Liberty Heights
Encyclopedia
Liberty Heights is a 1999
comedy
-drama
film by writer-director Barry Levinson
. It is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore
in the 1950s. It marked the last appearance of Ralph Tabakin
, who appeared in cameo roles in every Levinson movie since his first, Diner
(1982), a run of some fifteen films. Tabakin died in 2001.
Two soundtracks were released on January 4, 2000: one of the score by Andrea Morricone
and one of the music appearing in the film.
, a suburban neighborhood in the northwest section of Baltimore
. At the beginning of the film, Nate, the father, runs a burlesque
theatre, and engages in a community numbers racket. His wife Ada stays home and takes care of the household. Van, the older son, attends the University of Baltimore
, while Ben is finishing his final year in high school.
Ben meets Sylvia, an African-American girl, who begins attending his school after the district has been integrated
. Ben immediately starts to develop feelings towards Sylvia, and introduces himself. The two become close based on a mutual love for Little Richard
, James Brown
, jazz
musicians, and black comedians. Sylvia's father, an affluent doctor, disapproves of their relationship and forbids them to see one another.
On Halloween
, Ben dresses up as Adolf Hitler
, which offends his parents greatly. Van and his friends head over to a party in a predominantly bourgeois
, gentile
section of Baltimore
. Van is attracted to a mysterious blonde woman. A fight between one of Van's buddies and a gentile erupts and Trey, one of the party-goers, drunkenly crashes his car into the house. Van must leave the mystery woman.
Trey goes to court for the car crash. Van and his friends are there as witnesses. After the court session expires, Van asks several of the other party attendants about the blonde woman he met. Trey discovers that the girl Van has fallen in love with is Dubbie, his own girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Nate's burlesque
theatre has problems. In order to boost returns on the numbers game, an additional bonus number is added which will increase the pay-off. Little Melvin, a local drug dealer, makes a large bet, defies expectations and hits the number. Unable to pay on that big a win, Nate is then forced to cut Melvin a "slice of the pie". When Nate offers Melvin the numbers business instead, Melvin claims that Nate is trying to "Jew" him out of his money and a fight breaks out between their bodyguards.
Sylvia gives Ben two tickets to see James Brown in concert. At the concert Ben and his friend are the only white patrons in the audience. Van and his friends head out to a gathering, where he again runs into Dubbie and learns of her relationship with Trey.
Little Melvin then spots Nate's car off of Pennsylvania Avenue in the African American
neighborhood where James Brown is in concert and after seeing Ben and his friend inside, he deduces that one of them must be Nate's son. After the concert, Melvin abducts Ben, Sylvia and their friends from the concert in a payback to Nate's racket.
Van has word that Trey is in surgery after a car accident. He and Dubbie go see him in Virginia
.
Nate and his associates at the nightclub are charged and booked with prostitution
and racketeering. Before leaving for prison, he manages to attend Ben and Sylvia's high school graduation. She is attending Spelman College
, a historically black college in Atlanta
; he is staying to attend the University of Maryland
.
As the film closes, the scene shows Ben's family attending a Jewish ceremony as the father walks out of the synagogue
and blows a kiss to his wife. In a voice-over of Ben's adult voice, he reflects on his childhood with memories of his kiss with Sylvia, his father, and his bittersweet coming-of-age in 1950's Baltimore.
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
-drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film by writer-director Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
. It is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in the 1950s. It marked the last appearance of Ralph Tabakin
Ralph Tabakin
Ralph Tabakin was an American actor, engineer, and World War II veteran. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he was the middle child in a family of five. They would also live in New Orleans, Louisiana, before moving and settling in Richmond, Virginia...
, who appeared in cameo roles in every Levinson movie since his first, Diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
(1982), a run of some fifteen films. Tabakin died in 2001.
Two soundtracks were released on January 4, 2000: one of the score by Andrea Morricone
Andrea Morricone
Andrea Morricone is an Italian composer and conductor, known for his film scores. He is the son of composer Ennio Morricone. He composed the film scores for the American films Capturing the Friedmans and Liberty Heights. He collaborated with his father on the famous score for Cinema Paradiso,...
and one of the music appearing in the film.
Plot
In the fall of 1954, the Kurtzmans, a Jewish family, live in Forest ParkForest Park, Baltimore
Forest Park is a region of Northwest Baltimore, Maryland located west of Reisterstown Road, south of Northern Parkway, and east of the Baltimore City/County line...
, a suburban neighborhood in the northwest section of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. At the beginning of the film, Nate, the father, runs a burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
theatre, and engages in a community numbers racket. His wife Ada stays home and takes care of the household. Van, the older son, attends the University of Baltimore
University of Baltimore
The University of Baltimore , located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 1420 N. Charles Street, is part of the University System of Maryland. Through the Freshman Initiative or Lower Division Initiative, UB has transformed from an upper division university to a...
, while Ben is finishing his final year in high school.
Ben meets Sylvia, an African-American girl, who begins attending his school after the district has been integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
. Ben immediately starts to develop feelings towards Sylvia, and introduces himself. The two become close based on a mutual love for Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians, and black comedians. Sylvia's father, an affluent doctor, disapproves of their relationship and forbids them to see one another.
On Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, Ben dresses up as Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, which offends his parents greatly. Van and his friends head over to a party in a predominantly bourgeois
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
, gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
section of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. Van is attracted to a mysterious blonde woman. A fight between one of Van's buddies and a gentile erupts and Trey, one of the party-goers, drunkenly crashes his car into the house. Van must leave the mystery woman.
Trey goes to court for the car crash. Van and his friends are there as witnesses. After the court session expires, Van asks several of the other party attendants about the blonde woman he met. Trey discovers that the girl Van has fallen in love with is Dubbie, his own girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Nate's burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
theatre has problems. In order to boost returns on the numbers game, an additional bonus number is added which will increase the pay-off. Little Melvin, a local drug dealer, makes a large bet, defies expectations and hits the number. Unable to pay on that big a win, Nate is then forced to cut Melvin a "slice of the pie". When Nate offers Melvin the numbers business instead, Melvin claims that Nate is trying to "Jew" him out of his money and a fight breaks out between their bodyguards.
Sylvia gives Ben two tickets to see James Brown in concert. At the concert Ben and his friend are the only white patrons in the audience. Van and his friends head out to a gathering, where he again runs into Dubbie and learns of her relationship with Trey.
Little Melvin then spots Nate's car off of Pennsylvania Avenue in the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
neighborhood where James Brown is in concert and after seeing Ben and his friend inside, he deduces that one of them must be Nate's son. After the concert, Melvin abducts Ben, Sylvia and their friends from the concert in a payback to Nate's racket.
Van has word that Trey is in surgery after a car accident. He and Dubbie go see him in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Nate and his associates at the nightclub are charged and booked with prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and racketeering. Before leaving for prison, he manages to attend Ben and Sylvia's high school graduation. She is attending Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
, a historically black college in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; he is staying to attend the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
.
As the film closes, the scene shows Ben's family attending a Jewish ceremony as the father walks out of the synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
and blows a kiss to his wife. In a voice-over of Ben's adult voice, he reflects on his childhood with memories of his kiss with Sylvia, his father, and his bittersweet coming-of-age in 1950's Baltimore.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Adrien Brody Adrien Brody Adrien Brody is an American actor and film producer. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring in Roman Polanski's The Pianist . Winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 at age 29, he is the youngest actor to do so... |
Van |
| Ben Foster | Ben |
| Orlando Jones Orlando Jones Orlando Jones is an American comedian and film and television actor. He is notable for being one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv and for his role as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999-2002.-Early life:... |
Little Melvin |
| Bebe Neuwirth Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier... |
Ada |
| Joe Mantegna Joe Mantegna Joseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal... |
Nate |
| Rebekah Johnson Rebekah Johnson Rebekah Johnson, also credited as Rebekah Jordan or Rebekah, is an American singer-songwriter and actress from Ohio. She wrote the song "Beautiful Disaster" for Kelly Clarkson who loved the song so much she put it on both her first two albums.... |
Sylvia |
| David Krumholtz David Krumholtz David Krumholtz is an American actor best known for playing Professor Charlie Eppes in the television series Numb3rs. He appeared as Seth Goldstein in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas... |
Yussel |
| Justin Chambers Justin Chambers Justin W. Chambers is an American actor and former Calvin Klein male fashion model. As of 2005, he is starring in the ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Alex Karev.... |
Trey |
| Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy is an American model and actress.-Biography:Carolyn Murphy was born in Panama City, Florida and grew up mainly in Northwest Florida, with brief periods in England and Maryland, as a result of her parents’ divorce. Her career began when at the age of 16, her mother enrolled her in a... |
Dubbie |
| Kevin Sussman Kevin Sussman Kevin Sussman is an American actor of television and film perhaps best known for his recurring roles Stuart the comic book store owner on "The Big Bang Theory" and Walter on the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty.... |
Alan |
| Shane West Shane West Shane West is an American actor, musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter with Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr... |
Ted |
| Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He has starred in his own sitcom All About the Andersons, as well as the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show during the fifth and final season of the show. He is also known for his leading roles in television dramas such as K-Ville, The... |
Scribbles |
| Elizabeth Ann Bennett Elizabeth Ann Bennett Elizabeth Ann Bennett is an American actress.She was born in Westminster, Maryland.-Filmography:* Liberty Heights .... Mary* One Life to Live .... Amber... |
Mary |
| Carlton J Smith | James Brown |