Elysian Park and the Stone Quarry Hills (1970)

Narrated by Benicio del Toro, Ruscha’s film takes us on a journey through the space and history of Elysian Park. Like much of Los Angeles, Elysian Park has passed through many hands as the land was settled and developed. Over the years its canyons have been home to wildlife, indigenous people, a brick-making factory, a quarry, reservoirs, Hispanic neighborhoods, a tuberculosis hospital, a police academy, and a major league baseball stadium. As Ruscha rambles its byways, his camera enfolds all this history while quietly celebrating the park as a luminous natural respite from the surrounding city.