I’m still smiling from my excellent weekend – one that was capped by a sensational Sunday night performance by LACO. The occasion was the annual Silent Film Gala, where classic films are screened at Royce Hall, with LACO performing the scores live. This year’s festivities, which featured two Charlie Chaplin films (“Modern Times” and “Kid Auto Races in Venice”), were especially noteworthy, as they marked a number of milestones, including the 25th anniversary of the first Silent Film Gala, and the 125th anniversary of Chaplin’s birth. I suspected I might leave Royce Hall feeling jubilant, but I didn’t anticipate leaving with a desire to explore the city around me. But that’s what LACO concerts will do to a person: they’ll change you, and in ways you don’t expect.
The Silent Film Gala is a big deal, and if you go next year (and I highly recommend that you do), get ready, because there’s about 20 minutes of introductions before the orchestra even enters the auditorium. In addition to thanking and honoring the many donors and board members who worked to put this event together (including event co-chair Hanna Kennedy, who’s been working tirelessly on Silent Film Galas since their inception), much was said this year about how the Silent Film Gala benefits and enriches the entire city. For some reason, this little morsel planted itself in my brain.
I’ll be honest and say that I got a little antsy during the pre-concert speeches. I appreciated Leonard Maltin providing cultural context regarding the films we’d be watching, but let’s get on with the show! Soon enough, the orchestra pit was filled with dozens of musicians, and conductor (and composer) Timothy Brock made his entrance.
“Kid Auto Races in Venice” is a short film that can’t be more than 15 minutes long. Brock had written an entirely new score for it that highlighted and showcased the laughs and captured the energy and spirit of the film, and it was a joy to watch (and listen to).
“Modern Times” is feature length (clocking in at just under 90 minutes), and if you’re not aware of the importance of this film, than stop what you’re doing and go read about it. (You can finish reading this blog post first.) (And after you’re done reading about it, go watch it – it’s available on YouTube and DVD.) The film is joyous to watch. It’s funny and smart, clever and nuanced, broad and specific. The musicians sounded wonderful, and with a story so engrossing, I actually forgot, at times, that they were there!
It was at some point during “Modern Times” that I was overtaken by a hunch. I suspected that Chaplin likely filmed this masterpiece all over Los Angeles. I did a little research when I got home, and my hunch was confirmed. The scenes at the harbor and shipyard were filmed at the port and in San Pedro. The department store exteriors were at Sunset and Vine in the heart of Hollywood. A sequence where the Tramp and the Gamin escape the cops was filmed in Santa Monica. The dream house where the Tramp and the Gamin imagine their perfect life was in the valley, near Universal City. And the final scene, where the Tramp and the Gamin walk towards the horizon to begin a new life, was filmed on a stretch of the Sierra Highway beyond Santa Clarita, outside a little town called Acton.
I found it fitting that during this milestone year for the Silent Film Gala, a film that embraced a variety of Los Angeles locales was chosen, because that’s exactly what LACOdoes. One of LACO’s slogans says that they “bring great music to life,” and that idea could be expanded upon to include the fact that, chances are, they also bring that great music to you, no matter where you live. Their orchestral series is performed both in Glendale and Westwood. They do an annual event in Pasadena, and smaller concert series downtown and in Santa Monica. You’re never too far from a LACO venue, just like you’re never too far from a “Modern Times” location. I’ve attendedLACO concerts at most of these venues, and I get a kick out of visiting new-to-me neighborhoods and seeing what’s around. Now, thanks to Sunday’s Silent Film Gala, I have a new goal:
I enjoy exercise, but sometimes I need external motivation to get me on my feet. One of the things I love to do is go and work out in places featured in classic films. I’ve run two 10k races through the backlots at Universal Studios, and ran the public stairways featured in classic Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy comedies. Next on the to-do list? I’m going to run down Sierra Highway, along the same stretch of road that Charlie Chaplin walked almost 80 years ago. I enjoy feeling connected to my surroundings, and if I have a good workout in a location immortalized in a classic film, well… that will be a greatday.
So thank you, LACO. Thank you for a beautiful evening. Thank you for making me think about the city around me. And thank you for inspiring me to take another healthy step. It’ll probably end up being hundreds of steps along the Sierra Highway’s shoulders, but who’s counting?