Davies documents Liverpool from when he was born in 1945 to when he left in 1973. Liverpool was known as "one of the worst slums in Europe", with small brick houses, vandalised shops, and a very poor living quality. Davies then bashes the Monarchy for spending so much on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and not helping his city. Despite the poor living conditions, there was a sense of community, showing days out to the beach, local fairs, street parties and everyone having a jolly good old time (this is Britain after all). This is not a film specifically about the city, but about Terence Davies experience during that time and how he remembers it. Deterioration plagues the city, but he remembers fondly of it. He explains how he despised the pope, the impulses of adolescence, and the escape to the cinema to watch films like 'Victim' and 'Singing in the Rain'. The final 15 minutes examines Liverpool in the present day. The place he once loved, has disappeared and now seems alienating. The sense of community has vanished, the tower-blocks have gone and the city is no longer in depression.
It doesn't feel like a documentary, but a passionate insight into a forgotten past. The film covers a large variety of topics, from religion, to war, to the monarchy. Davies uses archive and contemporary footage combined with music, narration, autobiographical reminiscence, funny wit and even literary quotations.
"You meet your destiny on the road you take to avoid it"
Carl Jung
The film is interesting in places, like the footage of soldiers going to war while the song 'He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother' plays over it. The film does suffer from feeling like an extra long segment from 'The One Show'. It drags at the beginning and the end, but has a satisfying middle third.
A peaceful and heartfelt work, to a city filled with 20th century history.
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