Smog

Smog

Italy, 1962

Director Franco Rossi offers an atmospheric meditation on the pervasive alienation and class systems inherent to American life in the sprawling City of Angels, as seen through the outsider perspectives of an Italian attorney (Enrico Maria Salerno) and the small circle of Italian expats he encounters while on layover en route to Mexico City. From his polyglot exchanges at Los Angeles International Airport to cocktails at the Pierre Koenig-designed Stahl Residence—and all the anonymous car lots, oil fields, off ramps and diners around and between—Rossi offers a unique, street-level view of the mid-century city, adding a touch of hometown pride and nostalgia to all the modernist ennui.

35mm, b&w, in Italian with English subtitles, 88 min. Director: Franco Rossi. Screenwriter: Franco Rossi, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa, Ugo Guerra. With: Enrico Maria Salerno, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori.

Funding has been provided by California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.