American History X
by Tony Kaye
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Avery Brooks, Beverly D'Angelo, Edward Furlong, Edward Norton, Jennifer LienDirector: Tony Kaye
Brand: McDonald Publishing
Producer: Bill Carraro
Producer: Brian Witten
Producer: David McKenna
Writer: David McKenna
Producer: John Morrissey
Producer: Jon Hess
Producer: Kearie Peak
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-04-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: New Line Home Video
Product features:
- Made with the Best Quality Material with your child in mind.
- Top Quality Children's Item.
Movie Reviews of American History X
Movie Review: Sitting In Awe Of Norton's Performance And The Film's Message...
Summary: 5 Stars
AMERICAN HISTORY X is so powerful, so engrossing, so well-acted, that I sat in silence for some time after the last credit rolled past. The message of hate and how it affects generations is something so true and ingrained in our culture that it often defies logic. And so goes this film...
Based on the true-life story of a white supremacist, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton, The Painted Veil), the story leads us down a path many would probably not rather see, but must see in order to understand what hateful ignorance lay in wait in America (and beyond).
After killing some black men trying to break into his car, Derek is sent to prison for several years, leaving his family to fend for themselves. Most notable is impressionistic brother Danny (Edward Furlong) who practically worships brother Derek. In high school, Danny taunts students of color and creates a few enemies that will ultimately be his undoing.
Trying to save both Derek and Danny is high school principal Bob Sweeney (Avery Brooks), a black man on a mission to salvage the men from hatred (a great role for Brooks, too, second only to Norton's amazing performance).
In prison, Derek learns a humbling lesson: those that are supposed to be your friends can be your worst enemies, and true friends can be color-blind. Derek becomes friends with an unlikely laundry buddy ...who happens to be black. The two form a bond based on trust and understanding, and a love for sports talk. Derek is surprised when he actually survives his prison term, only to learn that his survival was helped along by his friend of color. Derek has awakened to his loss of hatred of colored people (and Jews), and realizes that he has to try and save brother Danny from a similar fate.
But can he...
Edging his way back into the family, Derek distances himself from his disturbing past, but will it be in time to save his beloved skinhead brother?
Without a doubt, the film's ending can be viewed as fatalistic. We don't know what Derek is going to do but we are left with an inkling of hope that he'll stay true on his new path. Whether he would or not is left up to the audience to decide.
Which is why I remained sitting, staring at a black screen after the credits finished rolling. I wanted to see my hopeful thoughts come true; to see Derek rise up and defeat his demons. I didn't want to see what `might' happen.
I hope...
An incredibly powerful performance by Norton and an even more powerful message of (possible) redemption ...with a terrible cost.
Summary of American History X
Edward Norton's Academy Award nominated role as a White Supremist who sees the error of his ways while jailed for murder. Unfortunately, he leaves prison to find his brother (Edward Furlong) heading down the same path.DVD Features:
Biographies
Deleted Scenes
Filmographies
Interactive Menus
Production Notes
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer
Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History?X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate, Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father, and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach), a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach, California, all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.
The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or, in Danny's mind, martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric, Danny is easily swayed into the violent, hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released, Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate, and American History?X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions, awkward sentiment, and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been, both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon
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