haunting "how did we get here" view of the middle east. His 3 part miniseries "All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace" (https://thoughtmaybe.com/all-watched-over-by-machines-of-loving-grace/) is a pretty good examination of 1970s silicon valley ruh-roh cybernetics culture and how it collided with the rest of the world vis-a-vis objectivism, finance, etc.
Somebody in this thread mentioned Wiseman's titicut follies, a lesser known but equally fascinating documentary of his is called The Store (http://www.zipporah.com/films/19) and just follows and examines the goings on at the Nieman-Marcus flagship in Dallas during holiday season of 1983.
Another favorite documentary that's more like watching a really good lecture is Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Plays_Itself ). it's a survey and exploration of the history of Los Angeles and its relationship and portrayal in hollywood and pop culture in general.
This comment reminded me of a perfect quote from the 'documentary'/video essay about Los Angeles -- Los Angeles Plays Itself (an analysis of LA composed of analyses of movies shot in LA):
" ...The loss of a car is a form of symbolic castration, in the movies and in life. The best films about Los Angeles are, at least partly, about modes of transportation. Getting from place to place isn’t a given. Cars break down, they get flat tires, they get towed. [Midnight Madness: as a tow truck dirver is hoisting a compact sedan onto the rear of his tow truck, four young women in identical red sweaters run up. One of them asks, „Hey, what’s going on here?“] Or you don’t have a car. You have to catch a bus or you have to walk..."
https://filmkritik.antville.org/stories/1071484/
trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifii8LvR-ss
it might seem deadpan, but the movie really was a fantastic experience for me
I recommend "Los Angeles Plays Itself" to any interested in seeing the juxtaposition of what you see in movies/tv with the reality.
There's also a much shorter, funnier one called "Vancouver Never Plays Itself" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojm74VGsZBU
"Los Angeles Plays Itself" - Thom Andersen's 2003 documentary, can be found on Youtube (paid), and is essential viewing IMHO.
"L.A. Plays Itself" - Fred Halsted's 1972 avant-garde gay porn film, the only hardcore work in the permanent collection of the MOMA, referenced in "Los Angeles Plays Itself".
Sorry, had to put that in.
Technically it's "Los Angeles Plays Itself".
This may seem pedantic, but it's a point made in the movie itself: "The acronym functions here as a slightly derisive diminutive. Now it’s become second nature, even to people who live here. Maybe we adopted it as a way of immunizing ourselves against the implicit scorn, but it still makes me cringe. Only a city with an inferiority complex would allow it."
(Also it turns out there was already a film called "LA Plays Itself") http://www.standardhotels.com/culture/whatever-you-do-dont-call-it-la-los-angeles-plays-itself-arrives-at-last
Thought that this was going to be about this movie (which I thought was a great watch as an LA transplant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Plays_Itself
If I recall correctly the first line of the article is almost verbatim from that film as well…
[EDIT: Guess I should have read the whole article before posting. I still think that it's an odd choice to co-opt the name of the film, and then give a throwaway shoutout halfway through.]
Reminds me a lot of one of my favorite documentaries - "Los Angeles Plays Itself". The film is an essay on how LA is depicted in film through its architecture.
It was finished in 2003, but because the film is made up of a ton of film clips, it took more than ten years to get it on DVD. The reason was no publisher was willing to take on the mess of getting permission for all those clips.
Just in case you're interested: http://dailytrojan.com/2014/10/20/los-angeles-plays-itself-unveils-unique-look-at-the-city/
Glad to see this series finally made it to DVD. My brother was a huge fan, and I'm not sure he knows this is going to be out in time for Christmas. Should be a great Christmas!