Avalon
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Movie Reviews of Avalon
Movie Review: Barry Levinson's Personal Epic Is Also His Forgotten Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Looking back at some recent comedies by Barry Levinson ("Envy" and "Man of the Year"), it's hard to remember the not-so-distant past when he was a major Hollywood director. A primary creative force behind TV's lauded "Homicide," he also won accolades for film projects as diverse as "Diner" in 1982 to "Wag the Dog" in 1997. And for a few years, he was on a real roll of serious minded and critically acclaimed movies--"Good Morning, Vietnam" followed by an Oscar for "Rain Man" and then another nomination for "Bugsy." Well, in between "Rain Man" and "Bugsy" (both films that I would rate at 5 stars for different reasons), he made his most personal film yet. While "Avalon" doesn't have the high profile of some of these other films (it did secure some writing awards for Levinson, however)--it is my favorite. It's a little film, a quiet character study, a wistfully nostalgic look at a more innocent time--but it's done on an epic scale.
"Avalon" is a fictionalized (and idealized) account of Levinson's own history, a Jewish family from Russia emigrates to the United States to seek prosperity and happiness. Set largely in the Baltimore of the 1940s and 1950s, "Avalon" gently examines family and the discovery of new opportunity. Plot-wise, there isn't a lot to account for--this film doesn't just seek to tell a story, but to strike a mood and create a feeling. There are just great scenes of familial interaction, funny scenes about growing up, scenes of wonder at the progress of a new country. The film might be one of the strongest family films ever. In a day where every film represents dysfunction and quirkiness, "Avalon" is a sweet throwback. This film is based on love, communication, and how people can naturally drift apart. It can come across as innocent and sanitized, perhaps, but the writing is so crisp and observant and the performances are beautiful. To further set a mood, the film is shot beautifully with gorgeous colors and expanses and the score is spot on.
The film stars a young Elijah Wood (as Levinson's surrogate, we presume). Much of the film's wonder comes from seeing things from a child's perspective. It's easy to forget how long Wood has been around what with the "Lord of the Rings" phenomenon--but this is one of his earliest starring roles. His parents are played by Aidan Quinn and Elizabeth Perkins--both giving perfectly nuanced performances. But if the film belongs to anyone--it's Armin Mueller-Stahl as the grandfather. I've always felt that if this film had a slightly larger profile on its release, that this could have been his Oscar.
"Avalon" may not be for everyone--there isn't a lot of action. But for me, it's a near perfect film. I'm not warm and cuddly, by any means, and like entertainment with an edge. But "Avalon" captures me every time. It's so charming, so thoughtful, so engaging, so literate, so beautiful to look at. I recommend this film wholeheartedly, and hope to see a DVD reissue someday that mirrors the quality of the production. It's time more people discover this lost treasure! KGHarris, 01/07.
Movie Review: A family's love is tested by changing times
Summary: 5 Stars
Barry Levinson's sprawling "Avalon" tells the story of Polish Jewish immigrant Sam Krichinsky as he joins his four brothers in Baltimore, 1914. The movie opens with a beautifully shot montage of fireworks, American symbols of liberty such as the eagle, and an immigrant's wonder at the lights and joy surrounding him on the Fourth of July. We cut to the present, where Sam's large family is introduced at Thanksgiving dinner, where the various brothers and their wives bicker in the way that large families do. Sam's son, Jules (Aidan Quinn), and his grandson Michael (Elijah Wood, in his first major role) become the focus of much of the story. Sam and his cousin Izzy (Kevin Pollack) engage in a series of risky business deals to expand their small department store into televisions, then a discount store, then a discount warehouse, all the while swept along by the tide of modern technology (television).
Levinson based the character of Sam on his own immigrant grandfather, and Avalon paints a poignant portrait of family dynamics and the intrusion of commercialism and technology on their lives. Avalon feels like it could have benefited from a little extra trimming (the subplot of Eva's long-lost brother coming to America fades in and out in the blink of an eye), but overall was a beautiful look at a family's changing traditions across the generations. Armin Mueller-Stahl is amazing as Sam, and Joan Plowright as his long-suffering wife brings a fire and charm to the character that reminded me of my own Polish grandmother.
The one element that seemed too transparent was the family's Jewishness, or lack of it. We never see the Krichinsky family at seders, Shabbat, Hanukkah, or other holidays, which seems in a way to strip them of the freedom sought in America (there is some Yiddish spoken, we do hear that Eva's brother was in a concentration camp, and see a Jewish cemetery, but that's about it). The next generations become more and more Americanized, changing their names. Kudos for the excellent period music (1940s Big Band and swing, jazz) and vintage television serials, costumes, and cinematography. This is a beautiful film that embraces family and tradition in turbulent times.
Movie Review: Excellent, Heartfelt Motion Picture!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had put off watching Avalon for a long time because I was afraid I would be lukewarm to a film about an immigrant family coming to America and the abandonment of tradition by its next generation. How wrong I was! Avalon is the third element in Barry Levinson's "Baltimore Trilogy". It falls somewhere between Diner (to which I would also give 5 stars) and Tin Men (to which I would give 3 stars) in quality, but it has more sentiment than either.Armin Mueller-Stahl, who I had not seen before this picture, turns in an excellent performance. I take some degree of issue with Amazon's description of the movie as starring Elizabeth Perkins; she is in fact plays a minor character. Personally, I found her performance one dimensional. Joan Plowright's performance as the family matriarch is much better. Aidan Quinn and Kevin Pollak, the latter of whom I have been a fan of for years, are nothing less than excellent. Yes, this film can get ponderous and a bit long in the tooth, but I would hardly dismiss it as "artsy" or "cutesy". To those who gave this movie negative reviews, I would respectfully suggest that you have forgotten what great filmmaking is all about.
The soundtrack to this film is one of Randy Newman's best ever. Sadly, it is no longer in print. It complements this film beautifully.
Movie Review: A Reflection
Summary: 5 Stars
Without dwelling on all previous reviews, let me just state the following...this is Levinson at his absolute best. Whether you or Jewish, Italian (as I am), Irish, or any other ethnic group which came to America at the turn of the 20th Century, this movie will move and entertain. I see my family in every aspect of this film...the first generation who never mastered the English language and who kept all traditions; the second generation who were torn between their parents and their third generation children (that would be me). The most telling and moving scene is when the now immediate family (mom, dad and son) are sitting in the kitchen eating dinner watching TV. It is shot from the living room and there is a dark, vacant dining room before the kitchen, with a soft glow coming from the kitchen. This seen is the most telling to me, because it not only describes my own family once the matriarch (my grandmother)passed, and how all her children went their own way with their respective families (thus making my mother and her sisters their own matriarchs), BUT it also shows the role television played in developing (or not developing) the families of the '60s. It is realistic, touching and sad all in one single moment.
For any "baby boomer", this movie is a must for your collection.
Movie Review: Great "slice of life" story
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't say that I "love" Avalon, but it certainly impresses me, and is good sober reflection on several levels.
First, it is a commentary generally on America in the "baby boomer" generation years; because it shows how TV changed the dynamics of how families relate to each other at home. I hate TV, and Avalon is right there with me.
Second, it shows how Americans come from great familes who emigrate here. The generation "gap" that inevitably springs up between the emigrant father and his children is sad but understandable. The part of the story which shows how "free enterprise" doesn't always work out is also sad but so true.
Aging and death are very prominent themes in this story. And today, with my own father encountering the effects of old age, I really emote with the way the family deals with the father's / grandfather's dotage. This is sad as well, but also there is this comforting quality to the way the story ends: and I feel like I am definitely with everyone else in having to go through this with my father and mother.
(A fun feature, after the fact of The Lord of the Rings, is seeing a very young Elijah Wood as the grandson.)