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Alan & Naomi (1992)
directed by Sterling Van Wagenen
Review Roundup

Numerical average of these graded scores: 65.0 (out of 100)
  Average score is 2.5 stars out of 4, or a "B-"

RottenTomatoes.com freshness score: 100%
  1 review counted: 1 positive; 0 negative

[In the table below, the column labeled "RT.c" shows a plus or minus sign, indicating whether the RottenTomatoes.com website rated the review mainly positive (+) or negative (-). If there is no plus or minus sign (+/-), it means there was no such evaluation done by RottenTomatoes.com]

SourceReview AuthorRT.cGradeGrade
as #
E! Online users B+ 84
BuyIndies.com 4 stars (out of 5) 78
Deseret News Chris Hicks 3 stars (out of 4) 75
Internet Movie Database 88 users 6.3 (out of 10) 63
Austin Chronicle Kathleen Maher + 2 1/2 stars (out of 5) 45
TV Guide Online 2 1/2 stars (out of 5) 45

Other reviews with neither a RottenTomatoes.com positive/negative evaluation nor a grade:

SourceReviewerResponse
Washington Post Rita Kempley positive


LDSFilm.com REVIEW:
"Alan & Naomi"

7 October 2002 - "Alan & Naomi" was released ten years ago, in 1992. It's an extraordinary movie, easily one of the finest feature films made by a Latter-day Saint director during the last decade. Yet I think it's something of a "lost film," which is unfortunate, but perhaps understandable.

"Alan & Naomi" was directed by Sterling Van Wagenen, the co-founder of the Sundance Film Festival. The movie earned Van Wagenen, along with producers David Anderson and Mark Balsam, a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival. Van Wagenen had previously made a number of films for the Church, including "Christmas Snows, Christmas Winds" (1980), and he had distinguished himself as a producer. He produced "The Trip to Bountiful" (1985), for which Gerarldine Page won an Academy Award for Best Actress. The movie also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay, and a number of other awards. But after "Alan & Naomi," Van Wagenen focused on teaching at Brigham Young University and making documentaries. He never directed another feature film, so there was little reason for later movie reviewers or writers to talk about his past films, i.e., "Alan & Naomi." And the movie didn't have a very big release initially -- grossing only $259,311 at the U.S. box office.

Based on an acclaimed children's book by Myron Levoy, the video seems to have gained some popularity itself in schools. But having seen it, it's easy to see why it's not very popular or well-remembered, despite being an artistically and morally accomplished work of filmmaking.

"Alan & Naomi" tells the story of Alan, a young Jewish boy (perhaps 14 years old) living in World War II-era New York City, whose parents ask him to spend time with Naomi a young neighbor girl the same age that he is. Naomi is essentially catatonic. She has not spoken for years and screams when anybody other than her mother and grandmother approach her. She was traumatized when, while living in her native Paris, she witnessed her father being killed by Nazi soldiers.

Alan is not the least bit interested in becoming a regular visitor or helping this girl who up until now he has dismissed as crazy. But his parents, mainly his father, persuade him to do so, because it's the right thing to do. Alan's father is played very convincingly by Michael Gross, best known as the father of Michael J. Fox's character on the sitcom "Family Ties." Physically, Gross' character is so transformed into a different era and persona that I would not have recognized him if I had not seen the credits. Although playing, once again, a kindly father of a teenager, he creates here a distinctive yet very believable character, very much a New York Jew from the 1940s, but with depth,and in no way a stereotype or caricature.

The rest of the cast, including Amy Aquino as Alan's mother and Kevin Connolly as Alan's best friend Shaun, is uniformly excellent. But the movie largely hangs on the abilities of its lead actor, Lukas Haas, who dazzles with his natural and sympathetic turn as the young Alan. Haas is in nearly every scene, and his acting, which never seems like acting, transported me to the milieu and engaged me in the story.

Finally, Vanessa Zaoui deserves credit for succeeding with the challenging role of a traumatized catatonic Parisian girl who slowly -- but never completely -- emerges from within the mental walls erected to protect her from further trauma. Zaoui was nominated for a Best Young Actress award from the Young Artist Awards for her role as Naomi.

Apart from the performances, "Alan & Naomi" is commendable for the professionalism that is evident in every other aspect of the film. I was instantly struck by the cinematography -- how a cohesive period look was achieved, and made to look realistic yet also appealing, despite the relative poverty of Alan's neighborhood. Considerable care obviously went into the sets, and I was not surprised to see no less than nine set dressers credited with re-creating the 1940s homes, school, and exteriors.

There's something of a warm glow to the whole production. Imagine a WWII Jewish period piece made by the same people who make the LDS "Homefront" public service ads. But although that is the look, "Alan & Naomi" does not have the feel or tone of "Homefront" ads and Church videos. This is, in fact, an often melancholy and even sad film, with an ending that will surprise you -- because while hopeful, it is not at all the happy ending one might expect.

The story itself probably has a lot to do with the relative lack of popularity. This is apparently a very faithful adaptation of the book, and the director does nothing to call attention to himself or his techniques, or to spice things up with added action or artificial plot devices. But clearly this is a difficult product to market. It is not a fun-fest for kids (such as "Spy Kids"), it doesn't feature animals, aliens or sports, nor is it animated. Yet the mere fact that it features child-age protagonists limits its appeal to many adults.

The movie is, however, a thoughtful, realistic, interesting film. "Alan & Naomi" requires more patience and a greater attention span than most children's movies. I found it an enjoyable experience, but one comparable to a bicycle ride in the park, rather than a roller coaster ride. There are stick ball games, the flying of toy glider planes, and even brief fisticuffs with a bully at school, all of which might spark interest in kids, but the movie is dominated by the gradual development of trust between Alan and the largely silent Naomi, mostly taking place in a single apartment. If you can get kids to watch the movie, there are remarkable lessons to be learned. There is no preachiness to the movie or artificiality to the characters, but the characters, despite making mistakes, simply exhibit a commendable and inspiring level of goodness and decency.

There is little in the way of "spectacle" in "Alan & Naomi." The movie doesn't really break new ground, nor is it particularly challenging. But this is a very professional piece of work, a carefully crafted, artistic film featuring beautiful cinematography and near-flawless acting. It is easily the best film made by the Leucadia Film Corporation (whose alumni include Blair Treu and Mitch Davis). I recommend renting it, but this isn't really a movie I would want to own and watch many times.

Perhaps most of all, the talent and professionalism with which "Alan & Naomi" was created made me regret that Van Wagenen has not directed other feature films. He has done admirable documentary work in recent years, including projects about the Dead Sea scrolls, and while at BYU he served as the executive producer of many LDS-themed projects, including the Elizabeth Hansen/Richard Dutcher collaboration "Eliza and I" (1997).

"Alan and Naomi" (along with "Schindler's List") is one of a number of movies that Kieth Merrill was talking about when he observed that Latter-day Saint filmmakers have made more movies about Jews than than they have made about Latter-day Saints. This is a very good movie about Jewish characters, notable in the way its characters are clearly Jewish, yet the film is universal in its approachability and its messages. But I would particularly like to see what Van Wagenen would have done if he had directed another dramatic film, with a story with Latter-day Saint characters.


Washington Post REVIEW:
"Alan & Naomi"

By: Rita Kempley
Date: 31 January 1992
Source: Washington Post
URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/alannaomipgkempley_a0a295.htm

"Alan & Naomi" is a sweet souvenir, a slightly faded, crumpled photograph of the way we were and might be again -- if only we cherished the message of this compelling little film. Set in Brooklyn in 1944, it is an exquisitely simple story, more felt than told, about a gawky adolescent who matures, with his parents' help, into a socially concerned young adult.

Lukas Haas, whose last film was "Rambling Rose," plays 14-year-old Alan Silverman with convincing discombobulation. His legs are too long and his voice is too squeaky. Nothing seems to fit him, not even his personality. The war, which preoccupies his father, Sol (Michael Gross), ranks way below stickball among Alan's concerns. Then one evening over marble cake and milk, he learns that his formidable mother (Amy Aquino) has volunteered him as a companion for a catatonic Jewish refugee who recently moved upstairs.

Alan storms out aghast, but is persuaded by the more diplomatic Sol to at least give it a try. "Why me?" he demands. "Because you're one of the lucky ones," explains his parent. Reluctantly, he agrees to give up stickball for an afternoon to visit the "crazy girl," fearing all the while that he'll be found out by his girl-detesting best friend Shaun Kelly (Kevin Connolly). Nothing could have prepared him for the profound suffering of lovely, lonely Naomi Kirschenbaum.

Vanessa Zaoui, a captivating young Parisian actress, masters the difficult role of Naomi, the daughter of a French Resistance fighter, who hasn't spoken since she saw her father beaten to death by the Nazis. She seems as unseeing as the tattered doll in her lap while she relentlessly shreds newspaper. On Alan's tentative first visit, she responds not at all to the desperate boy's limited conversation: "Bonjour, uuh, poodle, cancan, Paree, uuh, Eiffel Tower." But when he moves near her, she becomes hysterical.

Angry and scared, Alan wants to give up, but his parents persuade him to keep trying. Besides, whether he admits it to himself or not, Alan is involved in the mystery of Naomi. Still he keeps his rendezvous with the girl a secret from his freckled Irish friend Shaun, who is hurt when Alan refuses to confide in him until it nearly wrecks their relationship.

The friendship between the two boys is an admirable one, but it tends to interrupt the narrative momentum of Jordan Horowitz's screenplay (adapted from Myron Levoy's novel). Still, it seems as essential an ingredient in coming of age as the neighborhood bully, whose antisemitic gibes provoke a schoolyard fight between the three kids. Unfortunately, the roughhousing brings back awful memories for the recovering Naomi. "Alan & Naomi" is not a happy story, but a hopeful one. A directorial debut for producer Sterling VanWagenen, it bears the distinct imprint of the man who helped develop such independent films as "El Norte," "Desert Bloom," and "The Trip to Bountiful." Like VanWagenen's other projects, there's a homespun quality about this work, not only because it is frugally budgeted but because it reveals its old-fashioned values as humbly as does a kitchen sampler: Love thy neighbor.


Deseret News REVIEW:
Alan & Naomi

By: Chris Hicks
Date: 31 January 1992
Source: Deseret News
URL: http://deseretnews.com/movies/view/0,1257,50,00.html

*** [3 stars out of 4]

"Alan & Naomi" is a lovely little film, full of heart and charm and bolstered by fine performances and the sensitive direction of Sterling VanWagenen, here making his debut behind the camera.

A coming-of-age drama with a difference, "Alan & Naomi" tells of a teenager (Lukas Haas) growing up in Brooklyn, circa 1944. He plays stickball in the street, builds model airplanes and attends the local public school where his Jewishness seems to be a veiled issue, though his best friend is an Irish-Catholic.

Alan is a normal all-American lad coming into adolescence, and he just wants to do his homework at night, listen to the radio and be left alone by his parents (Michael Gross, the father on TV's "Family Ties," and Amy Aquino, a regular in the new show "Brooklyn Bridge").

In his tenement building there is another Jewish family, which includes a "crazy" girl about his age, Naomi (newcomer Vanessa Zaoui). Alan and his friends tend to make fun of her, but it isn't long before Alan's parents push him to befriend the girl, to help bring her out of her tormented mental state.

It seems she's slipped into catatonia since witnessing the death of her father at the hands of Nazis in her native France, and her main preoccupation these days is sitting in her room tearing newspapers into strips while she clings to her doll.

Alan is reluctant, of course -- even hostile at the suggestion. But, of course, he succumbs, and finds himself just sitting quietly in her room, watching her. Then he comes up with the idea of bringing in his ventriloquist's dummy, as a means to attempt communication through her doll. Soon she's coming out of her shell and Alan is taking her outdoors -- fearful all the while that his friends will see him with her and label him a sissy.

"Alan & Naomi" starts off exceptionally well, despite the unfortunate back-lot look of the Brooklyn streets. The setups are convincing, and the cast is very good as we come to know the principals involved.

Parents of teenagers will particularly identify with the domestic battles that follow as Alan's parents encourage him to do something he'd rather avoid.

After a time, however, "Alan & Naomi" begins to play like a made-for-TV disease-of-the-week film, in particular in its centerpiece scenes in Naomi's room, extended sequences that go on too long, allowing a claustrophobic sluggishness to set in.

But that proves to be a minor distraction as the film soon picks up its pace again and carries the audience to an expected ending that packs a punch.

Haas, whose lanky demeanor and changing voice perfectly accentuate his role as a confused adolescent forced to act out an adult role, is a fine actor, and Vanessa Zaoui, who really is French (though she oddly seems to lose her accent from time to time), is convincing and touching in her role. Also exceptionally enjoyable is Amy Aquino as Alan's mother, a feisty influence deserving of more screen time.

More humor would have made a big difference in the screenplay, by Jordan Horowitz, but VanWagenen's direction keeps things moving, and he obviously has great affection for the material.

Dick Hyman's score should also be noted as it adds much to the '40s atmosphere.


"Alan & Naomi" is rated PG for some violence (primarily in Naomi's flashbacks) and mild profanity.


TV Guide Online REVIEW:
Alan & Naomi

Source: TV Guide Online (Cinebooks)
URL: http://tvguide.com/Movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=34922

** 1/2 [2 1/2 stars out of 5]

A compassionate and determinedly modest debut from producer and Sundance cofounder Sterling VanWagenen, ALAN & NAOMI boasts fine central performances from juvenile star Lukas Haas and newcomer Vanessa Zaoui.

Alan Silverman (Haas), already in the dog house with some of his classmates, who think he's a gangly sissy, is desperate to prove himself on the stickball team when his loving parents, Sol and Ruth (well played by Michael Gross of TV's "Family Ties" and Amy Aquino), deal their only son a devastating blow, virtually ordering him to sacrifice his afterschool playtime in order to serve as Good Samaritan to a new neighbor's young ward, a French girl named Naomi Kirschenbaum (Zaoui) who is suffering from catatonia as a result of witnessing the brutal death of her father, a member of the French Resistance, at the hands of the Nazis. When Alan, not understanding her tormented background or fully grasping the extent of her present plight, first meets Naomi, he's repulsed by her and resentful of having to spend his afternoons with an unresponsive girl who does nothing but stare into space while mechanically ripping newspapers to shreds. As these sessions continue, however, Alan begins to take a personal interest in his charge and begins working hard to reach her. The breakthrough comes when Alan, a passably good ventriloquist, uses his dummy to communicate with Naomi. She responds through her ragged doll and a friendship blossoms, first between dummy and doll, and eventually between the two youngsters themselves.

Initially embarrassed about his involvement with the troubled Naomi, Alan avoids telling the truth to his best friend Shaun (Kevin Connolly) and, as a result, he almost loses Shaun's friendship forever. Finally, Alan confesses all to Shaun and takes him to meet Naomi. At first, Shaun refuses to forgive Alan for his fibs, but all is forgiven after a local bully, shouting racial slurs, pounces on the smaller Alan and Shaun comes to his friend's defense. Near the conclusion, Naomi suffers a relapse, hides in a cellar and smears soot over her face. The touching finale finds Alan comforting Naomi on a bench outside the sanitorium where she has been taken by Mrs. Liebman (Zohra Lampert), her guardian. She's reverted to her previous catatonic state, but Alan's assured expression effectively conveys his hope for her future.

Set during the mid-1940s, some viewers will likely criticize ALAN & NAOMI for not offering a tougher, more realistic view of its subject matter, such as the unsparing portrait of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller offered by Arthur Penn in THE MIRACLE WORKER. In truth, Jordan Horowitz's screenplay is decidedly sentimental, largely eschewing the more unpleasant aspects of Naomi's recovery, but the film remains a sweetly affecting coming-of-age story that younger audiences, and tender-hearted older viewers, will doubtlessly appreciate. The Brooklyn period settings have been faithfully recreated by production designer George Goodridge in Wilmington, North Carolina. (Adult situations.)


Crew
Producer David Anderson
Mark Balsam
Exec. Producer Jonathan Pillot
Co-Producer Don Schain
Assoc. Producer Edward M. Grant
Jordan Horowitz
Director Sterling VanWagenen
Writer Jordan Horowitz
(from the novel by Myron Levoy)
Source Myron Levoy
Editor Cari Coughlin
Musical Composer Dick Hyman
Production Designer George Goodridge
Art Director Barbara Kahn Kretschmer
Costumes Alonzo V. Wilson
Cinematographer Paul Ryan


Austin Chronicle REVIEW:
Alan & Naomi

By: Kathleen Maher
Date: 24 April 1992
Source: Austin Chronicle
URL: http://www.auschron.com/film/pages/movies/1756.html

** 1/2 [2 1/2 stars out of 5]

Alan & Naomi is set during World War II in New York. It exhibits the kind of excruciating attention to detail that signals misty nostalgia and an impossibly functional family life. Another early indicator that the syrup is going to pour is the presence of Michael Gross as a wise and understanding Jewish father. (He was last seen, you will remember, as the WASPy but no less wise father of Michael J. Fox in Family Ties.) This time his son is played by Lukas Haas. Here named Alan, Haas is a young boy for whom the reality of war is expressed by model airplanes and his father's obsessive tracking of campaigns with maps and pushpins. It comes closer, however, when Naomi (Zaoui), a catatonic survivor of the Gestapo, arrives to stay with the family upstairs. Now, what do you suppose is going to happen? Yes, Alan is given the assignment of trying to draw Naomi out of her shell. He resists, of course, but his resistance serves mainly as an excuse for Gross to philosophize, after which Haas does whatever it is he is asked to do.

Alan & Naomi is boring in its predictability. It only jerks out its deep rut of a storyline when Naomi has a brutal flashback of her father's murder and that jarring note serves only to heighten impatience with the sentimental mush being served up here. The feeling of restlessness is mitigated only by the two young leads, Haas and French actress Zaoui. Haas wins praise every time he appears onscreen and he deserves it no less here. He makes the most of the awkwardness of adolescence, creating a real and fully-fleshed character distinct from the hordes of cute, simpering child actors endured by audiences lately. Zaoui, too, is a stand out, though in a more conventional way. She's strikingly beautiful and she plays up the cute French angle to the hilt. Luckily, she never teeters over into obvious manipulation. Certainly, she has the tougher job. Catatonic for much of the movie, she has to make the most of the speaking parts she gets. Sadly, it's not likely there will be much of an audience to applaud these teens' efforts.

Alan & Naomi occupies that difficult niche, the classy children's film. It is perhaps a little too sophisticated for children, but it will definitely bore adults.


E! Online Movie Facts: Alan and Naomi (1992)

Source: E! Online
URL: http://www.eonline.com/Facts/Movies/0,60,26263,00.html

Category: Drama
Director: Sterling Vanwagenen
Cast: Lukas Haas, Michael Gross, Vanessa Aquino, Zohra Lampert


Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: PG
Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Video

Summary:
Set in Brooklyn, 1944, a slice of America during wartime is portrayed. A 14-year-old boy is tries to break down the psychological wall his French-Jewish mother put up when her husband was brutally murdered.

users grade
B+


Source: BuyIndies.com
URL: http://www.buyindies.com/listings/1/4/FCTS-14090.html

Alan and Naomi (1991)

Directed by: Sterling VanWagenen

Purchasing Information
This title is being sold by Facets Multimedia (seller rated 4/5 stars).

Length: 94 minutes
Country: USA


Source: Blockbuster.com
URL: http://www.blockbuster.com/bb/movie/details/0,7286,VID-V+++++1355,00.html

Alan and Naomi

Rated: PG (Adult Situations, Questionable for Children)

Alan (Lukas Haas) is a typically streetwise Brooklyn teenager of the 1940s. Naomi (Vanessa Zaoui) is a French-Jewish refugee of Nazi oppression, recently moved into the apartment above Alan's. Ever since witnessing the murder of her father, Naomi has remained in a catatonic state. Alan's well-meaning efforts to help the girl at first seem to do more harm than good. But eventually the boy's sincerity and hitherto untapped compassion win out, and the two young people form a strong, unbreakable bond. Alan & Naomi is based on a novel by Myron Levoy.
Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast
ActorCharacter
Lukas Haas Alan Drucker Silverman
Vanessa Zaoui Naomi Kirschenbaum
Michael Gross Sol Silverman
Amy Aquino Ruth Silverman
Zohra Lampert Mrs. Liebman
Kevin Connolly Shaun Kelly
Victoria Christian Mrs. Kirschenbaum
Vanessa Aquino
Mark Fincannon Mr. Kirschenbaum
Michael Kennedy
Blake Edwards Tommy Frankel
Michael Gwynne
Mick McGovern Officer Danny
Mary McMillan Mrs. Landley
Richard Olsen Finch
D. Anthony Pender Usher


Vancouver Jewish Film Festival Archives

Date: 1992
Source: 4th Annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, 1992
URL: http://www.vjff.org/2000/archive1992.html

Alan & Naomi
USA, 1991, 95 min
English
Sterling Vanwagenen
In Brooklyn 1944, 14-year-old Alan Silverman reluctantly agrees at the urging of his parents (Michael Gross, Amy Aquino) to befriend Naomi, a girl down the block. It seems Naomi was rendered traumatized when, during the Holocaust, she witnessed her father's brutal murder by the Nazis. Though Alan is apprehensive about helping Naomi, he eventually gives it his best shot. Only after Alan uses his ventriloquist's dummy to speak to Naomi does she respond at all. But she answers not in her own voice, but through her doll. Despite this progress, Alan still wonders if he can reach her any further. Now that he cares for Naomi, however, he has no choice but to keep trying. A touching tale of loss and recovery.

Other films shown at the festival:
The Assault (1986)
Berlin Jerusalem (1989)
Escape to the Rising Sun (1991)
Himmo: King of Jerusalem (1987)
Hot Bagels: The Hole Story (1979)
Isaac Singer's Nightmare and Mrs. Pupko's Beard (1974)
The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1974)
Moise (1991)
Molly's Pilgrim (1985)
Night of the Long Knives (1983)
Uncle Moses (1932)
UNKNOWN SECRETS: Art and the Rosenberg Era (1990)


Source: Films Involving Disabilities (website)
URL: http://www.disabilityfilms.co.uk/general1/AlanandNaomi1992.htm

Disability: General Catatonic state

Notes: Set In Brooklyn, New York in 1944 a friendship between two teenagers. But one is a French-Jewish refugee left in a catatonic state after seeing her father murdered. From book by Levoy, Myron

Source: Teaching for Visual Literacy: 50 Great Young Adult Films
URL: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/spring94/Teasley.html

Alan & Naomi (US, Sterling VanWagenen, 1991, PG, 95 min.). Alan is a Jewish boy living in New York at the end of World War II. When Alan would rather be playing stick ball in the streets, his parents make him spend time with Naomi, a French refugee girl whose experiences in Nazi-occupied France have left her catatonic. Alan and Naomi develop a friendship that helps herbegin to live and trust again. Great portrayal of the friendship between the boy and girl.


Source: Brooklyn in the Movies
URL: http://www.brooklyn.net/movies.html

Alan and Naomi, Sterling VanWagenen, dir. (1991)


Source: Lakes Art Center (Okoboji, Iowa)
URL: http://www.lakesart.org/filmseries.html

The Lakes Art Center will host two film series this year. Movies start at 7:15 for this winters Special Series...

"Alan & Naomi"
May 13 - 1992, 96 m. Directed by Sterling Van Wagenen.

A carefully paced, splendidly acted sleeper which unravels in Brooklyn during 1944. A jewish. American teenager befriends a catatonic escapee from the holocaust and attempts to connect with her.


Source: Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0103640

User Rating: 6.3 out of 10 (based on 88 votes)

[Sample User Comment:]

Jonathan Rimorin (cromwell-3)
Date: 22 September 1999
Summary: a poignant film. Haas' performance is exquisite

The plot, which you can read elsewhere on this page, seems slim and easily dismissable; one can imagine an ABC afternoon special made on the same themes. The film's grace, however, is achieved entirely by its performances. Lukas Haas, as an American Brooklyn boy initially irritated by his Jewish heritage, is wonderful to watch as his character grows in affection and charm. Michael Gross is surprising in his affable characterisation of Alan's Dad -- not a far stretch from his "Family Ties" role perhaps but charming nevertheless. The film is mawkish in a few instances but on the whole it is incredibly bittersweet and poignant. See this movie.


Book Review:
Alan and Naomi by Myron Levoy

By: Carol Otis Hurst
Source: Teaching K-8 Magazine
URL: http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/alanandnaomi.html

Alan has little feeling about the war currently taking place in Europe. His father's despair at Hitler's advance seems slightly unreasonable to him. Alan is more concerned with gaining approval from his gentile schoolmates and, to do this, he is trying to build his physical strength. Then Naomi and her mother move into an apartment in Alan's building. Naomi is deeply disturbed (her father was beaten to death by the Nazis as she watched) and Alan is asked to make contact with her. At first Alan is an unwilling participant in Naomi's therapy, but they gradually achieve real friendship. Alan's commitment and friendship eventually strengthens Naomi to the extent that she comes to school. Alan has discarded his search for admiration of his classmates to the degree that he is proud to be associated with Naomi in spite of their disdain. Then Alan and Naomi are taunted by a racist bully. When she sees Alan being bloodied and beaten, Naomi's precarious hold on sanity is broken and she retreats beyond Alan's and probably anybody's reach.

At the beginning this seems like an overly simplistic story. As the reader continues, however, the plot and characters take on more complexity. A yellow model airplane is used as a symbol throughout the story. The avoidance of pat solutions and the downbeat ending lifts this above many young adult novels and the oblique view of the war and the Holocaust opens many avenues for dialogue and further research into either mental illness or the events of World War II.


"Alan & Naomi" opening credits as they appear in the film

LEUCADIA FILM CORPORATION
AND
THE MALTESE COMPANIES
Present


Lukas Haas

Michael Gross


Alan
   &
   Naomi



Amy Aquino

Zohra Lampert

Kevin Connolly

And Introducing
Vanessa Zaoui
as Naomi


Production Design
George Goodridge

Editor
Cari Coughlin

Director of Photography
Paul Ryan

Music Composed and Conducted by
Dick Hyman

Co-Producer
Don Schain

Executive Producer
Jonathan Pillot

Based Upon The Novel By
Myron Levoy

Screenplay By
Jordan Horowitz

Produced By
David Anderson
Mark Balsam

Directed By
Sterling VanWagenen


"Alan & Naomi" closing credits as they appear in the film

Cast of Characters
CharacterActor
Alan Silverman Lukas Haas
Naomi Kirschenbaum Vanessa Zaoui
Sol Silverman Michael Gross
Ruth Silverman Amy Aquino
Shaun Kelly Kevin Connolly
Mrs. Liebman Zohra Lampert
Mrs. Kirschenbaum Victoria Christian
Joe Condello Charlie Dow
Ken Newman Randy Williams
Mrs. Landley Mary McMillan
Finch Richard K. Olsen
Gloria Stacy Moseley
Mr. Kirschenbaum Mark Fincannon
Norma Becky Wyatt
Larry Dennison Derek Knott
Usher D. Anthony Pender
Tony Ferrara Shawn Ryan
Boy #1 Brian Button
Officer Danny Nick McGovern
Officer Pat Michael Kennedy

Stunt Coordinator     Frank Ferrara


Associate Producers
Edward M. Grant
Jordan Horowitz


Production Manager David Blake Hartley
First Assistant Director Rip Murray
Second Assistant Directors Juliette Yager
Cynthia E. Williams
Production Coordinator Chrissie Davis
Production Accountant Anne K. Moosman
Script Supervisor Sandra Marley Haskell
First Assistant Camera Spencer L. McDonald
Second Assistant Camera Bill Finger
Still Photographer Merie Weismiller Wallace
Additional Photography Herb Harton
Gaffer Steve Perry
Best Boy/Electrical Keith Pickett
Electricians Mark Smith
Terry D. Long
Dale C. Robinson
Key Grip Scott R. Davis
Best Boy/Grip Robert G. Hoelen
Dolly Grip Monte E. Bass
Grips Michael Adams
Michael Bonsignore
Logan Berkshire
Scott Hillman
Sound Mixer Rick Waddell
Boom Operator Gary Theard
Art Director Barbara Kahn Kretschmer
Property Master Tantar LeViseur
Set Decorator Vernon Harrell
Leadman Stephen C. Peterman
Set Dressers Elizabeth Giles
Louis Terry
Carl Hector
John Bromell
John D. Kretschmer
Polar Bear Shaw
Russ Jones
Peter J. Durand
Fermon Judd
Assistant Property Master Beth Berkshire
Art Department Assistants Sarah VanWagenen
Dax Anderson
Tara Foran
Storyboard Artist Brian Stultz
Sign Painter Hank P. Constantineau
Model Maker Daniel Samppala
Construction Coordinator Danny Kiser
Construction Foreman Gary Long
Set Carpenters Barry Spencer
Rufus Best
Standby Carpenter Dick VanNewkirk
Charge Scenic John D. Wallace
Scenic Painter Larry Shepard
Special Effects Greg Hull
Costume Designer Alonza V. Wilson
Costume Supervisor Erika Anderson
Costumer Anna M. Welcome
Costume Assistant Kristina VanWagenen
Seamstress Ilse Graves
Key Makeup Artist Jeff Goodwin
Key Hair Stylist Michelle Johnson
Assistant Hair Stylist Dalaree Goodwin
Location Manager Sandy Johnston
Assistant Production Coordinator Carrie DuRose
Assistant to Mr. Schain Nicole Silverstein
Assistant Production Accountant Mary Bridges
Post-Production Accountant Jeff Crane
Production Assistants/Set Betsy Anderson
Janalee O'Bagy
Manny Sarris
Production Assistant/Office John Stuart
Set Medic C.F. Burton
Craft Services Randall Pickett
Catering by Ferrovia
Chef Mark Snyder
Chef's Assistant Riva Grantham
Transportation Coordinator Neil A. Hyman
Transportation Captain Bill Pitts
Drivers David Outlaw
Anthony Forester
Edward W. Bozeman
Lorri F. Sumner
Linda Pickett
Jesse Adam Smith
Honeywagon Driver Ron M. Field



Principal Casting - New York
Walken-Jafe


Wilmington Casting
Fincannon & Associates


Paris Casting Jeanne Biras
Extras Coordinator Pam Plummer
Stand-ins Duke Anderson
Arthur VanWagenen
William VanWagenen
Alex Balestrero
Miss Zaoui's Dialogue Coach Jean-Marie Pelissie
Mr. Haas' Guardian Susan B. Abjornson
First Assistant Editors Doug Boyd
Carole Henderson Harrington
Second Assistant Editor Dean Holder
Apprentice Editors Pamela Choules
Tracy Dorsey
Jennifer D. Scudder
Doug Richen
Post Production Sound Services by Allied-WBS Film & Video
Re-Recording Mixer Byron Wilson
Supervising Sound Editor Doug Bryan
Assistant Re-Recording Mixer Jeff Timbs
Assistant Sound Editor Logan Breit
Foley Artist Robert J. Castaldo
Negative Cutters Gary Wallace
Karen Witte
Color Timer Robert Colley
Titles & Optics Designed by Cinema Research Corporation
Title Design David L. Aaron
Cameras and Lenses Supplied by Ultravision
Color by Allied-WBS Film & Video
Music Recording Engineer Roy B. Yokelson
Antland Productions, New York
Music Recording Supervisor Walt Levinsky
Musical Contractor Joe Malin
Assistant Engineers Aaron Kropf
Susan Pelino
Todd Whitelock



The Orchestra

Dick Hyman
Conductor and Pianist
Saxophone Ray Beckenstein
Saxophone Frank Wess
Saxophone Wally Kane
Trumpet John Frosk
Trumpet Mel Davis
Trumpet Joe Wilder
Trombone Joel Helleny
Trombone Dan Barrett
Guitar Vincent Bell
Bass John Beal
Drums Ted Sommer
Percussion Dave Carey
Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone Phil Bodner



The Composer's String Quartet
Violin Matthew Raimondi
Violin Anahid Ajemian
Viola Maureen Gallagher
Cello Mark Shuman

John Mical
Musical Preparation

"On the Wings of Forever"
Performed by B.J. Thomas
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
Written and Produced by
Douglas A. Snider & Paul Overstreet


Sincere Appreciations to the Following:
Jessica Bagg
Grant R. Brimhall
Sharon Dorais
Rabbi & Mrs. Harold Friedman
Dr. Robert Prehn, Program Director, the Oaks
Douglas A. & Sandra Snider
Pam Weinraub
The Offices of Senators Orrin Hatch & Jessie Helms

East Coast Sets & Scenery
Group Earth Nursery
Hammond, Inc.
Lionel Trains, Inc.
Rand McNally & Company
Trimblehouse

The City of Wilmington, North Carolina

Through the courtesy of the "Jewish Forward"
UCLA Film & Television Archive
Cup from "Lonesome Stranger" provided by
Turner Entertainment, Inc.

Tom Mix Radio Broadcast courtesy of
The Ralson Purina Company and
Licensed by Radio Spirits, Inc.

Filmed at the Carolco Studios, Inc.
Wilmington, North Carolina

Copyright © 1991 Leucadia Film Corporation
All Rights Reserved



The persons and events portrayed in this production
are fictitious. No similarity to actual persons,
living or dead, is intended or should be inferred.

Leucadia Film Corporation is the author
of this film/motion picture for the purpose
of article 15(2) of the Berne Convention
and all national laws giving effect thereto.

This motion picture is protected under laws of
the United States and other countries. Any
unauthorized exhibition, distribution or
reproduction of this motion picture or videotape
or any part thereof (including the soundtrack)
may result in severe civil and criminal penalties.



From
The Leucadia Corporation
The Maltese Companies, Inc.