City of Hope features one of the most inspired and inspiring collaborations in modern cinema. It is John Sayles’ magnum opus, a sprawling look at an American city from the political machine down to the homeless told through the eyes of a drifting young man just looking for love. The cast is full of familiar faces like Chris Cooper, David Stratharian, Angela Bassett, Joe Morton, Gina Gershon, Kevin Tighe and Frankie Faison. It’s a dense film that covers a lot of ground in just over two hours.
What keeps the film humming along is the photography by Robert Richardson. Made between The Doors and JFK, and working on a film with a total production budget of $3 Million, Richardson takes Sayles’ script full of conversation and brings the city to life. This isn’t like his later work with Tarantino, with beautifully composed static frames. The camera is constantly on the move, leading people deeper into their personal dramas. The street lights shine a little brighter and people are often surrounded by metal, concrete and artificial light.
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