Details
Movie Description
Returning once again to the Baltimore of his youth, director Barry Levinson adds another installment to his Baltimore Trilogy (DINER, TIN MEN, AVALON), tackling the emotionally charged subjects of anti-Semitism and racism--in addition to his standard themes of family, friendship, and loyalty--in LIBERTY HEIGHTS. In 1954, Ben Kurtzman (Ben Foster), a Jewish teen from Baltimore, is intrigued by the new girl in his class. The problem? Sylvia (Rebekah Johnson) is one of the first African American students to attend his school. While Ben and Sylvia pursue a forbidden friendship in the early days of desegregation, Ben's older brother, Van (Adrien Brody), is smitten with Dubbie (Carolyn Murphy), a beautiful wealthy WASP who may as well live in another world. As the Kurtzman brothers struggle with their budding relationships and new cultures, their father, Nate (Joe Mantegna), is busy dealing with his own problems. His failing burlesque show is a front for running numbers, and he owes a huge payout to Little Melvin, a small-time African American drug dealer who is certain that Nate is trying to stiff him because of the color of his skin. Levinson once again employs a subtly entertaining visual style that allows the terrific dialogue and serious story lines to play out with realism and depth.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: November 17, 1999.
Filmed in Baltimore, MD.
According to Levinson, he wrote this film in response to what he considered was an anti-Semitic review of one of his films. LIBERTY HEIGHTS was meant to depict the diversity that exists within cultural and ethnic groups and was based in part on Levinson's personal experiences.
Industry Reviews
"...[An] entertaining and entirely satisfying ensemble piece....[A] grand slam..."
Variety - p.87-94 - Todd McCarthy
"...Remarkably perceptive....Subtle script and strong performances..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
Premiere - p.98 - Christopher Kelly
"...It's in the bracing humor and touching humanity of his characters that [Levinson] catches the surface and the soul of an era..."
Rolling Stone - p.90 - Peter Travers
"...Smart and thoughtfully reflective..."
USA Today - p.8E - Mike Clark
"...The movie emerges as an accurate memory of that time when the American melting pot, splendid as a theory, became a reality..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (12/10/1999)
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