Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Of the cities in the world, few are depicted in and mythologized more in film and television than the city of Los Angeles. In this documentary, Thom Andersen examines in detail the ways the city has been depicted, both when it is meant to be anonymous and when itself is the focus. Along the way, he illustrates his concerns of how the real city and its people are misrepresented and distorted through the prism of popular film culture... (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Thom Andersen
Written By: Thom Andersen
Starring: Encke King
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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Los Angeles Plays Itself belongs to 24 collections
1. 21st Century Top 250 (collaborative: moderated by dardan - 49 stars)
2. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 1000 Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)
3. Best of criticker: Documentary (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 20 stars)
4. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
5. The Obscure, the Forgotten, and the Unloved (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 15 stars)
6. Metacritic - Universal Acclaim (collaborative: moderated by sengir - 14 stars)
7. Los Angeles (collaborative: moderated by Zarkon - 8 stars)
8. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2010) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 6 stars)
9. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2012) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 6 stars)
10. Doubling The Canon (2010 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 5 stars)
11. Sight & Sound Greatest Documentaries of all Time (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 5 stars)
12. Harvard University's Suggested Film Viewing List: Non-Fiction Films (collaborative: moderated by dardan - 4 stars)
13. Average Percentile >70 (collaborative: moderated by peyrin - 4 stars)
14. edkrak films to see (public: edkrak - 4 stars)
15. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2011) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 2 stars)
16. Doubling the Canon (2011 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 1 star)
17. Psychogeography and Dérive (public: Ag0stoMesmer - 1 star)
18. Los Angeles Movies (public: stalebread - 1 star)
19. Los Angeles in Film (collaborative: moderated by PerryStroika)
20. Best of criticker: 2003 (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr)
21. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 21 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
22. Urban Cinematics (book) (public: Ag0stoMesmer)
23. Edgar Wright's 1000 Favorite Movies (public: coldesser)
24. time was (public: rnest)
Browse the full list of collections
Stars | User | Rating | |
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Alex Watkins | 4 70th |
Part travelogue, part corrective to fictional portrayal of L.A. (sorry, Los Angeles) public spaces and geography, part screed against the self-mythologizing nature of Hollywood and the injustice of its portrayals of minorities and marginalia, and ultimately a beautiful love letter to an incredibly vibrant, diverse and vital city, warts and all. King's Andersen-penned narration is a great blend of sarcasm, cynicism, passion and humor. A must-see for any fan of film, but so much more as well.
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Nathan S | 4 74th |
There is little reverence here. This is an incisive essay concerned with geography, architecture, origin, chronology, and socioeconomic status, and how these things are routinely subverted and misrepresented, but occasionally done justice in the movies. The utter cynicism is a little disagreeable, but it is articulate and detailed. It's a deep well of interesting and sometimes obscure film clips. I laughed when the narrator contends that Dragnet belongs in the same pantheon as Bresson and Ozu.
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PeaceAnarchy | 78 54th |
The conceit of the film and its thoroughness are marvelous. The contrasts between film and reality and the transformation of Los Angeles through the distorted lens of film is enough to make the 2 plus hours of the film easy to take. On the flip side the narration is pretty terrible, partly because of the pointed remarks that aren't expanded upon and sometimes contradict themselves, but mostly because of the incessant monotone narration. Unique and intriguing vision with lackluster execution.
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Mentaculus | 80 73rd |
Seminal video essay and required viewing for anyone (like myself) who considers this glitzed- and fucked-up megalopolis a facsimile of home. Andersen's snarky yet precise dissection of public transit is when his perspective really shines. But I could not help but feel towards the coda that his hopeless portrayal of South Los Angeles unwittingly falls prey to the same bourgeoisie elitism he laments. I feel like it misses the point of these film texts, for me: their resilience, fortitude, & grace.
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KasperL | 75 77th |
Well worth a watch for a great selection of clips, many of which are taken from excellent films, famous as well as obscure. Don't let the 169 minutes scare you off; they brush by.
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woodoo | 90 82nd |
Sardonic and sarcastic narrator inadvertently falls in love with what a dump Los Angeles is.
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Actionberg | 85 84th |
A film essay needs a hell of a narration to be tolerable for a feature, to say nothing of a three-hour one, but this one does the trick. Early on Thom Anderson mentions how a film experience is altered significantly when you recognize where it's shot, a point not only familiar to me but important as well, and the proof is here. The fantasy of Los Angeles that blares across the global mediascape, the one I know because I've only been there once when I was a teenager, is brilliantly dissected here
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DMCrimson | 85 91st |
Wonderfully detailed and thought-provoking, even if it's narrated by Mr Plinkett from Red Letter Media.
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Ocelot | 90 97th |
If there's any better explanation on how movies are defined by the where as much as the who, how, what and when, I haven't heard it. The use of clips is perfect, synchronizing entertainment, insight and purpose. The first two hours are perfect, but it loses steam in the last half hour, jumping back and forth between scattered subjects before simply ending.
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JonnyHalftab | 83 43rd |
Considering the subject this could've been way better. It's amazing how many movies Anderson decides to spoil. Thankfully I've seen most of them but I haven't gotten around to LA Confidential yet
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Average Percentile 75.63% from 237 Ratings | ![]() |