Liberty Heights (1999)

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Adrien Brody, Ben Foster, Orlando Jones, Rebekah Johnson

Starring: Adrien Brody, Ben Foster, Orlando Jones, Rebekah Johnson, Joe Mantegna, Bebe Neuwirth, David Krumholtz, Richard Kline, Vincent Guastaferro

Director: Barry Levinson

Director: Barry Levinson
Screenwriter: Barry Levinson
Producer: Barry Levinson, Paula Weinstein
Composer: Andrea Morricone

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