American Pop

"All those years, all those dreams, all those sons... one of them is going to be a star."

1981 1h 36m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

68%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 131🍅68%Rotten Tomatoes●57Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 5,621

AnimationMusicDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The history of American popular music runs parallel with the history of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, with each male descendant possessing different musical abilities.

“All those years, all those dreams, all those sons... one of them is going to be a star.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ron Thompson
Tony Belinksy / Pete Belinksy (voice)
Lisa Jane Persky
Bella (voice)
Jeffrey Lippa
Zalmie Belinksy (voice)
Frank De Kova
Crisco (voice)
Roz Kelly
Eva Tanguay (voice)
Mews Small
Frankie (as Marya Small)
Elsa Raven
Hannele (voice)
Vincent Schiavelli
Theatre Owner (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ralph Bakshi
Writers: Ronni Kern
Languages: English, Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish
Countries: United States of America, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: United States of America, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Lee Holdridge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Ramirez shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ron Thompson and Lisa Jane Persky and Jeffrey Lippa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ralph Bakshi directs. Lee Holdridge scores. David Ramirez cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
345 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish.
5International production across 4 countries: United States of America, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom.
6Original score by Lee Holdridge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor David Ramirez shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ron Thompson and Lisa Jane Persky and Jeffrey Lippa carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "All those years, all those dreams, all those sons... one of them is going to be a star.".
10IMDB entry: tt0082009 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "jazz", "pop", "czar / tsar / tzar", "mafia boss".