There are a lot of great things about living in Los Angeles: weather; proximity to wine-growing regions; great, reasonably priced restaurants; and excellent produce at our local farmers market.
LA has a bounty of cultural events. Look around the newspaper, listen to the radio, ask someone at a local shop, and you’ll find out about all kinds of things to do. Lots of them cost money. Many of them don’t – sorta.
Within 5 miles of our house, we have been to free Shakespeare at Griffith Park by Independent Shakespeare Company, free rock shows, free Indian music and free outdoor silent films accompanied by a new George Sarah composition for string quartet and 4 voices. Which brings us to the 1928 silent La Passion de Jeanne D’Arc, directed by the brilliant Carl Theodore Dryer.
This one-off performance was part of the incredible Grand Performances series downtown. Throughout the summer, a group of downtown businesses bring in amazing acts from all over the planet. If you’re local, check out the website and get on the mailing list. It’s super close to Metro, you can bring your own picnic and libation (or buy from one of the many restaurants/stores nearby) and the cost of admission is free.
As to this performance. Amazing. Really. The music was beautiful, the singers mostly recited latin prayers to specific saints and the film was genius. Amazing camera angles. Non-stop close-ups that create so much tension you site on the edge of your seat. If you can get it on Netflix, really, do not hesitate. It’s a very powerful film. Even more amazing due to its age.
Thank you Grand Performances, George Sarah and all of the players.
A note on “free”. You will be asked for a donation. This goes for Grand Performances and Independent Shakespeare (ISC) equally — decide how much you think it’s worth then double it. Because free isn’t really free if it’s not around any more.
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