Directed by: Tony Kaye Written by: David McKenna Release Date: 1998 Genre: Black Drama Run Time: 119 minutes Classification: 18+ Amazon Price: £5.97
***Who is Tony Kaye*** Little known Tony Kaye is an eccentric and some would say egotistical man who once described himself as "the greatest craftsman/director/ image-maker on this planet."
Before moving into film Kaye was a relatively successful advertising director. It wasn't until 1998, when Kaye made American History X that he gained focus from the film industry. Unfortunately, the attention he received was not entirely positive. After production of the film, Kaye took out a $275 million lawsuit against New Line and the Directors Guild because they had refused to allow him to use a pseudonym (Humpty Dunpty) on the film credits. His reason for this was a reluctance to be associated with the film after Edward Norton edited the film to ensure he had a greater presence in it.
Since directing American History X Kaye has directed Snowblind in 2002 and is working on two further films, Paranoia to be released this year and A Private War due to be released in 2007. Kaye also directed the music video, Dani California for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
***What's American History X all about*** American History X tells the story of Derek Vinyard played by Edward Norton. It takes place shortly after the Los Angelas race riots when everyone is still very raw and sensitive to the issue.
Derek is a smart kid and a promising and popular student before he turns to the underground world of the Neo-Nazi's following the death of his fire-fighter father who was shot by a black drug dealer.
He rises quickly through the ranks until eventually he finds himself as the right-hand man to Stacy Keach's character, Cameron Alexander, the leader of their Nazi gang, The Disciples of Christ.
Derek fronts a recruitment drive and under his leadership, the gang of new recruits get bored with simply defending themselves and turn to taking a more offensive stance, seeking out minorities and immigrants to violently attack.
His hatred of everyone different soon leaks into his family life when his mother (played by Beverly D'Angelo forms a relationship with a Jewish Teacher (Elliot Gould) of her younger son Danny. Danny (Edward Furlong) is quickly following in his big brother's footsteps and also lands himself in trouble with the teacher.
Derek's life takes a different turn when he kill two black men trying to steal his truck while his brother looks on from the front door.
Derek is inevitably arrested and sentenced to a mere three years in jail. It is Derek's time in prison that turns the story around. After joining the prison's Aryan Brotherhood gang but soon finds himself challenging one of the group's leaders for dealing drugs with a Mexican Derek finds himself alienated from the gang. The Brotherhood retaliate in a most brutal fashion leading Derek to question the beliefs which were once such a major part of him.
While working in the laundry room, Derek meets a black inmate called Lamont (Guy Torry). Ironically, Lamont becomes Derek's only true friend behind bars. It is thanks to his friendship with Lamont that Derek manages to serve out his sentence without any conflict with other black prisoners and Derek re-examines his past.
Upon his release, Derek returns home a changed man only to discover his brother has followed his footsteps into Nazi hatred.
Will Derek be able to save Danny from the Nazi way of life before it is too late?
***Who are the main characters*** It seems each of the actors picked were challenged to play roles very different to anything they have done in the past and the result was inspired and passionate actors putting in outstanding performances.
Derek - Ed Norton This is Norton as you have never seen him before. He is a tough, intelligent guy with nothing more than anger and bitterness inside him until his stint in jail. Derek is a very passionate and intense character and Norton plays him a blinder and he certainly deserved the Academy Award nominations he received. Hardly the weak push over he plays in Fight Club.
Danny - Edward Furlong You will remember Furlong from the Terminator films but now he has grown up into a great actor who I am anxious to see more of. Danny is so eager to please and impress his big brother I am not sure he is able to form his own opinions. As many younger brothers do he idolises his brother and unfortunately, this doesn't work in his favour.
Beverly D'Angelo - Doris Vinyard I was surprised to see the star of films like National Lampoon in such an intense and gritty film but she played the gentle, lonely widow who struggles to keep her boys right while having a life of her own perfectly. He character wasn't the focus of the film, but her acting contributed to the film's success.
Murray (Jewish Teacher) - Elliot Gould Who can fault Gould in anything he does really? It is strange however to see a man, who of late is better known for his humourous supporting roles rather than a part of such magnitude as this one. He plays an intelligent, patient and compassionate man who cannot ignore his beliefs. As with all the actors featured in this film, Gould's ability to be flexible and to portray a man so far removed from what we have grown to expect from him adds great power to this film.
Cameron Alexander - Stacy Keach Keach, an actor who has been around for what feels like hundreds of years is an accomplished actor and he walked into this role of a hateful, bigoted, angry past it man with ease and made the character his. A truly magnificent performance - although he is not in the film as much as would be expected.
***What's the music like*** If I am honest, I can't remember anything about the music from the film. On one hand, this could be a positive as a soundtrack should neither detract from the film, nor take your attention away from it. Having done some research I can tell you that interestingly, Ann Dudley, a former member of the Art of Noise was responsible for the entire score to the film. She earned an Oscar in 1997 for the soundtrack of the Full Monty and also provided the music for The Crying Game.
In American History X Dudley uses mostly orchestra music as well as choir music to cover the vast range of emotions in the film.
***How's the cinematography*** American history X has been filmed expertly. The filming appears to have been handled very sensitively, but just as the subject matter gets in the viewers face, so does the camera which pans in to give many eerie close up shots, particularly of Derek.
The ending, as Derek walks away from the school is the most cheek-clenching cinematic experience and the manner in which it is films adds beautifully to the tension.
***Did I like it*** This is a very difficult film to watch. Nothing is sugar coated and you hear and see things that most of us would much prefer not to know about, but we have to. Sitting through a film where words like Nigger and other language I was brought up to believe is degrading, offensive and unjustified is totally uncomfortable. The violence, of which there is a lot is uncensored un-glorified and as ugly and dirty and raw as it really is. The camera doesn't pan away just at the moment of nastiness. Instead, the viewer is made to take the entire, unabbreviated ride with the characters, feeling the punches, seeing the hatred and tasting the blood along side them. It is a horribly unpleasant film but an incredibly important one none the less.
American History X is one of only a handful of films in recent years that has managed to portray the reality of hatred, whether it be racism or some other ignorant "ism" with such passion while still managing to make the viewer feel like we still hold the key to making a difference. The imagery of the film is disgusting and disturbing but somehow, I was still left with a sense of hope at the end.
The Script was fantastic. It is obvious there were no limits imposed and yet the writer manages not to take one step to far just to shock. The actors were phenomenal, many giving their best performances in my opinion. The Director, as much of an oddball as he is described as, has a vision not often seen in young directors today and all of the people involved in making American History X should feel very proud of being involved in a project with so much to say.
***Trivia*** 1. Edward Norton gained 30lbs of muscle for the role - and he looked great! 2. The word f**k is used over 200 times throughout the film 3. The original script showed Derek in the bathroom shaving his head and returning to the life of a Nazi at the end of the film but the scene was edited after re-writes 4. The Diner to which Derek takes Danny for breakfast before dropping him off at school is the same diner seen in The Big Lebowski (another brilliant film)
***Quotes*** Doris Vinyard: I am ashamed that you came out of my body.
Derek: One in every three black males is in some phase of the correctional system. Is that a coincidence or do these people have, you know, like a racial commitment to crime?
Lamont: I'm the most dangerous man in the prison. You know why? 'Cause I control the underwear.
Danny: I believe in death, destruction, chaos, filth and greed
Danny: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it.
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American History X [1999]
Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated
... more
performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it sh...
American History X [1999]
Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated
... more
performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it sh...
very helpful
very helpful
