[FOREST LAWN MEMORIAL PARK HOLLYWOOD HILLS HALL OF LIBERTY & BIRTH OF LIBERTY MOSAIC]

Year Published: 1963?

Description: This raw footage appears to be intended to showcase the "Birth of Liberty" mosaic, part of The Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills (one of the six Forest Lawn cemeteries in Southern California). It likely dates to 1963 or 1964. In addition to shots of the Hall of Liberty and the mosaic, the film features shots of the cemetery and its famous mortuary. The Hall of Liberty features statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as well as the Birth of Liberty mosaic. At 162 feet (49 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) high, Birth of Liberty is the largest historical mosaic in the United States. It is composed of ten million pieces of Venetian glass and depicts twenty-five scenes from early America, from 1619 to 1787. The "Birth of Liberty" (1961–1965) mosaic was created in Italy by Italian artists under the supervision of art expert Professor Bruno Bearzi and muralist Robert Homer Cumming, and was later supervised by Parker LeGrand Jacobs at Forest Lawn. The mosaic features 25 scenes from American history from Jamestown and the Mayflower to the surrender of General Cornwallis and the first session of the U.S. Congress. It is set into a 9-foot thick wall of concrete adjacent to the Hall of Liberty, a separate structure. Built between 1958-1963, The Court of Liberty was constructed to provide exclusive lawn crypts and private memorial courtyards beneath the gaze of George Washington and other icons of the Revolutionary War. The portion built within the period of significance is composed of the courtyards along the central axis between The Washington Monument and the Birth of Liberty mural. These courtyards are characterized by brick walls that reflect a distinctive bond found at the Court of Remembrance and the Diana Group. The court is divided into four terraces connected by a concrete walkway along the central axis. The last terrace holds The Washington Monument and opens to newer courtyards at each side. A grand staircase on the northern end of the court leads to The Washington Monument. This was designed by Thomas Ball in the mid-19th century and brought the statue to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. It was eventually installed at the new Court of Liberty in 1958.The statue stands 60 feet high and spans 40 feet square at the marble base. A 15 feet high bronze figure of George Washington is the central feature, dressed in his Continental Army uniform and giving a calming gesture. Below him are four bronze busts of other important officers of the Revolutionary War: the Marquis de Lafayette, Henry Knox, Benjamin Lincoln, and Nathaniel Greene. These busts are set into coves upon pedestals. Sitting at the base of the sculpture are four allegorical figures representing the central themes of the Revolutionary War: Oppression, Revolution, Victory, and Cincinnatus (a legendary hero who fought victoriously for Rome and afterward returned to his farm). The statue also features a bronze eagle with an American flag flying out of the front and back of the base.

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sJ2752D3M0

Metadata Source:YouTube