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Avalon

6.2

543

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Original title

Avalon

Year

1990

Running time

126 min.

Country

United States

Director

Barry Levinson

Screenwriter

Barry Levinson

Cast

Music

Randy Newman

Cinematography

Allen Daviau

Producer

TriStar Pictures

Genre

Drama | Immigration

Synopsis

Sam Krichinsky came to America in 1914. Then he came to Baltimore. It was the most beautiful place he had seen in his entire life. Sam and his brothers married, had children and went to work, putting money into a hat to bring over the others: the father, the aunts, the uncles, the cousins. The family came together. The family grew apart. But every year, Sam retells the story of their trials, their triumphs, their caring for one another, because "if you don't tell the children, they don't know." And though details are lost to memory, a legacy is kept alive.

Awards: 1990: 4 Nominations for Oscar: Best Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, OST

1990: 3 nominations for Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture - Drama, Screenplay and OST

1990: New York Film Critics Circle: Nominated for Best Supp. Actress (Plowright)

1990: Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Nominated for Best Music Score

1990: Directors Guild of America (DGA): Nominated for Best Director

1990: Writers Guild of America (WGA): Best Original Screenplay

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Critics' reviews

"Sentimentality creeps in now and again, but Levinson's steady grasp of his city's unique atmosphere makes these moments genuinely moving rather than hokey."

David Hepworth: Empire
"This is a movie that redefines the concept of a family picture. Families should see it together because there will be plenty to talk about regardless of how new your crowd is to this country."

Gene Siskel: Chicago Tribune
"'Avalon' is often a warm and funny film, but it is also a sad one (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"With 'Avalon', Levinson reaches into his deepest self, and an artist can't be asked to do much more"

Hal Hinson: The Washington Post
"Levinson wants nothing less than to capture the hope and despair of the American dream through the saga of one family It’s a grand ambition. But the film lacks the political, spiritual and sociological depth to realize it."

Peter Travers: Rolling Stone
"The movie is the visual equivalent of a stranger picking out highlights from his family album and providing brief descriptions of them"

Lawrence O'Toole: Entertainment Weekly
"A generous and touching film that is essentially smaller than its own sweeping ambitions, a crowded and skillfully drawn landscape from which no oversize figures emerge."

Janet Maslin: The New York Times
"Despite some fine performances, what should be a crystalline epic is a sloppy and sentimental tale of family life. Sterling performances in a leaden script."

Jay Scott: The Globe and Mail

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User history

Avalon

1990

Barry Levinson

6.2

(543)