School
      Ties:
      Making
      the
      Grade
     
     
      by
      STAN
      LIVINGSTONE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ne
      item
      must
      be
      cleared
      up
      before
      this
      review
      is
      to
     
    

    
     
      be
      advanced
      any
      further.
      This
      movie
      is
      nota
     
     
      reinvention
      of
      Dead
      Poet’s
      Society
      (****)
      so
      just
      let
      it
      go
     
     
      and
      move
      on
      with
      your
      life.
      The
      shattered
      pieces
      of
      your
     
     
      existence
      will
      be
      put
      back
      together
      eventually.
      Although
     
     
      many
      reviewers
      feel
      compelled
      to
      form
      some
      sort
      of
      late
      -
     
     
      80s
      nostalgia
      and
      rush
      to
      compare
      these
      two
      films,
      the
     
     
      likenesses
      fail
      to
      go
      beyond
      the
      setting
      --
      albeit
      visuals
      are
     
     
      stimulating
      but
      they
      alone
      do
      not
      tell
      the
      story.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      School
      Ties
      is
      brought
      to
      the
      screen
      by
      the
      previously
      suc-
     
     
      cessful
      team
      of
      Sherry
      Lansing
      and
      Stanley
      Jaffe
      (Black
     
     
      Rain,
      The
      Accused,
      and
      Fatal
      Attraction)
      and
      their
      success
     
     
      in
      partnership
      once
      again
      shines
      through
      in
      this
      movie
     
     
      dealing
      with
      anti-semitism
      and
      put
      quite
      simply
      --
      fitting
      in.
     
     
      School
      Ties,
      setin
      the
      1950s
      at
      a
      prestigious
      Ivy
      League
      prep
     
     
      school
      in
      New
      England
      (where
      else?)
      presents
      David
      Greene
     
     
      played
      by
      encino
      man
      Brendan
      Fraser
      (a
      Canadian!!)
      asa
     
     
      young
      Jewish
      man
      removed
      from
      his
      home
      in
      blue-collar
     
     
      central
      Scranton,
      Pennsylavania,
      to
      St.
      Matthew’s,
      a
      fic-
     
     
      tional
      private
      school
      attended
      mainly
      by
      clean-cut,
      wealthy,
     
     
      Protestant
      boys.
      David,
      attending
      ona
      football
      scholarship
     
     
      has
      to
      not
      only
      prove
      himself
      to
      the
      scholarship
      providing
     
     
      alumni
      but
      also
      to
      his
      fellow
      students
      who
      share
      neither
      his
     
     
      economic
      nor
      his
      religious
      backgrounds.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      man
      who
      put
      the
      con
      in
      constitution
     
    
   
   
    
     
      t
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      David
      then
      struggles
      to
      belong
      in
      a
      group
      he
      felt
      didn’t
      fully
     
     
      accept
      in
      the
      beginning
      let
      alone
      after
      he
      is
      make
      to
      look
     
     
      like
      a
      liar
      and
      a
      traitor.
      The
      sad
      reality
      is
      then
      displayed
      all
     
     
      too
      well
      of
      the
      attitudes
      instilled
      during
      the
      rearing
      ofa
     
     
      child
      for
      racism
      was
      as
      much
      a
      part
      of
      many
      of
      these
      boys
      as
     
     
      social
      etiquette.
      This
      film
      manages
      to
      go
      beyond
      pointing
     
     
      out
      the
      existence
      of
      hatred
      and
      ignorance
      carried
      by
      people
     
     
      --
      that
      is
      something
      everyone
      is
      well
      aware
      of.
      It
      instead
     
     
      asks
      why
      and
      how
      these
      attitudes
      are
      adopted
      and
      accepted.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      film
      carries
      with
      it
      a
      lesson
      for
      all
      that
      see
      it.
      It
     
     
      demonstrates
      that
      in
      a
      society
      where
      people
      refuse
      to
      see
      the
     
     
      truth,
      the
      society
      becomes
      nothing
      more
      than
      a
      facade
     
     
      overflowing
      with
      prejudice
      and
      superficiality.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      film,
      although
      at
      points
      nearing
      the
      filmic
      cliche
      quota,
     
     
      does
      a
      fine
      job
      at
      creating
      awareness
      and
      at
      the
      same
      time
     
     
      presenting
      a
      touching
      story
      and
      soon
      to
      be
      known
      actors
     
     
      destined
      for
      possible
      stardom.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rating
      ***
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Brendan
      Fraser