Avalon (1990 film)

Avalon
Avalon
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Barry Levinson
Written by	Barry Levinson
Produced by	Mark Johnson; Barry Levinson;
Starring	Armin Mueller-Stahl; Elizabeth Perkins; Joan Plowright; Aidan Quinn;
Cinematography	Allen Daviau
Edited by	Stu Linder
Music by	Randy Newman
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Baltimore Pictures
Distributed by	Tri-Star Pictures
Release date	October 5, 1990 (United States);
Running time	126 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English; Yiddish
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$15.7 million

Avalon is a 1990 American drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson and starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright and Aidan Quinn. It is the third in Levinson's semi-autobiographical tetralogy of "Baltimore films" set in his hometown during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s: Diner (1982), Tin Men (1987), and Liberty Heights (1999).^[3] The film explores the themes of Jewish assimilation into American life, through several generations of a Polish immigrant family from the 1910s through the 1950s.

The film was released to critical acclaim, and was nominated for four Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.

Plot

It is the late 1940s and early 1950s, and much has happened to the family of Polish Jewish immigrant Sam Krichinsky since he first arrived in America in 1914 and eventually settled in Baltimore.

Television is new. Neighborhoods are changing, with more and more families moving to the suburbs. Wallpaper has been Sam's profession, but his son Jules wants to try his hand at opening a large discount-appliance store with his cousin, Izzy, maybe even do their own commercials on TV.

Jules and his wife, Ann, still live with his parents, but Ann is quietly enduring the way that her opinionated mother-in-law Eva dominates the household. Ann is a modern woman who even learns to drive a car, although Eva refuses to ride with her and takes a streetcar instead.

The family contributes to a fund to bring more relatives to America. Slights, real or imagined, concern the family, as when Jules and Ann finally move to the suburbs, a long way for their relatives to travel. After arriving late and finding a Thanksgiving turkey has been carved without him, Uncle Gabriel is offended and storms out, beginning a feud with Sam.

Sam also cannot understand the methods his grandson Michael's teachers use in school, or why Jules and Izzy have changed their surnames to Kaye and Kirk as they launch their business careers. But when various crises develop, including an armed holdup and a devastating fire, the family gets through the problems together.

Cast

Armin Mueller-Stahl as Sam Krichinsky
- Michael Krauss as young Sam
Aidan Quinn as Jules Kaye
- Kevin Blum as young Jules
Elizabeth Perkins as Ann Kaye
Joan Plowright as Eva Krichinsky
- Dawne Hindle as young Eva
Leo Fuchs as Hymie Krichinsky
- Bernard Hiller as young Bernard
Lou Jacobi as Gabriel Krichinsky
- Michael Edelstein as young Gabriel
Eve Gordon as Dottie Kirk
Kevin Pollak as Izzy Kirk
Israel Rubinek as Nathan Krichinsky
- Brian Shait as young Nathan
Elijah Wood as Michael Kaye
- Tom Wood as Michael Kaye as adult
Grant Gelt as Teddy Kirk
Mindy Loren Isenstein as Mindy Kirk
Curtis Carnathan as Alexander Kaye
Shifra Lerer as Nellie Krichinsky
- Christine Mosere as young Nellie
Mina Bern as Alice Krichinsky
- Anna Bergman as young Alice
Frania Rubinek as Faye Krichinsky
- Mary Lechter as young Faye
Ronald Guttman as Simka
Herb Levinson as Rabbi Krauss

Relationship with other "Baltimore films"

Levinson frequently places links between his films that are set in Baltimore. For example, there is an image of a diner under construction, recalling the director's Diner, which also featured a Hudson automobile whose purchase figures in Avalon's plot.^[4] The house that the Krichinsky family leaves to move to the suburbs was used as a residence in Tin Men.^[4]

Release and reception

Tri-Star Pictures released Avalon on October 5, 1990, initially in six theaters before expanding the following week to 600. Levinson criticized how the studio underpromoted the film and expanded its release too soon, while studio president Michael Medavoy would later defend himself stating "Avalon wasn’t a wide-market movie, and we spent a lot of money to prove we could do it well. Putting it in a lot of theaters maximized the chance of making back our investment. Maybe we guessed wrong, but I don’t think anyone in the business could have squeezed another nickel out of it--or Bugsy, for that matter".^[5]

Avalon holds a rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes from 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.^[6]

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
20/20 Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Elizabeth Perkins	Nominated
	Best Original Screenplay	Barry Levinson	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	Norman Reynolds	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Allen Daviau	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Randy Newman	Nominated
Academy Awards^[7]	Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen	Barry Levinson	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Allen Daviau	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Gloria Gresham	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Randy Newman	Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases	Allen Daviau	Nominated
Artios Awards^[8]	Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting – Drama	Ellen Chenoweth	Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards	Best Film		Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards^[9]	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures	Barry Levinson	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards^[10]	Best Motion Picture – Drama		Nominated
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Barry Levinson	Nominated
	Best Original Score – Motion Picture	Randy Newman	Nominated
Grammy Awards^[11]	Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television	Avalon – Randy Newman	Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards^[12]	Best Music Score	Randy Newman	Runner-up
National Board of Review Awards^[13]	Top Ten Films		9th Place
New York Film Critics Circle Awards^[14]	Best Supporting Actress	Joan Plowright	Runner-up
Writers Guild of America Awards^[15]	Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen	Barry Levinson	Won
Young Artist Awards^[16]	Most Entertaining Family Youth Motion Picture – Drama		Nominated
	Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture	Elijah Wood	Nominated
	Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Motion Picture	Grant Gelt	Nominated
	Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture	Mindy Loren Isenstein	Nominated