AVALON (DVD/WS 1.85/DSS/ENG-CH-KO-TH-SUB/FR-SP-PO-BOTH) DVD

Avalon
The third of director Barry Levinson's autobiographical "Baltimore Trilogy" (the first two entries were Diner and Tin Men), Avalon covers nearly forty years in the lives of an immigrant Jewish family. Sam Krichinsky (Armin Mueller-Stahl) emigrates to Baltimore in 1914, where Sam's brothers Gabriel (Lou Jacobi), Hymie (Leo L. Fuchs), and Nathan (Israel Rubinek) are awaiting his arrival. By and by, Sam meets his future wife, Eva (Joan Plowright). With the introduction of the Krichinsky's grown son Jules (Aidan Quinn), the film ventures into culture-clash country. Unwilling to become a manual laborer like his dad, Jules opts for the life of a door-to-door salesman. Eventually, he teams with his cousin Izzy (Kevin Pollak) to open the first TV store in Baltimore. Thereafter, the disintegration of the Krichinsky family is paralleled by the rise of TV's omnipresence in the American home. Avalon's elegiac and melancholy effect is underlined by Randy Newman's soulful musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Armin Mueller-Stahl as Sam Krichinsky Eve Gordon as Dottie Kirk Aidan Quinn as Jules Kaye Elizabeth Perkins as Anne Kaye Lou Jacobi as Gabriel Krichinsky Leo L. Fuchs as Hymie Krichinsky Joan Plowright as Eva Krichinsky Israel Rubinek as Nathan Krichinsky Kevin Pollak as Izzy Kirk Elijah Wood as Michael Kayeli Grant Gelt as Teddy Kirk

Crew Fred Hole - Art Director Ed Richardson - Art Director Charles James Newirth - Associate Producer Marie Rowe - Associate Producer Ellen Chenoweth - Casting Barry Levinson - Co-producer Mark Johnson - Co-producer Gloria Gresham - Costume Designer Christine Larson - First Assistant Director Barry Levinson - Director Stu Linder - Editor Randy Newman - Composer (Music Score) Allan Mason - Musical Direction/Supervision Paul Gebbia - Makeup Irving Buchman - Makeup Freddie Cooper - Camera Operator Peter Norman - Camera Operator Norman Reynolds - Production Designer Peter Norman - Cinematographer Allen Daviau - Cinematographer Charles James Newirth - Production Manager Linda de Scenna - Set Designer Allen Hall - Special Effects Thomas R. Burman - Special Effects Bari Dreiband-Burman - Special Effects Willie D. Burton - Sound/Sound Designer Joel Kramer - Stunts Barry Levinson - Screenwriter

Avalon
Barry Levinson's sentimental family saga is an engaging and affecting film, particularly in its sense of comic detail, but is less persuasive in its overall design. The film covers half a century in the life of the Krichinsky's, a family of Russian immigrants, from their arrival in Baltimore in 1914. Levinson, who began his life in show business and a stand-up comic before becoming a comedy writer, and eventually a director, reminds one of the kind of genial uncle who dissolves tense moments at family gatherings with a joke. This often applies to his approach to the film, in which members of the extended Krichinsky family are more likely to become entangled in some comic byplay involving the movie Stagecoach (1939), than to have a real fight. And even their squabbles are more a ritualized form of communication than evidence of real hostility. Given the personal nature of the material, one understands the director's desire to put a golden halo over these characters, but one guesses that the reality of the lives of these struggling immigrants was more tension-filled than he's willing to acknowledge. Levinson's ambivalence about the arrival of television, and a sense of the double-edged nature of assimilation are touched on by the director rather than explored.Armin Mueller-Stahl is superb as the focal character of the immigrant generation, one who reflects the melancholy of the diaspora of the family from the city to the suburbs after WWII. Aidan Quinn as his ambitious son Jules, and Elizabeth Perkins as Jules' wife Anne are also excellent as a couple trying to live their lives while coping with the demands of an older generation. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

Allen Daviau: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Cinematography (nominated) Allen Daviau: American Society of Cinematographers, Best Cinematography (nominated) Barry Levinson: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Original Screenplay (nominated) Barry Levinson: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (nominated) Barry Levinson: Golden Globe, Best Screenplay (nominated) Gloria Gresham: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Costume Design (nominated) Randy Newman: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Score (nominated) Randy Newman: Golden Globe, Best Original Score (nominated)

Golden Globe, Best Picture - Drama (nominated) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French, Spanish, Por Subtitle Options: English, Spanish, French, Por, Chi, KO, TH Sound Processing: DDS: Dolby Digital Surround Additional Features: Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video Widescreen presentation Audio: English 2-channel [Dolby Surround], French, Spanish, Portuguese Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai Theatrical trailers Talent files Interactive menus Production notes Scene selections DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 128 min   DVD Chapters: Scene Selections 0. Scene Selections 1. Start. [:37] 2. Sam's Story. [7:26] 3. Thanksgiving. [1:25] 4. Father. [7:22] 5. "Give Me Your Money." [4:43] 6. Holiday Get Well Gift. [3:55] 7. May & Can. [3:36] 8. Kirk & Kaye's. [2:48] 9. Moving To The Suburbs. [3:04] 10. Dogs & Green Beans. [4:08] 11. "My Brother's Alive!" [2:15] 12. Bees!!! [1:21] 13. Family Circle. [5:26] 14. Sam's Nightclub. [5:09] 15. A Catchy Slogan. [4:38] 16. Streetcar Smashup. [5:22] 17. "I'm Pregnant." [3:12] 18. Simka & Family. [3:29] 19. Cliffhanger. [1:38] 20. "You Cut The Turkey?" [3:56] 21. Discount Warehouse. [3:08] 22. Broken Circle. [3:51] 23. Fire Sale. [10:41] 24. "It's My Fault." [8:32] 25. Uninsured. [3:30] 26. At The Hospital. [5:16] 27. Eva's Funeral. [:48] 28. The Nursing Home. [2:12]