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Of Time and the City

Play trailer Poster for Of Time and the City Released Jan 21, 2009 1h 12m Documentary Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 59 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Terence Davies recalls his life growing up in Liverpool, England in the 1950s and 1960s using newsreel and documentary footage.
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Of Time and the City

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Critics Consensus

Terrence Davies' heartfelt, sometimes funny new feature documentary is part scrapbook, part confessional.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker The pain of [Davies'] latter-day distance from his home town comes through poignantly. Oct 5, 2020 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Terence Davies, England's greatest living filmmaker, has released only six features, and this one is his first documentary, a mesmerizing and eloquent essay about his native Liverpool. Dec 16, 2009 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site This is a poetic version, but genuinely felt and elegantly expressed. Feb 13, 2021 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row A pompous, ostentatious mishmash of artful lyricism and egotistical self-aggrandizement. Rated: 2/4 Jul 7, 2019 Full Review Derek Smith Tiny Mix Tapes If I seem overly harsh towards a film that I'm essentially recommending, it's only because I expect more from the director. Rated: 3/5 Sep 29, 2015 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member an elegiac tribute to the scruffy city best known for producing the Beatles. The director says early on that he didn't care for them, that he was more likely to listen to Bruchner. He also makes fun of the Church and is no fan of the monarchy, the Betsy and Phil club that paraded around in Cinderella carriages while a nation was on rations. He is not any fonder of the church which did not approve of his homosexuality. But he gives us a beautiful portrait of small children carefully dressed and bathed, tottering around the sooty streets and buildings, of the warm, welcoming pubs, of the hardworking Liverpudlians. Even if he didn't fit in there, this documentary makes it clear that he has a loving image of Liverpool in his heart. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member More a visual poem made up of angry indictments and cautious nostalgia than a traditional documentary, Of Time and the City captures the essence of a brief period of England that provided Davies with his formative years, a personal exhibition of scar tissue and sentiment. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member This a splendid short documentary film about one of my favourite places Liverpool. The music and poetry work perfectly and it is quite haunting at times. I only wish it could have been a bit longer. I want to see more films like this. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A very irritatingly narrated Documentary on director Terence Davies & his Life & Love for Liverpool England. It had some great footage & somewhat interesting insight to Liverpool but the lack of any structure what so ever in this Documentary got to me. I found it over intellectual (or I wasn't smart enough to get it) & in many ways seemed rather dull. I found it irritating & glad when it was finished, however there are some gorgeous stills & footage of early Liverpool. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Terence Davies speaks his mind over a Liverpool backdrop. Both time and city are featured heavily. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Just a few too many shots of downtrodden old ladies, but the rest a thoughtful, funny, tragic delight. Was worth renting just to hear the narration about the royal family. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Terence Davies recalls his life growing up in Liverpool, England in the 1950s and 1960s using newsreel and documentary footage.
Director
Terence Davies
Producer
Roy Boulter, Sol Papadopoulos
Screenwriter
Terence Davies
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Genre
Documentary, Biography
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 21, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 13, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.6K
Runtime
1h 12m
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