Avalon (1990 film)

Avalon

Directed by	Barry Levinson
Produced by	Mark Johnson Barry Levinson Charles Newirth (associate producer) Marie Rowe (associate producer)
Written by	Barry Levinson
Starring	Armin Mueller-Stahl Aidan Quinn Kevin Pollak Elizabeth Perkins Joan Plowright Elijah Wood Lou Jacobi
Music by	Randy Newman
Editing by	Stu Linder
Running time	126 minutes
Language	English

Avalon (1990) is an Academy Award-nominated feature film directed by Barry Levinson. It is a mostly autobiographical story of a family of Eastern European Jewish immigrants to the United States who settle in Baltimore, Maryland, at the beginning of the 20th century. The movie follows the family as they grow, become more prosperous, and eventually own a large home appliance store. Avalon explores the themes of assimilation and how modernity has changed American family life.

The movie stars Armin Mueller-Stahl, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Pollak, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright, and Elijah Wood in one of his earliest roles. Co-stars include Lou Jacobi.

1 Jewish ethnicity of the Krichinskys
2 Awards
3 See also
4 External links

Jewish ethnicity of the Krichinskys

Although the Krichinsky family depicted is obviously Jewish, this is never made explicit in the film. For example, a TV is given as a "holiday" gift. Independence Day and Thanksgiving are depicted as significant moments in the film but no mention is made of religious holidays. One of the few references to Jewish tradition is at the end, where it is brought up that "we do not name people after the living." The grandmother's funeral is set in a Jewish cemetery with graves marked with a star of David.