Smog

“In Smog, an Italian lawyer (Enrico Maria Salerno) finds himself with time to kill whilst on a stopover in L.A. and stumbles upon a group of local Italian expats who offer him an impromptu guided tour of the city. To capture mid-century Los Angeles, Rossi filmed at 80 different locations, shooting in and around some of the city’s most iconic architectural landmarks. Although the film was never released in US cinemas, it has consequently achieved cult status in the US over the decades (…). Rossi, however, had no intention of celebrating the local way of life; rather, he sought to create a cautionary tale for his fellow Europeans. As the lawyer wanders through the city, he becomes increasingly dismayed by the extent to which his compatriots are adopting local customs and traditions – victims of what Rossi termed ‘intellectual smog’.’ (Paul Malcolm, UCLA Festival of Preservation 2024)