Kenneth Turan’s film pick of the week: ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’

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Because it’s one of the hardest films to see and will possibly never make it to DVD, it’s good that the American Cinematheque seems to be making a habit of showing ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’ at least once a year.

One of the best films about Los Angeles, Thom Andersen’s exceptional documentary, a 2-hour, 49-minute essay/meditation and labor of love on how this city has been depicted on the screen, is screening this weekend.

Smart, insightful, apologetically idiosyncratic and bristling with provocative ideas, “Los Angeles” serves up segments from more than 200 films, from 1913’s “A Muddy Romance” to 1974’s “Chinatown” and beyond.

Brilliantly discursive and filled with intriguing detours, it finally agrees with the narrator in Jacques Demy’s “Model Shop,” who says, “It’s a fabulous city. To think some people claim it’s an ugly city when it’s really pure poetry, it just kills me.”

‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’ screens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with director Andersen appearing Sunday, at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.

-- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times film critic