As the semester comes to a close, I can say that I’m happy with Los Angeles in film. The material, discussions, and movies covered throughout the class have both improved my skills as a fledgling college student and my knowledge/familiarity with Los Angeles as a text.

    A freshman foundation course is designed to foster incoming student’s skills and approach towards college classes. While I chose this class solely on its subject material alone, I can say that I got more out of it than just a stronger understanding of Los Angeles. For starters, my ability to research topics has dramatically improved. I have a better understanding of how to go about researching and I know how to find what I want and need for any given research topic. The exercise in the library teaching us the text search system and the research I have done for both discussions and essays have allowed me to become more confident and proficient when researching. I have used the skills from this class to help my research in other general education courses when compiling sources for an essay or project. Our various class discussions about readings and films have taught me to formulate opinions, thoughts, and questions better. My critical thinking has improved as the conversations held during class made me think differently about films in ways I haven’t thought of before. I am better at formulating my thoughts due to constant practice via discussions and blog posts. The class has made me think differently about several aspects of my academic approach while still teaching me the intricacies of Los Angeles.

    While the class did an excellent job of teaching me about critical thinking and academic research, it did an even better job of giving me the tools to read Los Angeles as a city. The structure of the class and the assignments that followed every primary text or film helped teach Los Angeles in a useful and entertaining way. Each movie and text taught me something different and unique about Los Angeles that I would have otherwise been oblivious to. The discussions that followed each screening further cemented my understanding or enhanced it in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to alone. The blogs helped me to finalize my ideas and knowledge of the city to the point where Los Angeles became close and familiar. The purpose of reading a text like a city was confusing for me at first but once the class got underway it all made sense. To read a city, one must immerse themselves in various form of art and literature, partake in class discussions and complete writing to further solidify ideas and knowledge. All of which were cornerstones of the class. The tools provided made Los Angeles easily accessible to those that put in the effort.

It’s hard to decide what text or film was my favorite. Many of them stand out for me because of their entertainment value and quality. Mulholland Drive, Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard are films that I thoroughly enjoyed that lead to thought-provoking activities and discussions. However, If I had to choose a favorite it would easily be Chinatown. On paper, Chinatown isn’t super exciting. It’s about a private eye that uncovers an unstoppable crime and a disturbing underbelly of Los Angeles. There are no flying cars or dream sequences here. It’s just a solid neo-noir film with excellent writing and acting. That’s probably why I like it so much. The noir genre was my favorite topic we covered all year and the character  Jake Gittes has always stayed with me as one of the most human detectives to ever come out of a noir film. While I hold tremendous bias, I’m a massive fan of Jack Nicholson, Jake was one of my favorite characters to watch on screen. His shortcomings and failures throughout the film make him oddly relatable, and he’s one of the more honest/real characters to lead a noir film. He doesn’t know all the answers, struggles to find them and ultimately fails at the end. The sense of dread and despair felt in the last few minutes of Chinatown stuck with me more than any other film. The gruesome murder of Evelyn and the famous line “forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown” are elements that stuck with me. The atmosphere and setting are mysterious and compelling. The film does a great job at portraying Los Angeles as more than just a place where the movies come from. It is by far my favorite movie we covered in the class and is among one of my all-time favorite movies.   

Los Angeles is built for driving. Unlike San Francisco and New York, Los Angeles has no real center. It’s a sprawling cluster of buildings, towns, and neighborhoods all linked by the lord of Los Angeles, the freeway. No rail transportation to connect Hollywood to Century City and Downtown to Beverley Hills. If you’re not driving, you’re not participating in daily Los Angeles life. Hollywood has done an excellent job of showcasing this reality in various films over the years. Almost all movies that take place in Los Angeles feature driving, linking them regardless of genre and audience. Sunset Boulevard, Rebel Without a Cause and Clueless all use components of driving to tell an authentic Los Angeles story. This is the case with Drive, a movie almost exclusively about driving in Los Angeles. While there’s much more to the film, the Driver in Drive relies heavily on cars to make a living and live life in Los Angeles linking him to another character that relies on driving to do his job, Jake Gittes of Chinatown. Both Drive and Chinatown use driving in similar ways to develop their plots and to give an authentic story that could only happen in Los Angeles.

   Let’s start with the more obvious film about driving, Drive. Yes, it’s about driving in Los Angeles. The character Driver is a stunt car driver, race car driver, getaway driver and a mechanic on the side. Driving takes up every facet of the man’s life. The stunt car aspect is exclusive to Hollywood as he drives on sets for film and TV. The rest comes with the location. The entire movie is centered around the Driver driving, preparing to drive or fixing cars up for driving. The film starts with him driving thieves in a heist and ends with him driving away after he killed Bernie outside his car. Driver’s only skills revolve around cars. He would be nothing without his ability and mastery of driving. He is similar to Jake in that regard. Jake is a private investigator in Los Angeles. Due to the cities abundant size and scope, Jake needs a car to do his work. He is nothing without a car because what good is an investigator that has to work on his feet. We see Jake’s competence at his job throughout the beginning of the movie but the second his car is shot up, he’s a PI without a cause. He relies on Evelynn to aid him in his investigations because she has a car. He even has to use Curly, a slob truck driver to help him get to Chinatown at the end of the film. Jake is reduced to nothing without his car. The driver would be nothing without a car. The two films use driving to show the character’s skills and dependence on their vehicles. While Driver is never without a car, the viewer is aware of his limited skillset outside of fighting. Jake needs to drive to solve the mystery of Chinatown and the Driver uses driving as his weapon to combat the conflicts surrounding him. Both films use driving to progress in their plots.

    The plots of Chinatown and Drive offer a straightforward reality of Los Angeles life; you’re nothing without a car. As explained earlier, the Driver wouldn’t exist without something to drive. He needs a vehicle as his income and skills are derived from driving. Likewise, a detective that lacks mobility can’t do his job. Jake’s pursuit becomes unraveled when his car is destroyed as the plot of Chinatown gets darker and deadlier. Both films evoke the notion that you need a car to navigate and thrive in Los Angeles. The city is too big to walk, and public transportation is too weak and inconvenient. The urban environment of Los Angeles was made for cars and nothing else. The high octane tone of Drive offered by the opening getaway, the pawn shop robbery and chasing down the gangster all play into the power cars have in Los Angeles. Jake uses his car earlier on to uncover details of the water conspiracy, leading him into the boonies where his car is destroyed. He’d be toast if Evelynn didn’t come to his rescue with her car at the retirement home and wouldn’t have been able to continue his if it weren’t for borrowing it later. Driving is the only reliable means of transportation in Los Angeles. It is the reality of the city that you’re good as gone in Los Angeles without a car.

Mulholland Drive is like two blue raccoons fighting in a dumpster fire; it’s weird complicated. David Lynch throws a myriad of elements and themes at the wall that stick in profound ways. The film is a prime example of postmodernism in movies and a paramount work of fiction in the twenty-first century. The film utilizes intertextuality to draw parallels with old works of a film like Sunset Boulevard, fragmentation in its approach to storytelling and structure, and, paranoia with its use horror. However, the film shines brightest when it uses metafiction and irony to tell the story of a failed actress that is reduced to murder.

Mulholland Drive uses irony to criticize the film industry while also satirizing it. It’s a film about the grimy inter workings of cinema at a superficial level delving into deep-rooted conspiracy territory. While I am not well versed in Lynch’s opinion on the film industry, Mulholland Drive makes it seem like he holds strong contempt towards the Hollywood power structure. Hollywood is portrayed as a seedy, borderline cult-like entity where few have power and all obey a devilish supernatural cowboy that muscles Adam into picking Camilla. It’s a lot to take in, and it’s painfully ironic as it’s all being portrayed through the lens of a real Hollywood production. The paranoia that comes with along with the irony only adds to the horrific and mysterious side of the movie. No one has control in the hellish landscape of Hollywood.

The irony carries over to the Betty character in Diane’s dream. Betty is an amalgamation of every girl from a small town trying to make it big. She’s corny, goofy and charming. Her personality clashes with the tone of the film by being an ironic, upbeat light colliding with the shadows behind Winkie’s and the LA mob. Some of her lines get a little meta too as she references being a detective, i.e. LA Noir and says to use a payphone “just like in the movies.” Betty is the fun side of the Hollywood dream that sharply contrasts with the Hollywood truth that is presented in the film. She’s an ironic, metacharacter that lies in the heart of many failed actresses. At least, in their dreams.

This is where the movie gets confusing and thought-provoking with its use of metafiction in Diane’s dream. Outside of “based on a true story” films, all movies are fiction. They’re fake. It’s just a green screen or forced perspective. The people on screen aren’t real; they’re actors. Mulholland takes these universal truths about movies and turns them on their head. Without trying to summarize heavily, Mulholland Drive is about Diane, the protagonist, and her real dream of grandeur. This isn’t made explicitly apparent to the audience until the movie nears its conclusion. We are then left confused, questioning the validity of what we experienced, like a dream. However, by retracing the steps of the film, It’s apparent that the events of the film use metafiction to heavily convey the story. This is apparent in the tone and atmosphere of the film at first. The monstrous vagrant behind Winkie’s, the mysterious cowboy and unsettling nature of Betty and Rita’s “investigation” all hint at the underlying truth of the situation. However, it’s the departure to Club Silencio that hammers in the reality of the film and shines the brightest light on its use of intertextuality. Betty and Rita watch the offputting master of ceremonies proclaim that everything is fake, an illusion. We hear a trumpet, but no one is playing. The crying woman gets up and sings her rendition of Crying in Spanish that directly references events of the dream. This is the when Betty realizes it’s a dream and discovers the blue box. The viewer knows now that this is a dream. The crying woman collapses, but the song continues. We have been explicitly told that we’re watching a dream, watching a movie. Here, the film knows it’s a movie and reminds the viewer that it’s all fake, all for a show. The dream sequence ends thereafter, and the events of the film are thrust back into the real dark world for Diane. Movies are oddly similar to dreams. We can get engrossed in a movie, believing what we see, just like the singer in Club Silencio, forgetting that it’s all fake. Mulholland Drive comments on the action and idea of being swept up in a movie by being a movie that sweeps you in.

There aren’t many great landmarks in Los Angeles. There are no Empire State buildings or Golden Gate bridges. There are only a few, quaint examples of famous mainstream landmarks in Los Angeles that go beyond the Hollywood sign and the walk of fame that stand alone as a piece of architectural achievement and art. The Bradbury Building stands nearly alone in Los Angeles as one of the aforementioned pieces of architectural achievement. It has been an iconic landmark for Hollywood as the building can be repurposed in a myriad of creative ways. The building hasn’t been typing cast in Hollywood. The Bradbury plays a wide range of parts including an office building, a police station, and a movie studio. However, the building’s role in Blade Runner sets it apart from its other performances by playing something it rarely plays on the screen; itself.

Ridley Scott, the director of Blade Runner, didn’t decide to film the Bradbury on a whim. It was most likely a calculated choice. For starters, the state of the Bradbury Building upon shooting was very poor. It was dirty and disheveled which made it easier for production design to outfit the building for the movie. Along with convenience, the building has a metaphorical purpose too. Blade Runner takes place in a futuristic cyberpunk Los Angeles of 2019. All modern architecture and design are long gone and phased out. However, the Bradbury stands alone as a relic of the past that represents everything that was lost, the old ways of humanity and earth have been abandoned, forgotten and destroyed. Scott used the Bradbury because of its familiarity as it symbolizes old Los Angeles. The building’s significance ties into the deep-rooted themes of the film making it an important facet of the movie and not some random shooting location.

The building sits as a great look into the past and, what people thought the future would be like. Its inclusion in Blade Runner is somewhat ironic as the film was too a piece of art that tried to portray what future architecture would entail. It’s out of place in the world of Blade Runner but it still fits in as a clash of eras. It has survived the great changes but has been reduced to almost nothing. Like Los Angeles and Earth’s role in the film, the Bradbury serves as a symbol for the past dying around a grim environment. Not too far off from the building’s actual placement in downtown Los Angeles.

It’s rare to find movies that breakthrough the tropes and pitfalls associated with the film noir genre. Commonalities such as being set in LA, the femme fatale, the cold and calculated detective and various other cliches are all abundant in noir films. However, Double Indemnity, Chinatown and, Devil in a Blue Dress break the mold to create genre-defining and even breaking stories that push the noir genre in new, unique directions

    While all three films fall under the film noir umbrella, Chinatown pushes the envelope and establishes a subgenre within noir known as neo-noir. To understand the difference between the two genres, one must be aware of the genre-specific elements that are in play. Noir films buy in large feature elements mentioned above such as the detective with ice in his veins and justice on his mind, the seductive and deadly female “character” and, an ending in which no one wins, and everyone loses. Smaller aspects such as era (1940s-1950s), being black and white and, the inclusion of smoking cigarettes all play minor roles in further categorizing the genre. However, Chinatown breaks away from noir in one massive regard, the horror behind the story. Classic noir focusses heavily on physiological terror. This is present in Double Indemnity as the idea of being guilty of murder is explicitly played out on the screen. Walter Neff is always in fear of Keyes figuring him out and later on, suspicious of the murderous Phyllis. The movie screws with your head by placing you in the character’s shoes, using it to create suspense.

Chinatown differs from this as its horror is derived from sociological fear, not phycological. The film plays less on what’s scary to the viewer’s mind and more on the bleakness of a world set up unjustly against the protagonist based on society. In Chinatown, Jake is fighting a battle he can’t win. Noah Cross owns the water, the police, and the city. The complete control and decay of the society around Jake is the driving force behind the film, not the fear of being caught or killed. This new focus on society rather than the mindset neo-noir films apart from noir. Neo-noir carries over a tremendous amount of elements from noir into its genre. This sociological horror is also present in DIABD. Easy is tasked with a typical noir-esque job but is hindered and trampled by the racist society around him. His mission is exponentially harder than Jake’s or any other private eye just because of his race. The setup is scary because of the terrifying society Easy must face, placing it in the neo-noir genre.

   Noir relies heavily on taking place within urban landscapes to tell a story. You can’t have a noir movie in a backwater town with no character. A city is required, and there’s no better city that fits the genre than Los Angeles. There’s a good reason why Los Angeles is the city for noir films. The town isn’t condensed, it’s sprawling. Everything is spread out, allowing for different settings and stories. Chinatown uses the urban environment to develop the mystery of the water supply, an issue very close to Los Angeles due to its natural landscape. Double Indemnity applies the city to set the tone as a dark and mysterious place, full of deceit and murder. DIABD uses the town to show the layers of American society by prominently featuring black areas of Los Angeles that rarely get their place in noir stories. DIABD uses this section of the city to characterize Easy as well as to develop the sociological terror that comes with segregated society and poverty. All three films rely heavily on the urban landscape of Los Angeles, and it would be impossible to tell these stories if they took place anywhere else.     While all three films depend on Los Angeles for a vehicle to tell a story, they also use the city as a way to add an additional character to the mix. This is most prevalent in Double Indemnity as the city is a borderline co-conspirator in the plot to kill Mr. Deitrichson. Los Angeles isn’t played as a romantic destination full of wonder and excitement. It’s played as a grim setting that eggs on Walter and Phyllis to go along with their murderous plan. Like the devil on the shoulders of the characters, Los Angeles instigates the murder and then punishes the two for giving in. The city is unrelenting and drab, just like the ending. This mysterious and dark character is also a facet of DIABD. This time, however, it’s racism that the city harbors, beating down Easy any chance it can get. Los Angeles plays more like a bully in this scenario. In Chinatown, Los Angeles takes the form of a roadblock. Its expansiveness hinders Jake once his car is destroyed in the outskirts of town and the city’s lack of transportation and size make Jake’s life much harder as a result. However, Chinatown’s climatic setting  (Chinatown) plays a character similar to that of Double Indemnity. It’s a dark and mysterious place, the perfect setting for Evelyn to be killed, the bad guy to win and to leave Jake hopeless and depressed. The city plays more of an antagonist in all the films. It adds layers to the story that no other city can replicate. It’s called LA Noir for a reason.

It seems like the glamour of Hollywood and artistic cynicism go together like two peas in a pod. For every triumphant story of a small town girl making it big in Hollywood, about 100 stories are deconstructing and criticizing the unforgiving machine of the American film industry. This is so the case in the film Sunset Boulevard and the short stories Golden Land and Table at Circo’s. All three works of fiction don’t shy away from painting the destructive nature of fame via the silver screen. They all cover characters that are consumed by the entrapment of glamour and success unable to escape with their dignity, sanity, and even lives.

   It is partially incorrect to describe the glamour of Hollywood as an illusion. The glamour of Hollywood can be better described as an unpredictable hourglass. For those that make it in the industry, there’s a honeymoon period. Joe Gillis did have some happy success early on; Norma Desmond was a big star and A.D. Nathan had a great seat at the apex of Hollywood success. However, they all fell from grace as their moment in the sun was over. Their time in the spotlight diminished as the industry changed and evolved. Today’s big stars became forgotten relics of yesteryear. More talented writers eclipsed Joe, Norma was abandoned by the industry that was fine without her and A.D. Nathan was cast away like nothing once his time was up. Their glamour was real though, their success and accomplishments were tangible and significant. Their moment of glamour just ran out. This is the case with many industries; the film industry is just showcased more often because of its proximity and relation to movies. The glamour of Hollywood only seems like an illusion because of its place in pop culture. The unrelentingly harsh nature of the Film Industry isn’t exclusive to just Hollywood. Any major industry offers levels of success that can be portrayed in the same way. Business, Sports, Science and countless other industries suffer from the same pitfalls; they don’t have artistic resources to showcase them.

   It’s apparent that fame and riches are the definitions of success in Hollywood and all the stories from this week feature characters willing to do anything to attain their ultimate desires. Characters such as Ira and Joe travel great distances to get close to the industry they desire to succeed in. It seems like prostitution is commonplace in this industry to reach places. While not explicit, Joe essentially sells his body and soul to Norma so that he can continue to live and work in Hollywood. He allowed himself to become corrupted by the tyrannical Norma, becoming nothing more than her next pet, just for another shot at his goals. People will change themselves to equip them for success better. The patrons of Circo’s are diminished by their aspirations and become nothing more than desperate grovelers, praying that one day, they’ll get their big break. Ira goes as far as to rewrite his entire personality, becoming a vindictive and spiteful individual that has lost his character long ago so that he can continue his success. Everyone that is successful in Hollywood had to change to fit Hollywood. These character’s stories are no exception.

As touched upon earlier, Hollywood has a fickle and harsh culture. No one is ever safe. It rewards those that “fake it ‘til they make it” and punishes many hard working individuals that have run out of time for their moment in the sun. The glitz, glamour, fame, and fortune, all culminate with the dark reality to create a hollow and bleak culture. For Norma, the glamour and image of a Hollywood starlet trap her into a dazy, desperate and depressed soul that painfully longs to be back on top. Her delusions are facilitated by her past success and minor modern interest. People are stunned to see her on the Paramount studio, clinging to her to have a word with the legend Norma Desmond. To many, she still is a legend. This is why it’s so hard for her to escape, this is why her delusions of grandeur go unheeded. So is the case with Ira and his dilemma. He too has found success but to get there, he had to abandon his integrity and character. The culture, however, rewarded him for such actions, allowing him to continue his life of immorality without repercussions. He was encouraged to maintain his lifestyle because it gave him success.

Furthermore, the idea that “you’re just one big break away” is what helps the patrons at Circo’s to continue their tireless pursuits of Hollywood success. It’s enshrined into Hollywood’s culture that you’re just one handshake, one conversation, one instance of luck away from making it big. This is what keeps them all coming back. They all believe the lies of Hollywood and will do anything within their power to achieve it.

My father pirated a lot of VHS tapes back in the day. Actually, I’m not quite sure if taping live TV onto VHS tapes is pirating but, let’s just say it is because it sounds interesting. Amongst the vast library of “pirated” movies my five-year-old self had to choose from, Who Framed Rodger Rabbit seemed always to be the top pick. I’m not quite sure why I was so drawn to it considering I had Star Wars and Indiana Jones waiting in the wings. Maybe it was the impressively creative blend of live action and cartoons; perhaps it was the loveable characters and exciting environment. Maybe it was my attraction to the awkwardly sexy Jessica Rabbit. Whatever it was, it kept me coming back for more whenever I had the chance. Unfortunately, I stopped watching the movie all together when I began growing out of my childhood and after my family threw out the VHS player converting to a DVD…  in 2012. Reliving my childhood through classic nostalgia was the chief reason I picked this movie over the rest. I… also wasn’t interested in anything else on the list.

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    For those uninitiated, Who Framed Rodger Rabbit is a movie that bends reality in a cartoonish manner. The film combines 2-D animation ala Looney Tunes with regular live-action culminating in a live-action/ animated hybrid. The universe of Rodger Rabbit is one in which cartoon characters or “toons” inhabit Los Angeles and coexist with humans. In this world, cartoons aren’t works of animation but works of film. All cartoons are shot and produced as if they’re live action with real cartoonish sets with real toons playing the roles. Despite its colorful appearance, the film industry and Hollywood is still depicted in a gritty and realist demeanor. Human trafficking, corruption, and greed reign supreme, even in the bright and cheerful golden age of Los Angeles. The film skillfully parodies Hollywood and classic noir films while still operating as a cartoonishly dumb and smart film. The industry is colorful on the outside but has a dark, rotting core on the inside — a creative and robust way to paint Hollywood.

    Who Framed Rodger Rabbit ironically doesn’t feature many iconic landmarks in Los Angeles despite being a movie about the golden age of Hollywood. The Hollywood sign is briefly shown with relatively no importance in a minor expository scene. One of the only essential scenes that depict Los Angeles concerning the story is the scene in which Eddy Valiant, the private eye protagonist of the film, hops on the back of a Trolley for a free ride. In this scene, Los Angeles is heavily romanticized as it harkens back to the late 1940’s culture and cosmetics via wardrobe and props. The lighting evokes feelings of pleasant sunsets. The tone is light-hearted and upbeat as a boy accompanying Eddy asks him why he isn’t driving a car. Eddy gives him an unintentionally ironic answer by replying with something along the lines of “why drive when Los Angeles has the best public transportation around. Driving is for suckers.” The setting of the scene places this version of Los Angeles leagues beyond what we all think of the city. Here, it’s clean, pleasant and heartwarming. Not much can be said about its nonfictional counterpart in today’s world as nothing really can compete with fiction. The scene is driven purely from the dialogue, action, and cinematography that evokes nostalgic feelings for classic Hollywood, the perfect introduction for the setting of Who Framed Rodger Rabbit.

A great wave of disappointment initially swept over me upon looking at the selections for FFC courses in the Spring semester. All I could think was, “wow, these all kinda suck.” Eventually, I stumbled onto Los Angeles in Film and thought, “hey, that might not suck as bad as the others.” However, after completing just my second class, I can say I am both surprised and pleased with my desperate choice to enroll in this class. Without being a kiss ass, I can say that I enjoy my professor as well as the structure of the course. Her lectures don’t lull me into sleep, and the subject is more interesting than I initially thought it would be. I’m looking forward to learning more about what the city of Los Angeles stands for and represents beyond just my prior perception of it.

    Like many outsiders, I had a very mixed opinion of Los Angeles. My first real encounters with the city were others complaining about LA’s filthy streets and abhorrent citizens. Growing up near San Fransico, everyone despised LA. The glitzy and foul-mouthed LA Dodgers fans constantly clashed with the earthy and reserved SF Giants fans. Friends, family and family friends would talk down to the city for being fake and dangerous. I never entirely listened because I wanted to form my own opinion of the town. Unfortunately, I subconsciously built one eventually through my exposure to TV and movies.

    The media I was exposed to never entirely painted Los Angeles in a good picture. Beverly Hills Cop ironically showed the bloated aristocracy and gross misuse of resources in Beverly Hills. LA Confidential focused on seedy sex trafficking and crooked police tearing down a city of fakes and losers. Even Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a seemingly cartoonish and playful film, exposed me to the dark underbelly of a crime-ridden Los Angeles. It seemed as if LA was a shiny city for phonies and gangsters, at least, that’s what I grew to think of it at a young age. Naturally, I would lose this mindset upon growing up as I realized that this was pretty much the case with every significant municipality around the world. LA was just where they made the movies.

    I now know that Los Angeles isn’t as bad as it was made out to be. Nothing ever is. I’m thus looking forward to learning and exploring more about the city through books such as Writing Los Angeles: a Literary Anthology. This is mostly because I enjoy anthologies as they offer many different perspectives on the same subject, in this case, Los Angeles.