Movie Description
Hudson City, New Jersey, is a decaying shell of a city where whites, blacks, unions, and the police form their own tribes and where having juice--political influence--often means toeing the tribal line. CITY OF HOPE presents the lives of the several of Hudson City's residents, ranging from the inhabitants of a decrepit tenement to the fat cats in city hall. Two men in particular--the son of a corrupt contractor and a black politician accused of being a sellout--struggle to deal with the city's political structure, which reaches a crisis when a white professor is accused of sexually assaulting two black youths.
Director John Sayles has said that CITY OF HOPE is one of his most autobiographical works, an amalgamation of his experiences in a variety of midsize cities, including Albany, East Boston, Atlanta, and Hoboken. Often compared with Spike Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING, Sayles's film considers similar issues from a broader perspective, including more sympathetic portraits of the police. Intricate camerawork ties together more than 50 speaking parts, often without cuts. The seamless transitions between characters emphasizes that these people are all connected, whether they realize it or not.
| Credits | | Cast: | Angela Bassett, Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, John Sayles, Lawrence Tierney, Maggie Renzi, Tony Denison |
Notes
Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival Park City, Utah, January 23, 1991.
Filmed on location in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In contrast with his other films, director John Sayles didn't have to do any research on the film, because he based so much of it on his own experiences.
Many of Sayles's relatives have worked for the police force. Their experiences, Sayles has said, have given him a more sympathetic, but not necessarily less harsh, view of the police. When Sayles talked to people about their reaction to CITY OF HOPE, many of them found his depiction of a cop who refuses to go along with a cover-up unbelievable.
Editorial Reviews
"...[The] most invigorating achievement to date by John Sayles....CITY OF HOPE is a very big job well done..."
Canby
"...CITY OF HOPE is a bracing, invigorating piece of work....Sayles writes some of the most tastily profane dialogue in the business, pungent words that are realistic as well as dramatically potent..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (10/25/1991)
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