Avalon (1990)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer (WGA):

Barry Levinson (written by)

Release Date:

5 October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Three generations of family. They shared a dream called America in a place called Avalon.

Plot:

A Polish-Jewish family comes to the USA at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. There, the family and their children try to make themselves a better future in the so-called promised land.

Plot Keywords:

Thanksgiving | Streetcar | Fourth Of July | Immigration | Family History

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 11 nominations

Cast

Leo Fuchs	...	Hymie Krichinsky
Eve Gordon	...	Dottie Kirk
Lou Jacobi	...	Gabriel Krichinsky
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Sam Krichinsky
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Ann Kaye
Joan Plowright	...	Eva Krichinsky
Kevin Pollak	...	Izzy Kirk
Aidan Quinn	...	Jules Kaye
Israel Rubinek	...	Nathan Krichinsky
Elijah Wood	...	Michael Kaye
Grant Gelt	...	Teddy Kirk
Mindy Loren Isenstein	...	Mindy Kirk
Shifra Lerer	...	Nellie Krichinsky
Mina Bern	...	Alice Krichinsky
Frania Rubinek	...	Faye Krichinsky

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:PG | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

19th Century Bookstore - 1047 Hollis Street, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Barry Levinson]Ralph Tabakin (Principal Dunn) has appeared in every Levinson picture from Diner (1982) to Liberty Heights (1999).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Izzy, Jules and the two boys head to the new appliance store for its gala 4th of July sale, they are driving in Izzy's red '49 Studebaker convertible. When they arrive at the store, they are in a red '50 Oldsmobile convertible. The car later changes back into the original Studebaker.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sam Krichinsky: I came to America in 1914 - by way of Philadelphia. That's where I got off the boat. And then I came to Baltimore. It was the most beautiful place you ever seen in your life. There were lights everywhere! What lights they had! It was a celebration of lights...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 48th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Racing With The Moon

A stirring tribute

It is heart-warming to read comments from those of you who do not even live in Baltimore and enjoyed the movie as much as we Baltimoreans did. What a stirring tribute to the city and to our immigrant grandparents.

My ancestors came from County Cork to Baltimore in the late 1800's. We too, grew up in rowhouses (retitled "townhomes" by realtors in the 1980's) nearby our cousins. Many scenes brought back wonderful memories: the kids playing in the "back alley," the marble steps of the rowhouses which my mother used to lovingly scrub, the "bee" incident, trips to the lake, Thanksgiving dinner with extended family members and tables to seat all the kids extending into the next room, etc., etc.

This could have been just another sappy movie but the actors were so immersed in their characters, I was swept away. Apparently, so were you.