Welcome to L.A.

1976's WELCOME TO L.A. was writer/director Alan Rudolph's first serious film following a few in the horror genre.  He had worked with mentor Robert Altman as assistant director on THE LONG GOODBYE and NASHVILLE.   It seems that the latter film highly influenced this one, right down to the casting of Keith Carradine as a musician who sleeps around.  WELCOME TO L.A. is an ensemble drama with interwoven stories.  All of its characters are lonely and frustrated.  Unbearably sad at times.  By the film's conclusion, only a few of them seem to have reached a form of satisfaction.  More likely, melancholy resignation.

"Melancholy" is a fair word to describe Rudolph's film.  For me, it feels like a long form poem of despair and disconnection.  It is a highly moody and sometimes pretentious bit of '70s sociology.  Still resonates now.  WELCOME TO L.A. revolves around Carroll Barber (Carradine), a songwriter who has returned to Los Angeles after years in England.  A famous MOR-type musician named Eric Wood (Richard Baskin, who did the actual music) is about to record his compositions.  

Carroll has an impish, bohemian appearance yet manages to attract/often bed most of the women in the cast.  These include his manager Susan (Viveca Lindfors), real estate agent Ann (Sally Kellerman), a receptionist named Jeannette (Diahnne Abbott), a photographer (Lauren Hutton) who is also his wealthy father's (Denver Pyle) mistress, and Karen (Geraldine Chaplin), the somewhat batty wife of his father's business associate (Harvey Keitel, in a highly atypical role).  Despite his maddeningly ineffectual personality and tendency to coldly discard them after a one nighter. 

The storyline recalls Arthur Schnitzler and Anton Chekov.   "A love B. B loves C. C loves D.  D loves A..." and so on.  Also Mr. Altman, as this film's character mosaic feels off the cuff and improvised.  But Rudolph didn't quite find his niche just yet.  The tone of things to come in his later, more accomplished films is in fact present in a more primitive form and does make WELCOME TO L.A. a fascinating experience.  He makes the "city of one night stands" feel like another character itself, and DP David Myers captures it nicely.

I even forgive the repetitive, droning voice of Mr. Baskin as we see (in the recording studio) and hear him sing Carroll's songs throughout the movie .  Pauline Kael referred to it as "a quivering anal growl (that) might be Kissinger serenading NBC."  We learn about Carroll mostly through his pained, haunting, and sometimes slightly embarrassing lyrics, suggesting he's had a long history of promiscuity and regret over it. 

The actors, which include many of Altman's stock company, are all attractive and natural.  Kellerman and Hutton have long been crushes of mine so that certainly didn't hurt.