Avalon (1990)

There are several reasons I treasure this film. What lingers for me, because I play the piano, is Randy Newman's sentimental and delicate score. I noticed in a recent viewing that the editing placed the score in the background, which added subtle texture, whereas in the Pixar films he's done the soundtracks are more aggressively in your face (ears) so to speak. The haunting themes in Avalon I consider to be some of master Randy's finest, with only "Awakenings" topping the list.I had not realized how much of a family film this was, with no violence or vulgarity anywhere and frankly we don't miss it. The film is filled with nuances of ethnic inflections that capture the mannerisms in which people of that era communicated with each other. Sometimes the body language alone even was more hilarious and important than the actual dialogue.Having grown up in an environment not too far removed from the immigrant Polish Jewish one portrayed, I recognized many family dramas that were so familiar I could pick them out one by one. It is not that families don't eat at table and talk and squabble anymore. It is often the starting point in which they bring their heated conversations to a boil that has changed over the generations. Consider for example the focus on pooling family finances either as a yearly tithe towards favoured charities or the same channelling of resources to sponsor or subsidize the arrival of another relative stuck in Europe. Families today rarely have cause to consider their lives within this framework.The film is honest, charming, funny, sad and warm, by turns nostalgic and also quite descriptive of how European immigrants worked from nothing into (sometimes) very successful living conditions and levels of wealth and affluence. The generation of immigrants (not just Jewish) that fled the turmoils of Europe almost without exception came with very meagre resources. Pushing their children and encouraging their grandchildren to work hard, keep focused and to excel the standards that they lived helped propel the higher levels of success and affluence. All of that drama is given a proper map in this film.There are some very funny scenes in this film, none more touching than the famous turkey scene in which Lou Jacobi's character (and his wife) typically arrive late for a Thanksgiving Dinner, having travelled by car quite a distance, only to find that his younger brother has just cut the turkey. Outraged by this insult to his pride, screaming at his brother that he "cut the toikee" (accents included) and making a family fuss of huge over reaction, makes for very funny but recognizable stresses that many families I'm sure faced.Another thing that caught my attention is that Levinson almost completely bleached out the reality that these were Polish Jews. You can find maybe one line where someone responds to a sentence with Yiddish phrase, but it is spoken so quickly that unless you are aware of it you'll miss it entirely. No one is depicted going to synagogue or consulting a Rabbi. I find that a bit odd, considering that even if coming to Baltimore in 1914, the Jews were at that point more obviously Jewish, many men still wearing traditional head coverings. The only obvious sign of this being Jewish people are the exaggerated Jewish accents.Watch for very young Elijah Woods who is quite good for a little kid. The real stars give an understated performance, allowing the richness of the story to speak for itself. I love this film and could recommend it to those who need an uplifting family based drama. Excellent.

It's hard not to like a film that has a lot of positive qualities, especially one that's been touted as a classic and has otherwise had praises heaped upon it. And, as if to add more laurels, Barry Levinson is at the helm of something that is very dear to his heart. I really love the picture for all of its positive qualities, but wow, what an emotional downer at times.This film offers a slice of Americana that's all too familiar with people east of the Rockies, and depicts the various eras it travels through with great ease and artistic thoroughness. Everything from the young can-do energy of the offspring to the stern wisdom of the family heads. Their loving moments, pitfalls and other emotional crests and troughs are depicted with tender loving care.But my God how depressing. I feel like I just had dinner with a Russian Jewish family, and went home with not only some leftovers for tomorrow's dinner but a healthy portion of guilt.It's as if the film is a backhanded criticism of the good things America offers. The family grows, diversifies (as all families do) and eventually comes to an end as a traditional Euro-Asian clan might once exposed to the rigors of American society. We're given guilt, but the main character never comes to a realization of how or why it is things have come pass.As magnificent as much of this film is I can't help but feel stabbed in the heart at the end. But one wonders whether that was because it was the filmmakers' intent, or whether it was because the need to be true to the actual person upon which the film's main character is based was kept true to form. If the later is the case, then it speaks volumes about how this person treated others in terms of laying guilt, and perhaps, in this way, speaks of the culture from which he came.In the end it's not a movie I'd see again, but certainly one I'm glad was made, and certainly one that I'm glad I finally saw. If you're in the mood for some high drama and your personal and familiar history is more in tune with east coast and Midwest America, then give the DVD a whirl. But do yourself a favor and see a cartoon or comedy at the end.

Although this film takes place 15 years before I was born, growing up in an ethnic family in the early 60's had changed very little.My family is Greek, but this film will appeal to any ethnic group especially first or second generation Americans. Back then we all still gathered at one member's home for holidays and on Sundays. We all dressed up (and still do) for church and holiday gatherings. Watching little Elijah Wood with his bow tie reminded me of myself at that age.Mr. Levinson through film, and Randy Newman through his haunting musical score did a magnificent job of recreating a world that has all but disappeared. A time when family was the center of our lives, children respected the adults and were expected to behave in a civilized manner, people didn't spend Sundays running all over town to football, soccer games etc, and the elder members of the family were revered instead of ignored or worse, placed in a home.We, those of us in the post-war generation would to well to look at this film as a guideline for how to bring values back into our lives and realize that we all need to re-think our priorities.If you want to relive your childhood for 2 1/2 hours laugh one minute and cry the next, I HIGHLY recommend this film

I love this film. It has it's soapy moments but the comment it makes on how life has changed in the last 100 years is profound. Family is not as important today as it once was. The television has replaced the dinner table as the spot for family gatherings. And yet our relatives and their legacy can shape our lives today if we let it. The stories of our parents and grandparents need to be passed on. Where we came from - who we are. Great things to remember and this film helps you do that. See it soon if you missed it in 1990. (Most people did) One more note - those of you who are interested in seeing a young Elijah Wood - here is your chance.