Like the older, polite cousin of "Dog Town & Z-Boyz", the film is constructed from an large pool of interviews with artists, actors and gallery owners who talk over some well discovered archival footage and photos. This nicely edited preamble delves into the special world of a unique group of pioneering artists in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s including Ed Moses, Ed Kienholz, Ed Ruscha, Craig Kauffman, Wallace Berman, and Robert Irwin.
The names might be smaller than those in the mature NY scene or more-respected SF scene but this lively documentary gifts us an insight into how Venice beach beatniks and the hip gallery scene on La Cienega Blvd. influenced and created a small but unique social movement on the West Coast.
The young city of Los Angeles quickly rose from an unknown underdog to one of America's respected art cities, placing it within competitive reach of New York and San Francisco and therefore with Paris, London and Berlin.
Worth watching, perhaps more so for people who know about art and / or L.A.
The names might be smaller than those in the mature NY scene or more-respected SF scene but this lively documentary gifts us an insight into how Venice beach beatniks and the hip gallery scene on La Cienega Blvd. influenced and created a small but unique social movement on the West Coast.
The young city of Los Angeles quickly rose from an unknown underdog to one of America's respected art cities, placing it within competitive reach of New York and San Francisco and therefore with Paris, London and Berlin.
Worth watching, perhaps more so for people who know about art and / or L.A.