"Annette"

 

"So, May We Start?" The strange and moody musical "Annette" (Amazon, 2021) begins with a terrific number in a recording studio that has Ron and Russell Mael of the duo Sparks leaving the studio, picking up cast members along the way, and morphing into a parade down Santa Monica Blvd. Here the group poses in an alley with a bit of the Royal Theatre seen in the upper left. 

 

In the front are Simon Helberg as a conductor/accompanist, Marion Cotillard as an opera singer and Adam Driver as an unfunny stand up comedian. Ron and Russell Mael are seen behind. Marion and Adam have a very unusual daughter, Annette, who develops a curious gift. It's a film by Leos Carax. The cinematography is by Caroline Champetier. 

 

 

Adam puts on his coat, ready to go downtown to do a show at the Orpheum. Across the street it's the Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. 

 

 

On the bike heading to the Orpheum. In the center of the shot is the Rialto Theatre, now an Urban Outfitters store at 812 S. Broadway. The Tower Theatre is in the darkness beyond. 

 

 

Henry McHenry, Adam's character, is on the marquee at the Orpheum, 842 S. Broadway. Although set in Los Angeles, most of the film was shot in Belgium and Germany, including theatre interiors.

 

 

Advertising for an opera performance by Marion's character projected on Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave. That's her SUV turning the corner. We see a lot of the performance and a scene outside the theatre afterward, all shot elsewhere.

 

 

 

In this view showing off the signage of the Palace (630 S. Broadway) and the Los Angeles Theatre (615 S. Broadway) Adam is heading home on his motorcycle after the performance, supposedly given at the Orpheum.

See the pages about the Royal, Rialto, Orpheum, Palace and Los Angeles theaters as well as Disney Hall on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a full history of the buildings along with hundreds of photos.

On IMDb: "Annette"