Barry Levinson, an outstanding American director, screenwriter and producer, saw the world in 1942. Violet and Irwin Levinson, who became his parents, were Jewish immigrants from Russia. They arrived in Baltimore (Maryland) and engaged in furniture trade. Barry studied at an American university in Washington, and then settled in Los Angeles.
First steps to the cinema
At the beginning of his career, Barry Levinson was engaged in variety shows, or rather, wrote scripts for them. His services were used by Tim Conway, Marty Feldman and others. However, directing has always remained a cherished dream of Barry.
The first full-length comedy films shot from Levinson's scripts were Fear of Heights and Silent Cinema. By the way, in the first of them, Barry made his debut as an actor. He was entrusted with the role of a courier.
1982 was marked by a great event for Barry: the release of The Diner, his first film. The director's work was appreciated, and for the script written by him, Barry Levinson was nominated for the prestigious Academy Award. The cinema community recognized the film as worthy, noting the warm nostalgic intonation and excellent work of the main actors.
The film, the genre of which can be defined as tragicomedy, was the first of several films illustrating some biographical moments from the director's youth. In the same list is the dramatic “Aluminum Men, ” in the center of the plot is a life story about manufacturers of finishing materials. The main role was brilliantly performed by Denny De Vito.
The series was continued by the film narration Avalon. This family film became a description of the life of Jewish immigrants. By the way, the cast also includes young Elijah Wood. In this context, it is also worth mentioning the “Height of Freedom”, which contains autobiographical events.
An extraordinary film about the war
Such a seemingly impossible task: creating a comedy about the course of the Vietnam War, was successfully implemented by Barry Levinson in the film “Good Morning, Vietnam!”. One of the factors that brought the film popularity was the participation in the main role of Robin Williams. Then he was known as a telecom and was able to brilliantly embody the character of DJ Adrien Kronauer. Such a man really existed, in fact went on the air and broadcast to American soldiers in Saigon. The film depicted in vivid colors how important the role of laughter, which can become a kind of shield, and obscure the madness of war.
Fateful "Rain Man"
The next film directed by the director for a long time was developed by the best specialists of those times, including Spielberg, but Barry Levinson was involved in the final implementation of the project. The filmography of the director was replenished with another picture, and the audience received a completely unique product. No one is surprised by financially successful films, as well as many times awarded prizes and awards, but the picture that combined all these qualities deserves attention.
Significant award
The story of two brothers, one of which is a genius autistic, and the second is an egocentric rogue, can affect almost everyone. The excellent acting duet game on which the film is built convincingly and systematically shows the transformation of the character of Tom Cruise. The picture won four golden statuettes, including director Barry Levinson. "Oscar" and received Dustin Hoffman.
In addition, the film was awarded at the Berlin Film Festival.
Unrecognized Genius
Further activities of Barry continue as a screenwriter and director of films and animations of various genres: dramas, melodramas, comedies, sports dramas, horrors, thrillers, crime and military comedies.
Barry Levinson could not always boast of the crazy success of his creations, some of the paintings were most frankly failed him. Other audiences and critics took it rather calmly. Among the undeservedly criticized films is the criminal comedy The Bandits. Its plot is far from original and even a little naive: the elusive “sleeping bandits” (played by Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton) rob bank after bank throughout the country. Over time, a “desperate housewife” (Cate Blanchett) joins them and captivates the hearts of both of them. Director Barry Levinson managed to embody the spirit of adventurism, adventure and very lively romantic experiences on the screen.
The picture cannot be called very dynamic, but the tension of the plot was played out expertly. The main advantages of the film, bringing it to the level of a truly high-quality movie, is a unique selection of soundtracks, the finest charm and humor. These qualities, to one degree or another, are inherent in many of the films that Barry Levinson makes. The photo below was taken on the set of the movie "Bandits" in 2001.
