"Blowup" at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Last week I was invited out to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd) to catch the Cinespia cemetery Sunday night screening of "Blowup", a 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni film. At first I was a little hesitant to go because I thought it would be a huge production for a Sunday evening, but I couldn't pass on the opportunity to drink some wine, eat some hors d'œuvres, and watch a movie amongst tombstones and mausoleums.

We arrived at Hollywood Forever around 7:30pm and, after a short wait, entered the cemetery to park. After we'd ditched our ride we proceeded through the graveyard to find the viewing area, which was a nice open lawn leading up to the side of a large white mausoleum. People were pouring in from their respective parking spots and staking out their spots as DJ Mahssa layed down a psychedelic soundtrack. We quickly plotted out our spot, settled in, and began to take in the scene.

Although the gates to the cemetery opened at 7:30pm, the film didn't start until 9:00pm, which left plenty of time to work up a nice wine buzz and soak up the environment. The audience mostly consisted of people in their mid twenties to mid thirties all drinking, dancing, and consorting. A few people started dancing off to our right in small groups and ended up merging into one large masquerading population shortly after. The weather was warm and gloomy which made for an apocalyptic-looking sunset, the graves only intensifying the backdrop. All-in-all a surreal environment that seemed very appropriate, given the attributes of the event.

When it was time for the film to start, the music was turned down so that the presenters could thank the DJ and give the film an introduction. Opening credits ran, the image projected onto the side of the large white mausoleum, as the audience settled down. "Blowup" was a little slow, a little weird, and a little quiet. At one point, a man who had been the centerpiece for the dancing that took place earlier in the night, stood up and yelled "Ok, enough!", gathered his things and left. The rest of the audience shared his sentiment and laughed at the outburst as the man exited smiling and waving. This exchange only added to the experience leaving me to believe that the film being shown wasn't as important as the aesthetic created.

~P.S.

Next week: The Native June gig at The AquaLounge......http://www.nativejune.com/site.html