The film noir legacy of LA Confidential and dark history of 1950s Los Angeles

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ธ.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 304

  • @Mouthfilm
    @Mouthfilm ปีที่แล้ว +84

    Great shout out to Devil in a Blue Dress, which is the cousin to L.A. Confidential and one of the most underrated and underappreciated movies of the last 30 years. In a just world, we'd have gotten 10 more Denzel-led Easy movies.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +15

      We were robbed. We deserved more Easy Rawlins mysteries and more Mouse.

    • @timothyreynolds890
      @timothyreynolds890 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Amen! Walter Mosley is one of my favorite writers. Don Cheadle’s performance as Mouse, in Devil in the Blue Dress, was phenomenal.

    • @JaiProdz
      @JaiProdz ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I screamed when I saw it pop up! It is so good, and the way LA Confidential had gay characters, and this one had Black characters....the neo noir genre has some elements still left untapped (save for say, Bound 1996) and I'd like to see more of Easy!! Maybe a series or a film trilogy with John David Washington?

    • @Mouthfilm
      @Mouthfilm ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@CinemaCities1978 Mouse has to be the most underappreciated Don Cheadle performance. As someone who's read several Mosley books, he captures the menacing, volatile nature of that character to a T. Staggering work.

    • @Mouthfilm
      @Mouthfilm ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@JaiProdzthe big issue is that, traditionally, movies billed as noirs or neo-noirs don't make a lot of money and require some investment, but for the most part, they always tend to have something to say and even the less successful ones are, at the very least, interesting.

  • @machinelearng
    @machinelearng ปีที่แล้ว +12

    I almost only watch period films. The Perry Mason first season on HBO is my current favorite. I have worked in the areas where the Danny Devito character had his office. The Crossroads complex on sunset

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I loved the first season of Perry Mason. When they prominently featured Angels Flight in the firs episode I was hooked. I haven't gotten to the second season yet.

    • @machinelearng
      @machinelearng ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@CinemaCities1978 My exact same response to seeing Angel's Flight. I've gone up and down that thing so many times since they reopened it 20 years or so ago.

  • @SirSmoldham
    @SirSmoldham ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Damn, I love this film. I met the author of the novel at a sneak preview in Westwood and even framed my ticket. The adaptation was brilliant. My favorite composer scored this film as well as "Chinatown". Thank you for mentioning "Devil With the Blue Dress", another great example of modern neo noir. BTW, I used to live on Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills, mere blocks from the location where Lana Turner's daughter dealt with Johnny Stompanato.

  • @briankorbelik2873
    @briankorbelik2873 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    James Ellroy is one of my favorite authors. He NEVER pulls his punches.

  • @michaelmanning5379
    @michaelmanning5379 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I stumbled upon your channel thanks to the algorithm. (All hale the algorithm!) I really quite enjoy your low key delivery and references to films noir I have yet to discover. I followed your link to Gun Grazy and The Fast and the Furious and enjoyed both emensely.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed Gun Crazy. It's such a groundbreaking film and it really deserves a wider audience. I'm happy that I could introduce it to you.

  • @classiclife7204
    @classiclife7204 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Nice shout out for "Devil in a Blue Dress" - unknown by most, but it should be celebrated. Well, hell, outside of cinema lovers, "LA Confidential" is practically forgotten. It certainly competes with "Chinatown" as a neo-noir depiction of LA. Curtis Hanson earlier in the 90s did an ok noir called "Bad Influence" in which LA also plays a role. Glossy, soulless. Like the skyscrapers that stand lifelessly on what used to be Bunker Hill. I love old LA, and I love this movie, and any movie that depicts old LA. One of my absolute favorites.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I need to get my Devil In A Blue Dress video made. It's one of the ones at the top of the to do list.

  • @kimmurphy1683
    @kimmurphy1683 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Great presentation! Thank you. BTW, tonight is Saturday movie and popcorn, and I'll be watching Kiss of Death, 1947. You rock!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว

      Love Kiss of Death. Richard Widmark in that is 🔥

  • @DanielOrme
    @DanielOrme ปีที่แล้ว +12

    I remember that when this came out Kevin Spacey was seen as the major star in the cast, coming so soon after his Oscar for The Usual Suspects, while Pearce and Crowe were nearly unknown (by the general American public) Australian imports. At this moment, Spacey might have been the most critically-admired movie actor in America.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yes. He was very big and I think this was his transition period from supporting to leading man roles in films like American Beauty.

    • @MrRudyhj
      @MrRudyhj 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      As was Kim Bassinger and Danny DeVito

    • @makeit2927
      @makeit2927 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Sadly, embarrassingly, it was more important to Spacey to allegedly act in ways that dishonored his obvious talents more than to promote them.
      Flynn, Allen, Ratner, Weinstein, CK, Cosby, Rose, Diddy, Kelly, Simpson - all men of commensurate “talent”
      who it seems “refused to let well enough alone”…
      Fame is intoxicating, alright.
      Like mainlining arsenic.

    • @michealbohmer2871
      @michealbohmer2871 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Simon Baker was in there too. He played Matt Reynolds. That's a hattrick of Aussies.

  • @peterzang
    @peterzang ปีที่แล้ว +8

    It’s a masterpiece. On my all time list. Genius.

  • @waynej2608
    @waynej2608 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    I saw L.A.Confidential in the theaters when it was first released. I loved it and it hasn't missed a beat over the years. This one, along with Chinatown, Devil in the Blue Dress and The Grifters are the best of the neo-noir genre. Imho. Great vid. 👍 You included some great ones. In addition to the aforementioned, you've got Crime Wave, Act of Violence and The Big Sleep. Classic L.A. film noirs. I'd include Criss Cross and the first half of On Dangerous Ground too. So many...Ty. And keep up the fine work. I've got to take it on the lam. 😂

    • @allegory6393
      @allegory6393 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Great list, but On Dangerous Ground (one of my most favourite noirs, if not the most favourite -along with Out of the Past) is set in NYC (and then up-state NY, from the grittiest, densest street-level shots to the vast, snowy expanses of up-state NY, two contrasting sites of desolation, the film's visual structure is just as extraordinary as the rest of its elements) not L.A.

    • @waynej2608
      @waynej2608 ปีที่แล้ว

      As a native New Yorker, you'd think I would've known. Although, I don't think the actual location is made clear in the narrative. But, given the weather, I go with NY. I really like On Dangerous Ground, but I favor the first part more than the second. Ryan busting heads and dealing with all that urban angst... I feel that Nicholas Ray was going for two films in one. Still, I enjoy watching it. Cheers.

  • @maralinekozial9131
    @maralinekozial9131 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Jack was always my favorite character as a ten year old when i first saw this movie back in 97 on VHS wit my uncle & my brother & my friend , my brother always liked Bud & my friend always loved Shotgun Ed but i loved Jack cuz he was too cool for school & dressed nice & was smooth & was also the smartest of the three even over Ed cuz he literally solved the entire case just by saying Rolo Tomassi to his killer !!!! I never thought everyone else i ever watched this film with as a pre teen would fall in love with it as much as i did but they all did because even a 10 year old kid can look up to these types of characters & relate to them!!! This film is a masterpiece & the best film of the late 90's hands down!!!! Im so glad it hit the algorithm & others are finally seeing this film for the first time & keeping it alive & remembered because otherwise it would just be a lost gem that most folks would never see!!!! This is also the film that got Russell Crowe famous & its the first film i saw any of these actors in tbh !!!! Wow how the time flies & its crazy how i watched Crowes career from early on to at his peak to now not seeing him barely at all in films lolz i feel older than i am & im only 37 !!!!

  • @paulcooper8818
    @paulcooper8818 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    *_LA Confidential_* is one of my very favorite films.
    I think it is better than the book for the simplified plot lines, but it did water down the 3 main characters.
    Nonetheless it's a 10/10 for me.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +4

      My take is maybe they had to make the three main characters more likable.

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@CinemaCities1978Except none of them are likeable, but we still are made to care about them. Proof characters don't have to be likeable.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@etherealtb6021 I've personally never believed that characters have to be likable for us to care about them or to become invested in their journey. Don Draper, Michael Corleone, and Amy Dunne are all awful people. In the case of LAC, the screenwriters took 3 very, very terrible people and made them more sympathetic on film than they were in the book.

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@CinemaCities1978 Exactly! All studio heads should be forced to watch this movie monthly, to remind them of this fact and what great filmmaking actually looks like!

    • @paulcooper8818
      @paulcooper8818 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@CinemaCities1978 I do wonder how the movie would have been accepted by audiences if the characters were presented as darkly as the book versions.
      Certainly there's a segment of movie goers that would be completely turned off (perhaps revolted), while another segment would adore the bold characterization.
      From a money making aspect, the screenwriter made the right decision.

  • @liquidsoul235
    @liquidsoul235 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thank you for this fantastic video!

  • @iainmelville9411
    @iainmelville9411 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Read the book: saw the movie.
    When I read the book, I thought, “well, this is never going to be a film”.
    When I saw the film, I thought, “I guess they had to change it up.” What surprised me was that I loved them both. I loved the LA of the film, it felt real too me.
    I’m an Ellroy fan, but I think the only way to film them is to adapt them. I think this film is a near perfect adaptation.
    Much love, ❤

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I agree. I think this is the masterclass on how to adapt a novel to the screen.

    • @Hexon66
      @Hexon66 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Noir is a genre that is best suited to film. Even the best source material, and frankly I wouldn't rate Elroy in that group, pales in comparison. The atmosphere can never really be conveyed in any deeply sensory level in print. And the staccato dialogue often rarely lives up to a film, or radio for that matter, performance.

  • @auldthymer
    @auldthymer ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Love your film images from 1950s L.A. You really establish time and place.

  • @curiousworld7912
    @curiousworld7912 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I love 'LA Confidential', and think you did a great job discussing it. I wish Elroy's 'Black Dahlia' had been a better film, but... 'LA Confidential' did a marvelous job of recreating mid-century LA, and every performance was masterful. It's a movie I can watch, again and again. Thanks, as always, for doing these movie discussions. You're really good at it. :)

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yes, that Black Dahlia film was AWFUL.

    • @Mouthfilm
      @Mouthfilm ปีที่แล้ว +2

      There have been rumors of a 4-hour cut of Black Dahlia that is much closer to De Palma's original vision for the movie than the studio-butchered cut that came out. Despite not being super successful, the movie as it stands still has phenomenal photography (sort of the only color noir that feels like the classic noirs) and some astounding camerawork.

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@CinemaCities1978You can't shoot a movie so dependent on L. A. anywhere but L. A.! You just can't. I'll always be awful and never look right. 🤷‍♀️

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Mouthfilm I completely forgot about the DePalma cut of 'The Black Dahlia.' I doubt they'll ever release it. I recall reading somewhere that Josh Hartnett saw the cut and thought it was amazing. Fun fact: one of the very first videos I uploaded to this channel (over 3 years ago) was about 'The Black Dahlia.' I ended up deleting it.

    • @Mouthfilm
      @Mouthfilm ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@CinemaCities1978I know these are a lot of work and require enthusiasm, which might be tough for a movie you don't love, but if you ever decide to give it another go, I'd obviously really love to watch that video.

  • @MoxieMcMurder
    @MoxieMcMurder ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I love this film so much. It's still just as fresh today!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It really is a classic. I can hold its own against the greats in the genre.

  • @binglamb2176
    @binglamb2176 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    There are very few films which I can watch over and over, endlessly. L. A. Confidential is certainly one of them (as is Chinatown). There is something about mid 20th century L.A. that just fascinates me. James Ellroy's novels speak to that fascination in a very real way which is why I love them as well. Thanks for insights about the film which you have done so well as always.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I have the same fascination with Los Angeles. I devour anything set there between the 1930s and 1970s. That's one reason that I love Columbo so much. On top of the mysteries and the guest stars it's giving 70s Los Angeles.

  • @Chiller11
    @Chiller11 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I enjoyed LA Confidential. The casting seemed spot on and I was easily transported into LA of the 50’s. It was a time and a place where America’s “Greatest Generation” were occasionally less than great.

  • @CinemaCities1978
    @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +36

    Do I think this is the BEST LA movie? I think it's one of the best. .
    "LA Confidential" stands as one of the best book-to-screen adaptations ever. While I personally love the book, it's valid to criticize it as being overstuffed. The film, on the other hand, presents a more streamlined narrative, constructed upon the foundation of an exceptionally rich and detailed world that skillfully weaves together elements of pulp fiction and historical fact. It’s actually remarkable in the way this massive story was able to make it, maybe not completely in tact, but in spirit to the screen. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say they prefer the movie to the book.

    • @emilien.
      @emilien. ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Another great video!!! LA Confidential is one of my all-time favorite books. I read it and savored every page well before the movie was made. Around the turn of this current century, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the intriguing James Ellroy at a book signing and had a brief exchange of wry conversation with him including a quip from me about his dog that elicited a thumbs up reaction from him. (I wish I could remember the exact words.)
      My dad was in law enforcement in Hellay and in the early 1950s (and luckily for him and his family), was transferred to a better environment in another state. Rotten city. I count my blessings. I don't think I'd be alive today to be writing this if we had stayed in SoCal.

    • @MothGirl007
      @MothGirl007 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@emilien. I'm a native Angeleno, and totally disagree with your description of my hometown. Still here, still thriving. It's far from "rotten", has a rich and interesting history and a lot of fantastic people live here.

    • @jamesallard7223
      @jamesallard7223 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I'm also an Ellroy fan and the movie as well. Sadly, we didn't get the entire quadrology but still, we can hope.

    • @emilien.
      @emilien. ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MothGirl007 I respect your opinion. There's abso-freakin'-lutely(!!) good (people places & things) in every city and I venture to say you're part of what's good, but I still stick with my overall opinion.

    • @emilien.
      @emilien. ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@jamesallard7223 I loved the movie as well and realize I did not articulate that in my initial comments. Ellroy for president!!!

  • @numba2bvi
    @numba2bvi ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Great video! Thank you
    Whoever was in charge of casting was amazing at their craft. Everyone looks like a real life version of someone from either a comic bookor a drawing from an ad in the era.
    Actually wardrobe compliments the cast as well so yea and great job on them as well!!

  • @lbbotpn5429
    @lbbotpn5429 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I can't believe I've never seen this film. As a self-proclaimed cinephile, I have some weird blind spots. Thanks for putting this one on my radar!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      you MUST watch it! It's one of the very best LA/Neo-Noir/90s/crime films ever made.

    • @lbbotpn5429
      @lbbotpn5429 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@CinemaCities1978 Well, if I must, I must. Disc ordered! 😊

    • @slimsycentaur37
      @slimsycentaur37 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@CinemaCities1978it's just one of the best films ever made, period.

    • @JoRN1222
      @JoRN1222 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      It is so good!😊

  • @stevemoody13
    @stevemoody13 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Great work! I really enjoyed it. I guess I'll have to watch LA Confidential tonight. It's been a few years since the last time I watched it.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I'm glad you enjoyed it! Give it a rewatch. It's one of those films that gets better with every viewing.

  • @craftergin
    @craftergin ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Really good! I loved your video. LA Confidential is one of my favorite movies. Loved your insights!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you so much for watching. It's always cool when I cover someone's favorite movie and they love the video.

  • @wooden5c
    @wooden5c ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I love the movie and enjoyed your personal commentary and the worked in Noir history. Your channel is a highlight of my youtubing

  • @edramirez1240
    @edramirez1240 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Another excellent vlog. I have never read the book, however, I will do so now to in order compare it to the movie. I find it interesting that the two protagonists (and one the supporting actors) are from Australia.

  • @l.a.gothro3999
    @l.a.gothro3999 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    James Ellroy wrote a fine foreword to "The Choirboys" by Joseph Wambaugh, in the Delta Books edition of that great novel about L. A.'s cops.

  • @nickbovi
    @nickbovi ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I saw your girl Lila Leeds(from the newsletter fame), shown briefly in the snippets of the newspaper. This is really a terrific film, its probably the best of the neo noirs that were done around this time, along with the Last Seduction and Devil in a Blue Dress.

  • @carfonju1018
    @carfonju1018 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    the movie and your work is a beautiful combination of glamour, sex, fame, city, american dream, death and police in cold war era..Amazing

  • @richardbell-vf2st
    @richardbell-vf2st 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    When this was being filmed, I worked in a bar in Silverlake and would go home heading west on Santa Monica Boulevard at about 3:30 in the morning. When I drove past the Formosa Cafe, it was surrounded by an awesome collection of old cars from the late 40's and early 50's. It was obvious that some movie was being made, but I had no way to know what movie. It was fascinating, because I love old cars from that era. A bunch of big, bulbous fastbacks. This went on for several nights, so I could sense that whatever it was, it was a big production. They were filming inside the Formosa, so all I really saw was the cars, but that was good enough. Eventually, I saw L.A. Confidential, and then I immediately knew what production I had been driving past all those months before.

  • @timothyreynolds890
    @timothyreynolds890 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you and excellent work again! I have not read the book, but have always been fascinated by the movie. So many layers of a very rotten onion…🍿

  • @tiptopdadddy
    @tiptopdadddy ปีที่แล้ว +31

    Crowe’s character in Romper Stomper was likely the reason he was considered for the role of Bud White. They share the same sense of menace and capacity for extreme violence.

    • @Skullkan6
      @Skullkan6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Stranger when you consider producers were doing everything in their power to get him OUT of the movie. They even stopped paying for his hotel.

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That is the film Curtis saw him in.

    • @tiptopdadddy
      @tiptopdadddy ปีที่แล้ว

      @@etherealtb6021 totally makes sense!

    • @Chiller11
      @Chiller11 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Oddly so did the genuine Russell Crowe of the era.

  • @gamedotfilm3929
    @gamedotfilm3929 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I've been looking for a video about one of my favorite films of all time 😊❤ you did great work!

  • @MoreMovies4u
    @MoreMovies4u ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This was so good I watched it twice, one straight after the other. You really hit a high point with this video and that's saying something as all of your stuff is HQ. But hell, this was special. Great insight into the novel, perfect contrasts with the excellent film and all round very entertaining and suave. What more can I say, this is top tier movie content!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you, my friend!!!! That's some high praise, and I'm basking in ALL of it ☀️😎. I did an LA Confidential video a couple of years ago, and I really wanted to do it better. I wanted to get more into the book and look at the history of the time and place. I'm really happy with this version.

  • @schwartzenheimer1
    @schwartzenheimer1 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Great presentation. Growing up in LA from 1950 on, I can really relate to these films. Having a parent who dabbled in the fringes of the gritty Los Angeles these films show, I am drawn to them like onlookers to a train wreck...thanks for putting it all together in a lovely video...

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      you're welcome! thanks for watching!

  • @peterzang
    @peterzang ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is wonderful. Thank you. A masterpiece

  • @billystpaul8907
    @billystpaul8907 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I would consider Devil In The Blue Dress on the same level as LA Confidential. Both are well made and well acted. It takes a lot of work to make movies like these 2 seem real not hokey. They succeeded on both. They both are well shot. The scripts are well done and both directors had sense of making everything look right. I have the Criterion Collection of Devil In A Blue Dress and it's wonderful to watch. I wish they would do the same for LA. It needs to be done in 4K.

  • @JaiProdz
    @JaiProdz ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I've been obsessed with this story since I saw the film in the summer. It's delicious!!!

  • @malcolmlumumba9055
    @malcolmlumumba9055 2 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Just loved everything when it comes to this movie. It was just perfect in every shape and form. A real sight to the eye.

  • @jenkooper8647
    @jenkooper8647 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Loved the movie, loved the book. Well done!

  • @naftalibendavid
    @naftalibendavid ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Nicely done! Thanks so much.

  • @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat
    @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The cinematography in L.A. Confidential reminds me of some of the 50s era painted illustrations by renowned commercial artist Tom Lovell.
    To the point where I wonder if it wasn't absolutely an intentional emulation.

  • @TwistedGeniusMedia
    @TwistedGeniusMedia ปีที่แล้ว +2

    That was a great video about one of my all time favorite movies. 👍👍

  • @OperativeD
    @OperativeD ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I love this movie though it's been awhile since I've watched it. I forgot that they mentioned Johnny Stompanato! My favorite real life story involving him is when 007 himself Sir Sean Connery got in a fight with him. Stompanato was trying to harass his then girlfriend Lana Turner on set. If ever there was a moment in time to be a fly on the wall that would be one I'd pick. I love your work with these mini documentaries of films I've enjoyed (though I only recently watched The Grifters and liked it) and can't wait to see more from you!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!
      That's a GREAT story. Connery beat up Stompanato when he barged onto the London set of Another Time, Another Place. The story goes Connery took him down with one punch.

    • @stevemcnary7963
      @stevemcnary7963 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      ​@@CinemaCities1978I believe Connery was a boxer so I wouldn't be surprised if that were true.

  • @jenniferahmad
    @jenniferahmad ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wonderful treatment 👌

  • @TheloniousCube
    @TheloniousCube ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Yet another excellent entry in your ongoing series.
    I've loved the movie since it came out (IIRC I had only recently finished reading the quartet and was surprised anyone would attempt a film), but I think I'm overdue for another rewatch. There's so much to enjoy!
    Is the novel "overstuffed"? I would say no, not for a novel (and the cumulative effect of reading all 4 is quite exhilarating - White Jazz seems not to take a single breath for the whole novel). I'm still amazed they were able to extract a pretty intact cross-section of plots and characters into a coherent film.
    Maybe a feature on Richard Widmark at some point?

  • @numbersix8919
    @numbersix8919 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Yes, ma'am, I am blown away by how informed your videos are,
    How completely enjoyable, I tag some of them "movies" along with actual movies!
    Thank you! And I'm going to read the book now, thank you very much for the tip.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm so happy that you enjoy this channel! Thanks for being a loyal viewer!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว

      PS - The book is a WILD ride.

  • @kifacorea
    @kifacorea 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Nice touch mentioning the japanese american internment in this wonderful review.

  • @peteberry3826
    @peteberry3826 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    One of my favourite films. Also, Devi In A Blue Dress, is another.
    L.A. itself being a major character in noth films.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I really do need to make a video on Devil in a Blue Dress.

  • @Nwstwd
    @Nwstwd ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I never read the book,but the movie is on my best list. Just a great, great movie.

  • @lancebuttox9637
    @lancebuttox9637 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    That was wonderful, thank you so much

  • @DanielOrme
    @DanielOrme ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The idea of a miniseries being a better way to get all the interlaced threads of history and corruption in the story of Los Angeles together makes sense, but that's not easy, either. A couple of years ago they started out trying it in Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels. It was set in the late 1930's and started out with 'Chinatown'-like corruption, mixed in the history of the Mexican-American community, an Aime Semple McPherson type evangelist, a secret group of Nazi plotters, etc. etc. etc. until it all became too much to follow. They abandoned it after one season, which was probably for the best.

    • @DanielOrme
      @DanielOrme ปีที่แล้ว

      @PBFoote-mo2zr Yeah, I stayed with it hoping it would come together, but when it didn't I was all too glad to leave it unfinished.

  • @peterzang
    @peterzang ปีที่แล้ว +14

    God bless Curtis Hanson. He deserved a much better end. Great talent good dude

  • @linphillips8331
    @linphillips8331 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Saw this movie on VHS in the 90s. Will have to find it again!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It totally deserves a rewatch. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

    • @peterzang
      @peterzang ปีที่แล้ว

      And it has a Making Of. Brilliant

  • @samuelbarber6177
    @samuelbarber6177 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I remember watching L.A. Confidential for the first time a couple years back and it was like the movie had been deliberately made for me. I’ve always been a fan of that 1940s-1960s aesthetic and I also remember loving the cinematography, the music, the editing, and the performances (Danny DeVito especially, having so much fun here). And my appreciation has only grown as I’ve gotten more into noir cinema and the history of L.A. It’s a real shame this movie came out the same year as Titanic because this really deserved some more Oscars.

  • @allypoum
    @allypoum ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Love your work so commenting for the algorithm.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thank you so much! I appreciate that! It's a silly game we all have to play.

  • @jeffwhite3679
    @jeffwhite3679 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    One of my favorites! I watch it every couple years. I haven't read the book and I ordered it after watching this. I do think that noir is such a good genre because it gives people a glimpse into how the world really is which is a stark contrast to how we like to view the world. Most of us are never exposed to the seamier side of human existence. And that's a good thing. Noir reminds us of what is under the veneer. I don't often watch the standard "cop" movies. I would just pick them apart after 20 years on the job. I do enjoy the way they are portrayed in noir. Human beings with all of the baggage human beings carry and a lot they add to the load on the job. I can't say I worked with a Bud White, Ed Exley or Jack Vincennes but I recognized character traits of guys I did work with in those screen portrayals.

  • @Martyn2021
    @Martyn2021 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Your documentaries are so good, they make you feel as well as entertain, I would also like to add if get chance to look up the Pc game LA Noire it pushes the envelope in the same way the LA Confidential does but also pushes further

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +4

      thank you! I really love the subjects I talk about and I'm glad that comes through.

  • @UnicornPizza
    @UnicornPizza ปีที่แล้ว +3

    My comfort movie. Thank you for this video. Will you do a video on the book ‘Hollywood Babylon’ by Kenneth Anger, out of curiosity ?

  • @jimboeeek
    @jimboeeek ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Today I learned about the book "The Americans", will probably pick it up. Thanks! :)

  • @spockboy
    @spockboy ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video : ) Would LOVE more noir films. Hell, ANY non superhero reboots would be pleasant. The bar is so damn low right now.

  • @robs9237
    @robs9237 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video for a great movie. I love your historical deep dives on movies. BTW thanks for mentioning devil in a blue dress, really good underrated Denzel movie.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว

      I kind of see Devil in A Blue Dress and LA Confidential as two sides of the same coin. They work very well as companion pieces.

  • @Hogtownboy1
    @Hogtownboy1 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great examination, Basinger at her most glorious role and Yes james Cromwell as the ultra Wasp Cop of the fifties LA

    • @pinverarity
      @pinverarity 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Definitely *not* a WASP. Dudley is Irish.

    • @Hogtownboy1
      @Hogtownboy1 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@pinverarity orangemen are WASPs

  • @scottwhittaker4959
    @scottwhittaker4959 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    A good companion to L.A. noir lore would be Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger, written in a tabloid style. It shows up in used bookstores and library sales.

    • @MothGirl007
      @MothGirl007 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      If you read it, just be aware that most of the stories in it are not true. It's entertaining, but not factual at all.

    • @sarahalbers5555
      @sarahalbers5555 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MothGirl007 I found it to be just as you said, and somewhat annoying.

    • @MothGirl007
      @MothGirl007 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@sarahalbers5555 It's extremely annoying and Anger wrote it at a time when he was absolutely flat broke and in desperate need of money, so he went all out with the exploitation and outright lies. He knew that would sell the book and that was all he cared about. Sadly, a lot of people who don't know very much about the history of Hollywood have read it and, without knowing any better, believe all the ridiculous stories. A truly awful book, in every way.

  • @waynesmith3318
    @waynesmith3318 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    My family and I moved to LA in 1954. I was in the 3rd grade. The movie is excelent and has the strong ring of truth. I also am a fan of Devil In A Blue Dress.

  • @NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek
    @NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Brilliant!!!!

  • @SteveMccart
    @SteveMccart 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The main thing i remember about LA and LA county from 50s , 60s and even the 70s is how much open space there actually was. Its hard to believe today but watching old movies it all comes back to me. I also remember walking to school (long walks) as a kindergartner and 1st grader. On non school days i would be out the door with the sun and back home with the street lights. Today parents dont let kids leave the yard.

  • @huskerjpg
    @huskerjpg 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Devil in a Blue Dress and LA Confidential are GREAT movies. I believe the LAC movie is set from Christmas 1952 to about March-April 1953.

  • @nickimontie
    @nickimontie ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great video! I saw this when it came out but need to watch it again.

  • @zetectic7968
    @zetectic7968 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Another very good look around LA & the film. Time for a rewatch to see what I missed & informed by your comments. The City of Angels is a misnomer, still weighed down by the dark underbelly.

    • @MothGirl007
      @MothGirl007 ปีที่แล้ว

      🙄 Many of us who were born and still live here feel differently.

  • @rosezingleman5007
    @rosezingleman5007 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    James Cromwell grew up in LA. I think that informs his performance here.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Cromwell is so quietly menacing; I love his performance. His character, from the book to the screen, is translated perfectly.

    • @tiptopdadddy
      @tiptopdadddy ปีที่แล้ว +4

      He was great in Six Feet Under

    • @paulkitt-er9dr
      @paulkitt-er9dr ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I believe his father was a well respected film director

    • @alanbehrens4231
      @alanbehrens4231 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      ​@@paulkitt-er9drJohn Cromwell.

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      His dad was a very good (and underappreciated) director in the Golden Age!

  • @brianhotaling5849
    @brianhotaling5849 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Curtis Hansen gave the cast a film list of old films to watch. CANNOT find it anywhere!!!

    • @brianhotaling5849
      @brianhotaling5849 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Included: The Bad And The Beautiful

    • @brianhotaling5849
      @brianhotaling5849 ปีที่แล้ว

      This vid was genius!!! Thank you

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think I read it (or saw it) in an old interview. If I can find it, I'll get back to you.

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว

      He says what they were in the feature, which must be on TH-cam by now!

  • @stephpicher
    @stephpicher ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Awesome!
    I’m a big fan of the movie, and an even bigger fan of the books. I have once met James Ellroy, he’s quite the character. :)
    I would love to see the L.A. Quartet adapted in a mini series, although I don’t think it will happen. I can always dream.
    The L.A. Quartet is one of the few series of crime fiction book I want to re-read. It’s tough in many ways, but also very rewarding.
    Cheers, lady!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Form the interviews I've seen with him over the years, Ellroy does indeed seem like quite the character. There's always talk of new adaptations of his books but nothing ever comes of it.

  • @KerryLockhart-um9jr
    @KerryLockhart-um9jr ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Kudos to you Cinema Cities for having read L.A. Confidential.

  • @Zed-fq3lj
    @Zed-fq3lj 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Brilliant video, love the movie, excellent review and retrospective!🤩

  • @grandpascorpio
    @grandpascorpio 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Ellroy originally praised the film effusively, but trashed it 20 years later after Curtis Hanson died --- I still think the movie is great.

    • @person-du8dj
      @person-du8dj หลายเดือนก่อน

      I don’t really understand why he trashed on it after he died.

  • @jameson8010
    @jameson8010 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Fantastic essay! What a treat to discover your channel! I’ll be eating good for a while!
    Have you had the opportunity to check out the HBO series Perry Mason? But earlier version of LA but I’m positive you would be able to clock some of the homages made to noir movies or just how well it does as a noir series on its own right. Would love to hear your thoughts on it

  • @etherealtb6021
    @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I adore this movie! Saw it opening night in 1997! Even though they are set in the past, Ironically, L. A. Confidential and Chinatown are the films that *looks* like the city I live in.
    I just read Helgeland and Ellroy couldn't get a sequel green lit. After reading the book and all the plot points they couldn't fit in, this is the only sequel I ever really wanted to see! Think how great Guy Pearce would be in the 70's as Chief of the LAPD and Crowe as an older Budd!
    BTW, I don't think Jack is a drug addict in the film? I think it was in the book (been awhile), but no hint to me in the film of that.
    This movie is so rich, you can watch it each time for different things. Like, watch it once just looking for all of the reflections of the characters and how each time it mirrors (get it) how that character is feeling about themselves at that moment. So flipping brilliant!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I just read that article about the sequel proposal to Netflix. What a missed opportunity! Netflix will make the most ridiculous romcoms and then make it a trilogy, but they won't greenlight this. I hate it here.

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@CinemaCities1978 Can we start some noise? If they realized the fans LAC has, maybe?

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว

      Sadly, I don't think they would care 😞

    • @etherealtb6021
      @etherealtb6021 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@CinemaCities1978 Well, signatures mean eyeballs! 🤷‍♀️

  • @michaelstearnes1526
    @michaelstearnes1526 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I always thought that the Lana Turner (yes that is Lana Turner) Johnny Stompanato case would make a good neo-noir. But then it's probably been done. Excellent video. I'll definitely will re-watch it.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I actually don't think it's been done. I'd love to see that story on the screen.

    • @michaelstearnes1526
      @michaelstearnes1526 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@CinemaCities1978 I could see Danny DiVito as her lawyer Jerry Giessler.

    • @MothGirl007
      @MothGirl007 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I kind of doubt that they would tell the whole truth about it, though, and perhaps never will.

    • @michaelstearnes1526
      @michaelstearnes1526 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MothGirl007 No doubt that you are right. But it would make for great drama. Forget it Jake it's Hollywood.

    • @diego-search
      @diego-search ปีที่แล้ว

      @@CinemaCities1978 The movie, "Where love has gone", starring Susan Hayward and Bette Davis, by some, was supposed be about and/or inspired by the Turner/Stompanato case.

  • @frankb821
    @frankb821 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    That "Titanic" beat "L.A. Confidential" for best picture that year was the crime of the century. That's the year when I first realized the Oscars were rigged, or at least that was the easy explanation ;)

  • @44032
    @44032 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I'm a big Dragnet fan, especially the 50's radio and TV episodes, which I find far more artistic and entertaining than the 60's reboot, which looks like a training film in comparison. I also like film noir, especially about LA, which has produced many great films. One of them is the 1948 film "He Walked by Night" in which Jack Webb worked with technical advisor Marty Wynn, who would have been the basis for the "Hollywood Jack" Vincennes character, although I don't know if his personality was similar. The story goes that Wynn urged Webb to make something that showed what police work was really like and the result was Dragnet - devoid of crooked or violent cops, frequent shoot-outs and the like that you see in movies and based on real cases. Dragnet seemed like the real deal. But it didn't deal with racial issues or events like the 'Bloody Christmas', which is depicted in LA Confidential. Dragnet also has a reverential attitude toward Chief William Parker, whose racial attitudes contributed to the Watts riots. Watch Mulholland Falls for a different view of Parker. But Parker was known to be against organized crime and LA Confidential shows his police department taking over Mickey Coehn's rackets and engaging the few honest cops in an Alamo-like battle at the end. In classic noir fashion, these conflicting views make you wonder what the real truth was about LAPD in those times actually was.

  • @Lolabelle59
    @Lolabelle59 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Really enjoyed this. Excellent.

  • @carolynkingsley4421
    @carolynkingsley4421 21 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I grew up in the 50's. Love that period in history.

  • @briankorbelik2873
    @briankorbelik2873 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    As a born and raised Angeleno, I have to say "and how", about the greatness of this book and film. And now in LA as well, there are too many rats overstuffed into the cage. Unless you are filthy rich, and can afford to live in the "good" areas, LA has become just too filthy.

    • @jonathanramos8414
      @jonathanramos8414 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I was born in east LA myself. Lived in south gate. LA has a nostalgia for me. But it's better days are gone

  • @droopyballbag
    @droopyballbag ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I have too dive back into an old Rockstar game. LA Noir after this.

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      yes! I have that one on playstation VR and it really puts you in the time and place.

    • @droopyballbag
      @droopyballbag ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That sounds awesome. Only on the switch for me but brilliant story none the less. 💙

  • @jtcbrt
    @jtcbrt ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Ellroy - the damaged genius!

  • @stephenbarker5162
    @stephenbarker5162 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A favourite film. The novel is a dense read, it would as you say require a lot more screen time to adapt the book faithfully. That said the film's re-ordering of events culminating in the shoot out at the Victory Motel makes for a more logical story, but at the expense of characterisation, not only of the three detectives but of others such as the DA.

  • @GrandOldMovies
    @GrandOldMovies ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I had seen the movie before I read Ellroy's novel and was surprised how much the movie had changed from the book (the framing plot of the corrupt Walt-Disney-like character was discarded entirely). As you note, to adapt the book faithfully would be probably a week-long mini-series, and trying to remember where you are among the plot and characters as the plot thickens (considerably) would be a challenge. Ellroy's novels don't really adapt to film; the movie of his book The Black Dahlia was...pretty bad (if you hadn't read the novel, it made no sense). I can only admire how much Hanson and his screenwriter did manage to catch the aura of Ellroy's dark world in his quartet of novels, which are as convoluted and personal as Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County's stories. And congrats for your video bringing that out about this film!

    • @CinemaCities1978
      @CinemaCities1978  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I agree, although a lot of the book is left out, the mood and major themes are left intact. This is really a case where I love the movie as much as the book, and I don't say that often. The film rightfully won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

    • @sarahalbers5555
      @sarahalbers5555 ปีที่แล้ว

      I love that you mentioned William Faulkner, I am a big fan. And a lifetime lover of all things noir.

  • @TrevorMom
    @TrevorMom 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I live in Vegas. The worst thing about living in the Southwest is the lack of architectural variety and the absence of any sense of history. Everything is obviously temporary.

  • @lindawilson4625
    @lindawilson4625 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great movie! Stellar cast! This is where I first noticed Simon Baker :-)

  • @alexkalish8288
    @alexkalish8288 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Grew up in Noir LA, it was more wonderful and beautiful than any city I have lived in since. Now it's a toilet. That said I always preferred Paris. now I live with Apaches in New Mexico. Nobody has ever got LA right - My dad knew everyone in LA, e went fishing with Sterling Hayden, we caught tons of Bonita and a few tuna. He was a member of Hollywood playhouse and worked for Huston and Ford.
    My Dad and his brother Stan were picked up for the Blue Dahila murder, and released. Taoists - accept change ...

    • @mattm.5436
      @mattm.5436 5 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Are you trying to say the Black Dahlia murder?

  • @hurricane1951
    @hurricane1951 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Excellent, as usual.

  • @paulzenco6182
    @paulzenco6182 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Best film of 1997, i ve seen it many times, a true gem

  • @peterzang
    @peterzang ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Guy Pearce. I have a bromance there.

    • @mattm.5436
      @mattm.5436 5 วันที่ผ่านมา

      I thought he was a cornball in this movie.

  • @arctos49
    @arctos49 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I just watched it again the other day. Wonderful movie and it was such an interesting cast choice that two of the three detectives were Australian actors (Crowe and Pearce) who were relatively unknown in the U.S. They were excellent. The production design, music score and the many, many aspects of life depicted in the early 50s were superb. Curtis Hanson deserves to be commended for this film.

  • @axxellein
    @axxellein 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    TRES Cool/Heavy Tribute to Film Noir of the Late 40s!

  • @jdnelms62
    @jdnelms62 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Still one of my favorite movies. But the movie takes place over a much shorter period of time than the ten years of the novel.

  • @jasonmaclean719
    @jasonmaclean719 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The film and book are exactly the reasons LA Noire is one of my favorite games.

  • @naftalibendavid
    @naftalibendavid ปีที่แล้ว +4

    One Hanukkah I got my wife a copy of the dvd and she got one for me. Love it so much.

  • @kanola13065
    @kanola13065 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Love love this movie. Even Ellroy thought it was good.