FILM

June '09 New on DVD
Written by Kevin Filipski   

ImageOf Time and the City (Strand Releasing) is British director Terence Davies’ simultaneously lyrical and angry reminiscence about growing up in Liverpool as a gay youth interested in art and beauty at a time (post-WWII) when such things were in short supply on the dirty docks of this important British port. Like his earlier features, Distant Voices, Still Lives; The Long Day Closes; The Neon Bible; and The House of Mirth, Davies' documentary is an intensely personal work that presents his point of view with understated artistry. His use of vintage footage, coupled with an often sardonic voiceover, creates a dichotomy between the accepted version of history and how Davies, as artist and human being, interprets it. He mentions the Beatles only in passing, for example; musically, his tastes ran more toward Bruckner and Mahler (whose Resurrection symphony dominates the final quarter of the film) than rockers like the Fab Four. Of Time and the City is a poetic cinematic essay about the past and possible future of this singular artist's beloved hometown. Extras include interviews with Davies and footage of the making of the film.

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