For three nights, co-curators John Williams and Gustavo Dudamel will cover the history of Mexican cinema and the Hollywood Golden Age at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Oct. 25, Oct. 26, and Oct. 27. Conducted by Dudamel, the three days will bring back to life the exciting period in cinema for both Mexico and the United States, offering a film education for beginners and cinephiles.

Tickets to all three performances are on sale now; however, through our newsletter, we will give away tickets to the Saturday, Oct. 26 show. Be sure to subscribe, where you won’t miss the giveaway and other chances to win free tickets for other upcoming concerts.

Words: David Sosa

A Sound and Vision Performance for Cinephiles

Williams’ name alone holds enough weight to make this show worthwhile. Who better to curate a presentation of cinema history than a living legend whose scores define entire decades’ worth of films? However, the program covers so much history it would take an entire film school education to go into detail for each piece that will be performed.

The program’s first half is dedicated to Mexican cinema, beginning with Silvestre Revueltas’ score for La noche de los Mayas, an appropriate start considering the 1939 film is set during the Mayan era. Apart from original scores, there are also three tributes dedicated to pillars of Mexican cinema in the early years, including filmmaker Emilio “El Indio” Fernández, Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, and actor Mario Moreno, AKA Cantinflas.

As for the second, classic movies such as Double Indemnity, An American in Paris, Dr. Zhivago, and Casablanca take the spotlight through compositions that remain part of the collective conscience. Similar to the first half, legends such as Bette Davis and James Dean also receive their own moments, with Williams’ arrangements for “Hooray for Hollywood” and “A Tribute to Bette Davis.”

Intersection Between Mexico and Hollywood

While Williams is undoubtedly a fixture in American cinema, that’s not to say the US is the only source of old classics. Mexican cinema, in particular, has a long, storied movie history that gives most countries a run for their money, whether it be the 1930s that included films like La noche de los Mayas or recent runs from acclaimed filmmakers such as Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu. The event will specifically cover the late 30s to early 1960s, creating a clear throughline from the early days of Mexican cinema to the golden age of Hollywood that would define the mid-20th century.

As much as the event is dedicated to specific films from those periods, there’s also a careful consideration of the faces in front and behind the camera, which, in the case of the first half, were forerunners for generations to come. Although there’s no denying the influence people like James Dean had on his peers and actors for years to come, the imprint of filmmakers like Luis Buñuel can still be felt today, both on the silver screen and in art on a wider scale.

Why the Walt Disney Concert Hall is the Perfect Venue

Aside from the venue’s namesake having its own stakes in cinema, the Walt Disney Concert Hall serves as a more than fitting space to touch an admittedly expansive history that stretches beyond borders. Of course, there’s Dudamel, who will be conducting the LA Philharmonic for the event, as well as violinist Bing Wang. But for the actual Hall, its grandeur matches the movies and film titans that will be dedicated on the three evenings. Not to mention the fact that the setup makes it so there’s no such thing as a bad seat in the entire venue, rounding up an experience made worthwhile within the first minute of being there.

All three evenings offer a unique opportunity for fans of classical music or 20th-century cinema to come together and celebrate the illustrious art that Mexico and the US produced in their still-growing early stages. Three days later, on Halloween, you can catch another night dedicated to cinema, Halloween Organ, Film & Music: Nosferatu, where the 1922 vampire will come back to life from Transylvania to LA on Oct. 31. From Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, celebrate Día de Los Muertos with Dudamel, a showcase all about Latin American music unrestricted by region. And on Nov. 16, catch Noon to Midnight Festival: Field Recordings, a 12-hour festival bringing concerts and art installations together.