School Ties (1992)

Set in the 1950s, a star-quarterback is given an opportunity to attend an elite preparatory school but must conceal the fact that he is Jewish.

Director:

Robert Mandel

Writers:

Dick Wolf (story), Dick Wolf (screenplay)

Stars:

Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brendan Fraser	...	David Greene
Matt Damon	...	Charlie Dillon
Chris O'Donnell	...	Chris Reece
Randall Batinkoff	...	Rip Van Kelt
Andrew Lowery	...	'Mack' McGivern
Cole Hauser	...	Jack Connors
Ben Affleck	...	Chesty Smith
Anthony Rapp	...	Richard 'McGoo' Collins
Amy Locane	...	Sally Wheeler
Peter Donat	...	Headmaster Dr. Bartram
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Mr. Cleary
Kevin Tighe	...	Coach McDevitt
Michael Higgins	...	Mr. Gierasch
Ed Lauter	...	Alan Greene
Peter McRobbie	...	Chaplain

Storyline

David Greene is brought into a prestigious 1950s school to help their football team to beat the school's old rivals. David, however, is from a working class background, so he isn't really "one of them", but he's very successful at making friends. David is a Jew, and has to keep this a secret from his friends for fear of being rejected.

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Plot Keywords:

coming of age | school | 1950s | jew | athlete | 

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Taglines:

Just Because You're Accepted Doesn't Mean You Belong.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew French

Release Date:

18 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Broderskabets bånd

Filming Locations:

Acton, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,020,071, 20 September 1992, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$14,715,067

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ironically, considering the students' pervasive anti-Semitism, "Smokey Joe's Café", the song that the classmates enjoy (and which Mr. Cleary dismisses as being from the "jungle") was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, a pair of Jewish songwriters, who wrote many of the biggest radio hits of the 1950s and early 1960s. Many of the other songs in the movie and on the soundtrack were also written or co-written by Jewish songwriters, including "Rock Around the Clock", "Three Coins In The Fountain", "That Old Black Magic", "Isn't It Romantic", and "When I Take My Sugar To Tea."

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Goofs

At the homecoming football game, David first appears in a soiled jersey. When the game begins, it's clean.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Joyce: Davey! Davey you're here.
[big hug]
Jack Connors: He's not going off to war, only Massachusetts, huh?

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Connections

Referenced in Gossip Girl: School Lies (2008)

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Soundtracks

When I Take My Sugar To Tea
by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal and Pierre Norman
Performed by Les Elgart
Courtesy of Columbia Records
by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Jewish middle-class boy gets into elite-highschool, and gets into trouble when he hides the fact that he's jewish.

Great drama with even greater performances from the relatively young and unknown cast. Especially Brendan Fraser's acting is really intense. One of his first roles, and in my opinion his best. He was not yet as famous as he is now ( after, for example, a film as 'the Mummy' ), but I think that his acting never had the intensity and credibility of that part.(In fact, I was shocked when I discovered that it was in fact Fraser in the horrible " George of the jungle' ! How could a fine actor like him accept such a terrible role ? ) Also Matt Damon (also an unknown actor at that time )and the other young actors are great. A terrific, subtle drama !

9 out of 10 !