All American High

All American High is a 1987 documentary film directed by Keva Rosenfeld that chronicles the life of the 1984 senior class at Torrance High School in Los Angeles County, California.[1][2]

All American High
Documentary feature film
Directed byKeva Rosenfeld
Produced byLinda Maron
Keva Rosenfeld
Narrated by“Rikki” Rauhala
Distributed byPublic Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Running time
59 min.
CountryUnited States
Language(in English)

The film is narrated by the Finnish exchange student “Rikki” Rauhala and observes 1980s California high school culture from a foreigner's perspective.[2]

The film was independently financed, with additional funds provided through an American Film Institute (AFI)−National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant. The film was selected for the Grand Jury Prize competition at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival.[3] It was originally broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).[4]

All American High Revisited

A second documentary film about the former Torrance High senior class was directed by Keva Rosenfeld in 2014 (released in 2015), All American High Revisited.[5][2] It combines the original film with new footage of the film's principal subjects being interviewed on their high school years, the process of growing up, and the various paths in life that they took.[5][6][7]

Critical reception
  • People Magazine: “Keva Rosenfeld does a spectacular job of candidly capturing the life of typical suburban teens. It is true. It is hilarious. It’s a little frightening. This is one wonderfully entertaining documentary.” [8]
  • LA Times, Patrick Goldstein: a “topsy-turvy blend of the innocent and the exotic.” “Startling...” and added, “rarely intrusive and never condescending.”[9]
  • Hollywood Reporter, Duane Byrge: “Fascinating, insightful, and highly entertaining.“Every bit as piercing as Fredrick Wiseman’s classic portrait “High School.”[10]
  • New York Times, Vincent Canby: “If Keva Rosenfeld’s vividly satiric All American High is to be believed, this country is headed for hell on a surfboard...”[11]
  • LA Times, Sheila Benson: “The most cheerfully terrifying movie I think I’ve ever seen.”[12]
  • Sneak Previews, Michael Medved: "A brilliantly conceived motion picture."
  • The Village Voice, J. Hoberman: "Bears out Werner Herzog's observation that, although they believe they are normal, Americans are the most exotic people on earth."
  • L.A. Weekly, John Powers: "A documentary that might chill you were it not so funny."

Nominations and awards

Festival showings

See also
  • Documentary films about education in the United States
  • Films set in Los Angeles County, California
  • Torrance, California topics

References
  1. IMDb: All American High (1986)
  2. LikeTotally80s.com: "Interview with Keva Rosenfeld", by Pia Sooney, posted 23 September 2014; accessed 2.28.2016.
  3. "All-American High | Archives | Sundance Institute". History.sundance.org. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  4. "American High: When's it on?". PBS. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  5. IMDb: All American High Revisited (2014)
  6. Kate X Messer (March 16, 2014). "SXSW Film Review: 'All American High Revisited'". Austin Chronicle.
  7. IMDb: video trailer from All American High Revisited
  8. Jarvis, Jeff. "Picks and Pans Review: All American High". People.com. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  9. Goldstein, Patrick (April 29, 1987). "Movie Review : Torrance: 'All American High'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  10. "Document Citation". Mip.berkeley.edu. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  11. Canby, Vincent (April 10, 1986). "'All-American High,' A School Documentary". NYTimes.com. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  12. Sheila Benson (February 1, 1987). "Park City's Film Fest: Diamond In The Rough". Los Angeles Times.
  13. Charles Champlin (September 25, 1986). "Documentaries: Alive And Well Attended". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  14. "Document Citation". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. University of California, Berkeley. 1986. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  15. "Document Citation". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  16. "All American High | San Francisco Film Festival". History.sffs.org. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  17. Vazquez, Tiffany (March 26, 2013). "Something Old, Something New: 42 Years of ND/NF Lineups". Film Society of Lincoln Center. Retrieved July 15, 2013.

Further reading


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