Venturing from Venice Beach to Watts, Varda looks at the murals of LA as backdrop to and mirror of the city’s many cultures. She casts a curious eye on graffiti and photorealism, roller disco & gang violence, evangelical Christians, Hare Krishnas, artists, angels and ordinary Angelenos.
Direction
Varda treats spray paint with the reverence of Monet.
Cinematography
Walls become characters; the city breathes in 16mm.
Editing
Jolting cuts from worship to warfare—LA's contradictions exposed.
Director
Agnès Varda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Varda shot this between 'Documenteur' and her return to France, funded by French TV who expected a travelogue and got socio-political archaeology instead.
Judy Baca's Great Wall of LA appears before its completion; Varda captured Chicano muralism's explosive moment, now largely gentrified into coffee shop Instagram backdrops.
FR
