Palace of Silents

Palace of Silents (2010) is a fascinating documentary about the Los Angeles' silent movie theater founded by John Hampton and his wife in the early 1940s that became something of a semi-hidden cultural institution in the Fairfax neighborhood. One of the early proponents of silent cinema, Hampton was able to build an enviable collection of rare films that gave Angelenos the chance to view an art form that had been essentially abandoned by all but the most dedicated repertory theaters scattered around the city in the pre-VCR days.

While that in and of itself might only interest hardcore film aficionados, happily there is mystery, colorful characters, and murder to spice things up for everybody else. Sort of a Tiger King for the Hollywood set. Briskly paced, the film doesn't wear out its welcome and if you were one of the many people who drove by the place over the years, baffled at its continuing existence, this is a fine way to get to know the characters who managed to keep it going in some form or another for decades, lurid scandals and all.