FILM 2333: L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997)

TRIVIA: At the time the film takes place, no building in Los Angeles was allowed to be taller than City Hall, so the cameras were placed at certain points so that any building taller than City Hall would not be seen.

James Ellroy describes the character of Bud White as the biggest cop on the Los Angeles force. Noting that he wasn't even six foot, Russell Crowe decided to move into an apartment so small that he had to duck to get into the doorways, and could barely stand up. Crowe said this worked in making him feel like a "giant" by the time he came to the set to shoot.

The script went through seven drafts before Curtis Hanson felt confident enough to let James Ellroy see it.

Before filming began, Curtis Hanson brought Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce to Los Angeles for two months to immerse them in the city and the time period. He also brought them dialect coaches and introduced them to real-life cops.

In preparation, Curtis Hanson showed his cast and crew Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Bad Influence (1990), The Killing (1956), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), In a Lonely Place(1950), Private Hell 36 (1954), and The Lineup (1958).

Pierce Patchett's business is based on the long-time rumor that there really was a house of prostitution in Hollywood that supplied ladies meticulously dressed and made up to resemble famous movie stars. In his memoir "Hollywood: Stars and Starlets, Tycoons and Flesh-Peddlers, Moviemakers and Moneymakers, Frauds and Geniuses, Hopefuls and Has-Beens, Great Lovers and Sex Symbols," Garson Kanin describes a visit to a place called Mae's, where the Madam dressed as Mae West, and presided over a cast of replicas of Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, and Ginger Rogers, among others.

For her work on this film, casting director Mali Finn so impressed Curtis Hanson that she ended up casting four of his next five movies.

Kim Basinger's Oscar winning performance in this film is her only Academy Award nomination.

Lana Turner's private life posed a serious problem for the studios. Her eight marriages were one element. Another was her relationship with Johnny Stompanato. This film is set five years before Turner's most notorious incident during which Stompanato attacked her. Turner's daughter stabbed and killed him in defence of her mother. The trial and acquittal provided a great deal of gossip for several years to come.

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.

Included among the "1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider.

I’m making my way through the book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider. See my blog post about my copy of the book here…

You can buy an updated version (which I will get after I’ve made my way through this edition) here…

I really hope you can come on this journey with me – if you do I’d love to know which films you’ve enjoyed the most!