Plot: What’s it about?
Barry Levinson is one of our greatest directors, maybe not in the likes of a Stephen Spielberg or Alfred Hitchcock, but he’s established a very good name for himself and even has an Oscar for Best Director (Rain Man) under his belt. So could he be all that bad? Sometime ago, Levinson took a then very unknown cast and assembled a movie called “Diner” featuring the likes of Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Kevin Bacon, Paul Reiser, Mickey Rourke and Tim Daly–all of whom have gone on to very good acting careers. What’s significant about Diner is that is was the first in the series of Levinson’s “Baltimore” films. Liberty Heights is the latest entry in this highly acclaimed set of movies (though they’re not related in any way). After Diner came “Tin Men” with Danny Devito and a few years later “Avalon”, bot were highly acclaimed; and now nine years later is another installment.
Liberty Heights, like the other Baltimore films, takes place in the early to mid 50’s. We learn very quickly that the film will revolve around a Jewish family and more importantly concentrate on the lives of the two sons, Van (Adrian Brody) and Ben Kurtzman (Ben Foster). The Kurtzman’s were all from a very Jewish neighborhood in a section of Baltimore known as “Liberty Heights” (hence the name). Taking place in the mid 50’s, they were integrating the schools and the kids had to get used to seeing colored kids in their once all white schools. Even with all these steps forward, we still see signs at public pools that say “No Jews, dogs or coloreds allowed”, which Van and his friends rationalize down to a point. My problem with Liberty Heights is this…nothing really big happens! Then again, in films like Diner, nothing big really happens either. We see the prejudice of people, which sadly still exists, at a party with Ben and his friends and a fight later ensues. Van is attracted to a colored girl in his school, but neither his parent’s or Sylvia’s (Rebekah Johnson) will have nothing to do with one another. Romeo and Juliet it’s not, but I think that the movie tries to go in too many directions at once. Ben and Van’s mother, Ada (Bebe Neuwerth) is more concenrned with their faith and is drastically underused. There is a loosely based sub-plot about Nate Kurtzman and his business dealings, which take a dramatic right turn toward the end of the movie.
All in all, Liberty Heights is a very well made, wonderfully acted movie. In my own opinion, if you’re a fan of Levinson’s work, there is no reason not to like this. While some of the subjects may be a bit touchy, there is nothing really to get in an uproar about. Very little violence and brief nudity are no reason not to give this film a look. Warner has also given this disc a very nice treatment. With an introduction by Barry Levinson himself, a deleted scene and an isolated score of some very good 1950’s songs, all combine to make it a very solid release. I think if the film were cut down some and re-edited, it would make for a very good movie. As it stands, it’s not all that bad, either.
Video: How does it look?
We’ve come to expect that new day and date movies from Warner (or basically any studio) will all feature great-looking 16:9 transfers, and Liberty Heights is certainly no exception. The colors are muted, to reflect the time, and the mint green Cadillac that featured on the cover looks great as well. Fleshtones seemed at times to be a bit oversaturated, but not too bad. Edge enhancement is minimal and black levels are right on. This is a very sharp, detailed picture.
Audio: How does it sound?
While Liberty Heights won’t exactly light up your surround sound, it’s not that bad of a soundtrack. The 50’s songs sound great (certainly better than they probably sounded when originally released) and dialogue is very clean and free of distortion. Surrounds aren’t really used that much, only a few scenes in which I can recall, but like I mentioned earlier, this isn’t a movie for dialogue. Overall, the audio is done great justice and the isolated score is something to check out.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Warner’s “basic” editions are among the better out there, they usually consist of Cast and crew bios, a trailer or two, and production notes. Liberty Heights contains all of these, plus some very snazzy animated menus. Also included is a personal introduction to the movie with a deleted scene and a very nice feature, an isolated score. In addition to the trailers, all the trailers for the “Baltimore” films are included as well. Overall, a nice effort from Warner, though a commentary with Levinson would have been a really nice touch! Still, it’s a nice effort from Warner, who shows no signs of stopping their commitment to excellence.
