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Th« Red and Black » Tuesday, November 13, 1990 • 5
SCREEN
Avalon saga: A let down by Levinson
■ MOVIE REVIEW
By NOEL MURRAY
Entertainment Writer
There is trouble in “Avalon.*
Barry Levinson's multi-genera*
tional saga about the breakdown of
the extended family is a film with a
lot of heart, but a wandering eye.
The movie attempts to tell the
story of the Krichinsky family,
Russian immigrants who came to
Baltimore and made a comfortable
living in the wallpaper hanging
business.
The film centers its story around
the time after the second world
war, when the Krichinskys move to
the suburbs. Unfortunately, the
film doesn’t stay very focused on
this theme, and this lack of direc
tion impedes its impact.
Director Levinson has made a
name for himself by writing and di
recting ensemble pieces set in a
distinct time and place, usually the
early 60s. What was so wonderful
about his movies "Diner" and “Tin
Men” was the way he set up a com-
munity of conversational, deeply-
etched characters and then let that
community subtly and realistically
change over two hours of screen
time. These films were touching,
engaging and very funny.
With “Avalon," Levinson Beems
to have forgotten that the funny
part is what makes the rest of the
movie go. "Avalon” is not that
funny. “Avalon” does not even try
to be funny very often. Levinson is
not playing on his strengths.
One problem is that Levinson is
telling the story of his own family
and his own childhood. Levinson
has lived this life, and it Beems dif
ficult for him to be objective about
it.
For example — there is a scene
toward the beginning of the movie
where young Michael Kaye (the
character that represents Barry
Levinson) cannot figure out the dif
ference between “may and “can”
in English class, and so his grand
father has to come and take him
home.
What’s the point of this scene?
It’s not particularly poignant or
funny. It makes no point about Mi
chael’s childhood, or the
relationship between he and his
grandfather. Why is it occupying
five minutes of the viewer’s time?
Most likely the scene reflects an
incident in Levinson’s past that he
wanted to include. The movie is lit
tered with scenes like this that nei
ther advance the story nor
establish character. There is prob
ably half-an-hour of usable
material on the cutting room floor
that could have supplanted this
pointless clutter.
“Avalon” is also way too wide in
its scope. When LevinBon sticks
with the way the family relates to
each other and to the suburbs, “Av
alon” is pure movie magic. When
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he tries to tie in themes of Ameri
cana and the immigrant dream,
and he expands the movie to in
clude the 1920's and the 1970's,
“Avalon" collapses under its own
weight.
The central problem with “Av
alon," though, is that it tries to be a
sentimental movie and Levinson is
not a sentimental director. What
made his “Rain Man" so effective
was that it did not blatantly go for
tears and heartstrings. This film’s
attempt to do so rings uncomfor
tably false.
There is a lot of good material in
“Avalon" and that makes it all the
more frustrating. A little more
time in the editing room would
have done it some serious good.
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Entries must be submitted to The Red &
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^ * No Profanity or Libel
To George
College Is All
Golf And
Champaign.
Champaign, as in Champaign,
Illinois, where George Sakas is a
Master's Degree candidate at the
University of Illinois.
And Golf, as in George's 1987
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feel." (Hey George, the word is
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"Golf's got lots of room for
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has come in handy for the many
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For practicality, performance and
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Fahrvergnugen.
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C 1990 Volkswagen