Saturday, December 17, 2016

"The Neon Demon"


We begin with a bloody looking fashion shoot in "The Neon Demon" (Broad Green Pictures, 2016), Nicholas Winding Refn's sordid tale of the modeling business in Los Angeles. A look out the window lets us know where we are -- across the street we see the arches of the Schaber Cafeteria Building, 620 S. Broadway, just north of the Palace Theatre. The shoot is taking place on the second floor of the south storefront of the Los Angeles Theatre building.

The girl in the shoot is Jesse (Elle Fanning), an aspiring model from the sticks who comes to a sad end at the hands of spurned girl friend Ruby (Jena Malone) and envious competitors Gigi (Bella Heathcote) and Sarah (Abbey Lee).



At the shoot Jesse meets Ruby, a makeup artist who we later learn likes girls -- including dead ones. Ruby invites her to a party. Next thing we know we're coming out of the elevator at the Orpheum.



At the party on the balcony level of the Orpheum's lobby. Yes. everything at the party is very blue.  See the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Orpheum Theatre at 842 S. Broadway, a glorious house opened in 1926, for many photos of the theatre lit in something other than blue.



We're still at the party but when it's time to go to the ladies room we use the one at the Los Angeles Theatre.



Another shot from the scene at the Los Angeles Theatre's ladies room.  The trio is trying to figure out the new girl and see what she likes. In terms of lipstick and other things. "Beauty isn't everything. It's the only thing." says Robert Sarno (Alessandro Nivola), a clothing designer we meet in the film.



Heading back to the party, Ruby is seen here exiting the deeper reaches of the restroom area and emerging into the cosmetics room. See the pages about the Los Angeles Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for hundreds of photos, including a whole page on this area seen in "The Neon Demon."

On IMDb: "The Neon Demon"

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