L.A. Confidential is a noir novel and film set in 1950s Los Angeles. As in any noir film (Chinatown for example), the city is integral to the story. You spot places you know, learn a little history, or pick up a topic to research later. The movie is based on the best-selling book by James Ellroy. While I’ve yet to read the book, the movie can’t be that far off. After all, Ellroy himself came down to this special screening at the Los Angeles Theatre.
Los Angeles Theatre lives on
Broadway in downtown Los Angeles was the entertainment center of the city in the early part of the 20th century. The marquees of the Million Dollar, Palace, Tower, Orpheum, and Los Angeles theatres lit up the night. People filled the streets in their best dresses and suits for a night out. You can picture them riding Red Cars or coming down Bunker Hill on Angels Flight.
As time passed, the movies moved closer to Hollywood and the downtown lights faded. The movie palaces lost their luster; sold, leased out, or shuttered. The Orpheum remained in operation for a long time, I remember catching Terminator and a few other movies there as a kid in the 90s. The Million Dollar Theatre was a church for years. Others became store fronts, with the theatre itself inaccessible to the public and perhaps used as storage.
The Los Angeles Theatre could’ve suffered a similar fate but it got lucky, sort of. The place survived serving as the setting for music videos, TV, and other events. Today, the L.A. Conservancy holds special screenings at the theater, usually featuring Golden era classics or cult favorites. The organization works with volunteers, sponsors, and the city to save and preserve historical landmarks around the city.
This hot evening in June was one such screening. The lobby was filled with people, all of us admiring the gold ornamentation on the walls, the mirrors, high ceilings, and dazzling chandeliers. A center staircase funneled the crowd from the lobby to the first of three levels into the screening room. The screen of the theatre hides behind a beautiful curtain that looks more like a wall with 3D art than drapery. And there we were at our seats, waiting for the drapes to rise. But first, a special guest.
James Ellroy is the man
Walking out from stage right, James Ellroy walked to the podium waiting for him. When the applause died down, he began to speak. It was my first time hearing him and he was everything I expected from a writer who published his first book in 1980.
Ellroy wasn’t reading from a paper script but I got the sense he’d rehearsed and memorized just about every word he said. He was eloquent but brash where necessary and closed with a great joke that he now only came to Los Angeles for book signings, film intros, and a new divorce. I’m paraphrasing from memory a few days after the event so don’t kill me if you were also there and that’s not exactly what he said.
And then there’s the film
I’ve seen L.A. Confidential several times. It’s not the kind of movie I watch over and over until I can repeat every word in sync with the actors. No, this one usually sits with me for a while until I start to forget much of it and need a refresher. This way, it’s almost new again when I watch.
I was just about there walking into the Los Angeles Theatre. It was also my first time watching it on the big screen. The characters move about Los Angeles confident in their flaws, much like the city itself. And the city shines bright: City Hall, Cross Roads of the World, and my personal favorite, Angeleno Heights. It shines so bright that its underbelly cannot hide and spills out for all to see and hear, even if all we do is watch.
And watch we did, fixated on the action on the screen, the soft edges of the 35mm projection, and the elaborate ceilings and walls of the theater. There were no distractions, no ability to hit the pause button to get a drink. We watched as a community and it was simply magical.