In the white city
Movie | |
---|---|
German title | In the white city |
Original title | In the ville blanche |
Country of production | Portugal , Switzerland |
original language | Portuguese , German , English , French |
Publishing year | 1983 |
length | 107 minutes |
Rod | |
Director | Alain Tanner |
script | Alain Tanner |
production | Paulo Branco |
music | Jean-Luc Barbier |
camera | Acácio de Almeida |
cut | Laurent Uhler |
occupation | |
|
In the white city is a Swiss - Portuguese film by the Swiss director Alain Tanner from 1983.
action
Paul is a seaman. He works as an on-board mechanic in the noisy engine room. His ship docks in Lisbon and he goes ashore. He decides not to go back to the ship. He roams the city and takes in their impressions. He writes letters to his wife Elisa and sends her Super 8 video messages home to Switzerland. Then he begins a passionate affair with the pensioner Rosa. He continues to write to his wife and does not hide Rosa from her, while he continues to assure his wife of his love. After further enigmatic letters, Elisa finally announces war from far-away Switzerland, while Paul is looking for Rosa, who has since disappeared, in Lisbon.
reception
The poetic film develops a calm, intense atmosphere. The convincing acting performances of Ganz and Madruga convey the sadness of the meaning-seeking spontaneous dropout Paul, but also of Rosa's oppressive life. Both are looking for meaning and fulfillment from different directions, and for inner peace. The morbid charm of sun-drenched Lisbon and its decaying old streets form the framework.
With the film, Alain Tanner won praise from international critics. It was screened at various festivals and in 1984 received the César for best French-language film.
literature
- Johannes Beringer: Review of the film, in: Filmkritik , No. 317 of May 1983, pp. 217–219.
Web links
- In the White City in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- In the white city in the lexicon of international film
- The complete film on YouTube (original version)
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ IMDb
- ↑ artfilm.ch or spiegel.de