This is a special film; a documentary in the purest sense in which each stock image is a document in itself, chronologically put together against director Terence Davies' dominant voice-over to paint a nostalgic portrait of his native city, Liverpool. While worth watching for the powerful visuals alone, Of Time and the City is much more than a simple travelogue. Reminiscent of early 20th century city-symphony films, Davies' goes beyond the city and focuses on the people, his voice-over (sometimes quoting Joyce, Chekhov and the likes) taking on the perspectives of various characters in addition to himself as it contextualizes the living past unfolding before our eyes. At various stages in the film Davies' takes a breather and music flows with the footage, the viewer guided eyes and ears through the dirty old town whose beauty yet can't be denied
Great film. Have you seen Davies' early films Distant Voices/Still Lives and The Long Day Closes? If you haven't seen them, their musts, particularly if you liked Of Time and the City.
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