La ville blanche, the white city, is Lisbon as a port. The film consists of two elements that serve to reinforce each other: a striking photographic view of the city and actor Bruno Ganz in his role as a sailor who jumps ship. The faded glory and the dingy bars of Lisbon, combined with Ganz in his saddest existentialist role, make the film one of the best made by Alain Tanner. Paul/Bruno Ganz hangs around in the city when his ship sails. Using an 8mm film camera and writing long letters to his wife, he tries to get a grip on what moves him, but the seaman remains a lonely wandering soul. An affair with a chambermaid in his hotel does not free him of his suffering himself. Tanner was to demonstrate his love of ports again later in his career with Les hommes du port (1996), a beautiful documentary about the dockworkers of Genua. (GjZ)
