This was my second insight into Jon Jost's filmography with the first being, of course, The Bed You Sleep In. While having some similar elements, there was definitely a large amount of things different with them. The Bed You Sleep In was slow, bleak and almost melodramaticÂ… this is countered by the highly styled, slightly tongue in cheek surrealism of Angel City. This film has minutes upon minutes of cars driving, a helicopter bird's eye view of LA, and 10 or so minutes of a woman reciting lines only to be interrupted each time and other much stylised sequences which really do work for the movie.
The look of the film was also something I thought was important: the reflective shot of the desert with the eruptive angles of the city's scorched sun-dried vigour. Add to that the scratchy VHS quality this release pertains and you have a perfect 70s art-house movie that's not afraid of throwing away the rulebook and making a completely uncompromising work. From what I've seen Jost is truly one of the world's proper independent filmmakers who does not abide to what anyone says. His movies are what he wants them to be, not what he thinks people will like and that is one admirable quality that's prevalent throughout his work.
Personally The Bed You Sleep In worked better it's style and it's tone was more something more relatable (I've always been a sucker for slow bleak movies with long organic shots) but Angel City is also a fascinating, innovative addition to his filmography. Angel City is a mini masterpiece in its own way. The thought of exploring Jon Jost's work further is an incredibly exciting prospect, and really there has not been a weak slot in his movies thus far. He is a true visionary and really one of the only directors that is truly independent. His low budget, idiosyncratic style has been used in many other films but none refer back to him as a credential or really pull off the enormous depth Jost submits to his work. Angel City is not his best by a long shot, though with competition from 'Bell Diamond', 'The Bed You Sleep In', 'Slow Moves', 'Homecoming' and 'Speaking Directly', it is perfectly acceptable for it to not be in the top range. This however can serve as a gateway as he touches upon many themes and styles he would go on to look at.
The look of the film was also something I thought was important: the reflective shot of the desert with the eruptive angles of the city's scorched sun-dried vigour. Add to that the scratchy VHS quality this release pertains and you have a perfect 70s art-house movie that's not afraid of throwing away the rulebook and making a completely uncompromising work. From what I've seen Jost is truly one of the world's proper independent filmmakers who does not abide to what anyone says. His movies are what he wants them to be, not what he thinks people will like and that is one admirable quality that's prevalent throughout his work.
Personally The Bed You Sleep In worked better it's style and it's tone was more something more relatable (I've always been a sucker for slow bleak movies with long organic shots) but Angel City is also a fascinating, innovative addition to his filmography. Angel City is a mini masterpiece in its own way. The thought of exploring Jon Jost's work further is an incredibly exciting prospect, and really there has not been a weak slot in his movies thus far. He is a true visionary and really one of the only directors that is truly independent. His low budget, idiosyncratic style has been used in many other films but none refer back to him as a credential or really pull off the enormous depth Jost submits to his work. Angel City is not his best by a long shot, though with competition from 'Bell Diamond', 'The Bed You Sleep In', 'Slow Moves', 'Homecoming' and 'Speaking Directly', it is perfectly acceptable for it to not be in the top range. This however can serve as a gateway as he touches upon many themes and styles he would go on to look at.
