anthonyrwaldman

This is an excellent film. There are very few if any American films that deal with anti-semitism in a school environment let alone a prep school. David Greene is a working class Jew in the 1950's who gets a football scholarship to a New England Harvard feeder school. They need a quarterback. While in a working class environment David can deal with anti-semitism by fighting on a one to one basis. Early in the film we see him battle against a rival gang leader who makes anti-semitic comments. In this film the working class kids fight hard but a least fight fairly. However, at the prep school the anti-semitism is more subtle and he overhears a casual anti-semitic comment. When his classmates later turn on him led by the jealous racist Charlie Dillon he is unable to fight back against the pack. He becomes the outsider-the stranger subject to all indignities. The redeeming character in this film is Chris Reece who after some soul searching finally comes to David's aid. This was a brave film to make and Bredan Fraser is wonderful as David Greene.

O.K. this is not a great film. But, the Catherine Deneuve/Johnny Halliday segment is so worth waiting for. Halliday serenades Catherine with the beautiful Azvanour song "Retien la Nuit" (Hold back the Night). The wonderful Catherine wears the typical French girl teen fashion of the time - a white shirt and plaid skirt - wow. I saw this film in London when I was eighteen years old and its effect on me was quite profound. Of I went to Paris and got myself a job as a monitor for the summer in a U.N.E.S.C.O hostel on the Left Bank. I also found myself a French girl friend- Chantal. This film brings back some great memories for me.