MovieChat Forums > Criss Cross (1949) Discussion > Great shots of Downtown LA

Great shots of Downtown LA

posted 15 years ago by andrewgage
21 replies | jump to latest

An awesome (if not accidental) aspect of this film is the "Lost Los Angeles" that is featured throughout. From the big old Victorian homes and tenement buildings on Bunker Hill to the streetcar tunnels, to the Angel's Flight funicular (now all gone) and Union Station looking quite pristine, plus a process shot of City Hall from an angle that just could not possibly exist (in the scene when deCarlo is standing by the drug store's door), the backdrop of Criss Cross is nothing short of amazing. I love this film not only for the actors and the story, but for the historic views of downtown LA. Not many films of that period are as generous with their photography of the city. I think Robert Siodmak must have loved LA as he incorporated such reverent visual portrayals in his films.

[–] pauline49 15 years ago

Yes, I'm always interested in outdoor footage of places that probably no longer exist, or at least in the same form. I'm English and have never been to U.S.A., but I still found the shots of 1948 L.A. interesting. They lend a touch of authenticity.

[–] bernardverhoeven 15 years ago

same here, one of the reasons I like movies from this genre are the beautifull shots of a long- gone america. And I am dutch and have also never been to U.S.A., peculiar how strong this attraction is

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[–] sanfranman123 14 years ago

Terribly sad all of those homes and churches etc. were destroyed.

[–] andrewgage 12 years ago

Sadder yet is that it is still happening in LA. In that respect the city is like a snake, continually shedding its old skin for new (I'm not saying I like that about LA). But there's a bittersweet advantage that LA has over other cities - it has been so liberally photographed due to its availability to the movie/entertainment industries. So while Old LA keeps toppling to the wrecker's ball, at least there's a robust record of it in a format that allows it to be replayed to newer audiences, thanks to the movies and television.

Hopefully someday some cinema fan will wind up in a position of power in LA and will work to prevent any more such losses of LA's rich architectural tapestry.

[–] DorianGray502 10 years ago

Yes, you just don't find this type of recycling on the East coast. That generally is a good thing, re-repurposing older structures. A mix is what makes a dynamic environment. I mean can you imagine the old Packard factory still standing since 1956 as it does in Detroit - in LA? Not likely, but then again, it should have been saved long ago.

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!"

[–] jglapin 11 years ago

Urban Renewal. It is all office towers now.

[–] zwot 10 years ago

As someone who moved to LA fifty years after Criss Cross was filmed, I was thrilled with all the postwar LA scenery, right from the opening shot of City Hall. My favorite shot was when the gang plotted their heist with the Angels Flight funicular cars figuratively crisscrossing* each other right outside the window. So cool!

* I've ridden Angels Flight and the cars actually sidestep to pass each other, but the effect is sufficiently similar to crisscrossing to be used metaphorically in the film.

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[–] AnaElisa 10 years ago

I just watched Criss Cross for the first time (what a great film!) and, I agree the shots of old LA are terrific. I especially loved the scene showing the Angels Flight cars. I learned about Angels Flight from a Michael Connelly novel of the same name.

Do the cars still run there now? Sadly, the many times I used to visit a friend in LA, I knew nothing about Angels Flight. Now I find it really interesting.

-AnaElisa

[–] zwot 10 years ago

Alas, Angels Flight is currently closed. The original Angels Flight closed in the '60s when the city was redeveloping the Bunker Hill neighborhood. It reopened in a slightly different location a few years before I moved to LA and I was fortunate enough to ride it (and survive) before a fatal accident caused it to be closed again for almost a decade.

It finally reopened again about five years ago but another accident a few years later caused it to be closed once again. Now state regulatory officials are demanding costly safety upgrades before allowing it to be reopened and no one knows where the money's gonna come from, so it's anybody's guess when or if it will ever open again. So sad... :(

[–] mls4182 10 years ago

Los Angeles must have been an amazing place post war to the early 60s. By the time I lived there in the mid 80s all but the far west side had turned into a third world country.

[–] karnevilelp 10 years ago

Los Angeles must have been an amazing place post war to the early 60's

I guarantee you, 1945-1965 (say, the Watts riots) weren't a picnic in large parts of Los Angeles County either. The LAPD was totally corrupt until Parker took over and even then it was iffy, there was still large pockets of poverty (South Central, East LA), the freeways destroyed large sections, the demolition of Chavez Ravine so the Dodgers could build their stadium wiped out a longstanding community etc. etc.

As for your "all but the far west side" bit, that's nonsense. South Pasadena, San Marino and Hancock Park (10 minutes from where I'm sitting) are still some of the most expensive places to live in the United States.

[–] mls4182 10 years ago

Hancock Park, Fremont Place and other areas with beautiful homes are surrounded by yuck.

[–] bear022013-588-696101 9 years ago

If only.
Los Angeles was so nice in the 40;s..but the American boys dying in Europe was so "ugly"that we could not enjoy it.
Wonderful film....if only....American cities could have passed laws on growth.and no cement freeways.

[–] AvaSinatra59 (195) 5 years ago

This really was the L.A. Chandler lived in and wrote about. So grateful Siodmak captured NYC the same way in The Naked City.

[–] FilmBuff (7436) 5 years ago

It's the LA my parents grew up in, but one I only know from pictures and stories. Very little is left from those days, though some things are still around.

[–] AvaSinatra59 (195) 5 years ago

That's nice that you were able to hear those stories, see those pictures. Need to preserve what's left.

[–] Interlepos (1818) 2 years ago

You mean Cry of the City (1948). The Naked City was directed by Jules Dassin.

It's highly ironic that Robert Siodmak, who gave us such a treasure trove of location shots of an old and vanished LA in Criss Cross - the likes which are stunning to watch today and that we are lucky to have for historic purposes - hated location shooting. I just read this quote from him about Cry of the City which was done in NYC:

"I thought it was good but it's not really my kind of film: I hate locations – there's so much you can't control".

Unbelieveable!

[–] AvaSinatra59 (195) 2 years ago

I was thinking of The Naked City, but as you say, that was directed by Jules Dassin.