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LA Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
The film opens on a shot of the "Los Angeles City Limits" sign. It then cuts to Fred Halsted taking a walk in the forest and coming upon a man sunning himself in the nude. They briefly talk and end up having passionate sex in the wilderness only to be interrupted by bulldozers destroying the wildlife area in order to build a new suburb. The film suddenly switches to inner city Los Angeles as Halsted and a man from Texas discuss in voice over the problems with modern society and the dishonesty of most people. This is inter-cut with shots of hustlers, bums, vagrants, porn theaters and shops, as well as footage of a man (presumably the Texan) being brutally tortured by Halsted. Eventually the man is bound and left helpless in a closet, a symbol of the violent and trapping nature of Los Angeles. The film ends on shots of newspapers saying that a young man was found dead after being tortured.
For more about LA Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection and the LA Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection Blu-ray release, see LA Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection Blu-ray Review published by Brian Orndorf on November 21, 2021 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.5 out of 5.
With "The Fred Halsted Collection," Altered Innocence strives to bring the deep cult appeal of the filmmaker to a wider audience. It's a noble endeavor,
distributing three shorts from the helmer, including "L.A. Plays Itself" (55:17), "Sextool" (61:06), and "The Sex Garage" (35:09), with each of the
offerings highlighting Halstead's interest in experimental imagery and hardcore scenarios, working to bring a level of artfulness to underground cinema
while preserving his fascination with titillation.
"L.A. Plays Itself" is perhaps the most known of the shorts, exploring city streets and the open world with men involved in numerous sexual
adventures. It's like a hardcore clip from "Fantasia," with Halsted playing around with orchestral music and obscured imagery, trying to generate a
loose sense of nature and lust. What's especially compelling about this short is a switch to L.A. streets, capturing the bustle of life in 1972 while the
filmmaker works on conversational exchanges between off-screen participants. It doesn't add up to anything even remotely profound, but there's an
easygoing rhythm to the endeavor that's occasionally interrupted by increasingly intense sexual situation, including a climatic fisting scene, which, to
be honest, is really how more movies should end.
1972's "The Sex Garage" is more elusive with its ideas, working with black and white to detail sexual encounters (not always between human
participants) and vague characters. "Sextool" is perhaps too blunt at times, getting into darker areas of S&M fantasies, including one that involves
Crisco, which could be the greatest act of product placement in film history. Halsted definitely had his kinks (he's positively in love with semen),
laboring to bring them to life in these three efforts, which take viewers on an elusive ride of personalities and obsessions, with "Sextool" especially
interested in detailing acts of submission.
The AVC encoded image for all three short films are listed as "beautifully restored" by The Museum of Modern Art, though they remain in pretty rough
shape. There's pronounced damage, with jumpy frames and heavy scratches common, along with some inherent camera issues at times. Age is
inescapable, but overall detail reaches as far as the original cinematography goes, offering a softer but present look at skin surfaces and graphic
encounters. "L.A. Plays Itself" also has the benefit of being something of a travelogue, showcasing city sights and signage. Color is appealing, with
strong primaries on clothing and decoration. Skintones are natural. Greenery is also acceptable.
The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't offering sharpness, with age present during the listening experiences. Intelligibility isn't threatened, but recording
limitations are encountered. Musical offerings are acceptably defined for this type of endeavor.
"The Fred Halsted Collection" is best reserved for those who at least semi-understand what's included in this set, as the offerings are not suited for a
cold viewing. The shorts have their artistic ways and the stamp of approval from The Museum of Modern Art, but entertainment value is up for intense
debate, making this set more of an experience for established Halsted fans.
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Vinegar Syndrome has announced and detailed six new partner label releases that will be available for purchase later this month. They are: Radio On (1979), LA Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection (1972-1975), Knocking (2021), Blood-A-Rama Triple Frightmare ...
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