Description
Dans la ville blanche
In the white city is choosed by Jeffrey and here he tells us why this movie is important to be seen. Jeffrey: “The films of Swiss director Alain Tanner (Jonas will be 25… ) are some of the sharpest of the last century. Sadly they have been pushed-aside and trashed by our commercial film distribution industry. Although his movies are not really political, they are indeed focused on characters who seek alternatives to our mass-media consumer society. People who have had it with compromising, who are tired of the rat-race of modern civilization, and are looking for something more meaningful and sincere (and exciting).”
Places to hang out
In this film a sailor (Bruno Ganz- Der Untergang, Wings of Desire) decides to jump ship and hang out in Lisbon for awhile. Jeffrey: “Today we have a tourist world, where traveling means a quick stop to a foreign city which has been embedded with everything you already know (Starbucks, all the international chain stores). But when I use to travel in the 80s, I would go and stay someplace for 4 months minimum. I’d really live in a place, and chose places to hang out that were unknown, exotic, off-beat and therefore full of mystery. I chose for what I didn’t know. In this film, the main character is doing the same.”
Lonesome jazz musical
He spends his time soaking in the atmosphere, shooting 8mm films, and writing letters. He meets a cute bartender who works downstairs, and they become lovers. This is a moody and reflective movie, and one that throws a wrench into the gears of the modern world, and which opts for an alternative. Dans la ville blanche is unrushed, set to the pace of Lisbon itself, and features a superb lonesome jazz musical score by Jean-Luc Barbierand.