Dans la Ville Blanche

Originally Dans la Ville Blanche, the Swiss/Portuguese In the White City features Bruno Ganz as a cinematically inclined Swiss sailor. While on liberty in Lisbon, Ganz decides to soak in the sights, committing his visit to posterity with an 8-millimeter movie camera. His ship sets sail, but Ganz ...more

Those who appreciate Alain Tanner solely on the basis of his most widely screened film, Jonah, Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000, (and there are many) will initially feel dumbfounded by the director's 1983 effort, In the White City (Dans la Ville Blanche). It bears no resemblance whatsoever to Tanner's previous work -- gone are the political undercurrents, the quirky traces of humor, the fascinating use of cross-cuts in the narrative architecture. Instead, Tanner's story -- about ship mechanic ...more