Cinema Guild Resurrects Thom Andersen’s Landmark ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’ and More for Home Distribution

In 2003, Thom Andersen released a landmark documentary that was equally eloquent and well paced. “Los Angeles Plays Itself” saught to challenge the state of film and its relationship with Los Angeles, bringing life to details as apparently tedious as referring to the city coldly as “L.A.” Now, over a decade after its initial controversial release, “Los Angeles Plays Itself” has been picked up for home and digital distribution for the first time.

READ MORE: 2004 Interview With ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’ Filmmaker Thom Andersen on Reality of Film

Cinema Guild will do the honors of releasing Andersen’s works, which include films ranging from his early classic “Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer” from 1975 and his latest film “Reconversão” from 2012. These three, including “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” will be released for home video and across all digital platforms ,according to Cinema Guild. Also being released is “Red Hollywood,” an exploration of the victims of the Hollywood Blacklist, which was completed two decades ago but has never before been released theatrically. It will open in New York City, at Film Society at Lincoln Center in August. 

“Los Angeles Plays Itself,” which has been considered a cousin to Jean-Luc Goddard’s “Histoire(s) du Cinema,” was hailed for its structure and unique perspective as a film essay that explores the depiction of the world’s most photographed city. It’s digital release has not yet been given a date, but Cinema Guild expects a fall launch.