Of Time and the City

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this. From what I had heard, Of Time and the City and was a black and white film about Liverpool narrated by the film’s director, Terence Davies. I thought it would be dull, like a bad lecturer giving you a bad lecture. However, it was not this.

Of Time and the City is in fact a beautiful and poetic film. The choice of footage, paired with Davies choice of music and his deep, theatrical voice, make this film unique. It is poetic. It is nostalgic. It is funny. It is despairing.

Davies comments not only on what he sees as failures in Liverpool, but the rest of the Britain too. He scathes the monarchy and the riches that it receives amongst the backdrop of a ration ridden post war Britain. He critiques (biut not this word) the governments and councils for their ‘solution’ to this; council housing. He comments how they expected something wonderful and beautiful bu instead where given the concrete monstraties that can be found across the country. It is almost as if he feels let down. He is so fond of his hometown and childhood that he feels that to take away from the beauty of the place – being both Liverpool and Britain – is heartbreaking. The soul and flare that he once knew has died out. And all that is left are memories.