Barry Levinson directed, co-produced and wrote the screenplay for "Avalon", his third film (after "Diner" and "Tin Men") set in Baltimore and based on semi-autobiographical events. It is a beautifully photographed, intelligently written and somewhat sad film.
"Avalon" tells the story of a Polish-American family. Sam (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and wife Eva (Joan Plowright) are immigrants from Poland. Their grown son Jules (Aidan Quinn) is a salesman, with wife Anne (Elizabeth Perkins) and young son Michael (Elijah Wood). Jules's ambitions with cousin Izzy (Kevin Pollak) lead to a brief merchandising empire built on a warehouse full of consumer goods.
Most of the film takes place in the late 1940s, and Levinson takes pains to point out the great transformations that were occurring in American society during that period. Mass transit was being replaced by the automobile, the middle class was moving to the suburbs, the extended family was shrinking into the nuclear family. Television was being introduced, and America was fascinated by the small glowing screen. These cultural changes are worked effortlessly into the story and characters.
The comic relief mostly comes from Sam and Eva's conversations. They are circular and repetitive, but entertaining. To Jules and Anne, it appears that their parents are arguing. This is one of many examples of the cross-cultural gap between the aging immigrants and their American-born children, who have no accents, find the 'Family Circle' ritual tedious, and have Americanized their last names.
"Avalon" was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay (Barry Levinson), Best Cinematography (Allen Daviau), Best Original Score (Randy Newman) and Best Costume Design (Gloria Gresham). The Golden Globe nominated it for Best Film in the Dramatic category. Levinson has had other successes since, including Liberty Heights (1999). (77/100)
The third installment in Barry Levinson's Baltimore Trilogy AVALON tells the story of a Jewish family immigrating to the United States in pursuit of t...More at Family Video
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