Stars: Adrien Brody, Bebe Neuwirth, Joe Mantegna, Vincent Guastaferro, Richard Kline, Orlando Jones, Ben Foster, Justin Chambers, David Krumholtz, Rebekah Johnson, Carolyn Murphy

Director: Barry Levinson

Summary: The story of a group of friends growing up in Baltimore in 1954. It looks at sensitive issues such as race, colour and religion and how their lives are about to change in a rapidly changing world.

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

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Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson yet again returns to Baltimore for inspiration with the semi-autobiographical Liberty Heights. Set in 1954, it tells the story of two young Jewish boys and their experiences of growing up in an America trying to come to terms with a changing society. The film focuses both on the sweet and innocent (the relationship between younger brother Ben and sole black student Sylvia) and the darker, more vicious side of a nation in flux. The evils of racism form a backdrop to all the intertwining plot lines--not only white against black but also widespread anti-Semitism. The young, largely unknown cast are all excellent--especially Adrien Brody and Ben Foster as the brothers and Rebecka Johnston as the quietly knowing Sylvia. Taking its cue from the great teen movies of the past, the film buzzes with the vitality of youth and of a generation on the verge of a new dawn (music plays a huge part), placing the political problems of the age in the context of adolescence to great effect. This is not Levinson's most high-profile work but certainly one of his best.

On the DVD: The music of the period features heavily in the movie and dominates much of the action, so much so that it is possible to watch Liberty Heightswith a music-only soundtrack. The film moves effortlessly between light and shade, both metaphorically and physically. Fair attempts have been made to provide an interesting set of extras: a gallery of interviews with the cast and director, deleted scenes and a very brief on-set documentary. --Phil Udell

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interview Gallery, Deleted Scenes, Behind The Scenes Featurette, Music Only Track
Year:	1999
Release Date:	October 1, 2001
Runtime:	123 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 018019
Keywords:	General, Liberty, Heights, Drama
Genre:	Drama