American History X, the film with Edward Norton was released 25 years ago. Here are the things you need to know

It’s been 25 years since the release of American Historymovie directed by Tony Kaye and starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. The film, which analyzes the theme of racial violence through the events of two skinhead brothers, was complexly made and arrived in theaters on 30 October 1998. It received great critical acclaim and Norton’s performance earned him an Oscar nomination. Here’s everything you need to know

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THE SCREENPLAY – Screenwriter David McKenna wrote the screenplay and sold the rights to New Line Cinema when he was 26 years old. The inspiration for the story came from the punk-rock scene of his childhood, where he often witnessed violent behavior. To make the characters as realistic as possible, he interviewed and observed the behavior of skinheads during the writing process. Producer John Morrissey was impressed and in 1996 approached Dennis Hopper to direct the film, but he turned it down.

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DIRECTING IN KAYE – So Tony Kaye was asked to direct: for him it was his debut in a feature film. He took the contract to a synagogue: “I signed it in front of the rabbi. I thought it would be good,” Kaye said

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THE PLOT – Neo-Nazi Derek Vinyard, leader of a white supremacist group, catches three African-Americans trying to steal his car. He kills two and is jailed. A few years later he is freed and returns home profoundly changed. He has completely abandoned his ideas of him and is committed to bringing his younger brother Danny back to the right path, who in turn joined the far-right group and idolized him for his racial violence

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THE ROLE OF THE PROTAGONIST – The part of Derek Vinyard was offered to Joaquin Phoenix, who was not interested. Kaye couldn’t seem to find a suitable actor. Casting director Valerie McCaffrey suggested the name Edward Norton. Kaye initially resisted believing it lacked “weight or presence”, but eventually became convinced. Norton accepted a drastic cut in his salary in order to be chosen as the protagonist. And to prepare for the role, he changed his diet and spent hours in the gym to put on 11kg of muscle

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THE SHOOTING – The film was shot in Los Angeles and Venice Beach. Kaye also served as director of photography and camera operator. He often walked silently around the set, looking for camera angles. The flashback scenes were shot in black and white, while the present scenes are in color. The director created an informal environment for the cast and crew, welcoming visitors to the set, including singer Courtney Love, who was engaged to Norton at the time

THE ASSEMBLING – Kaye completed a first version but the producers asked him for changes and Norton was also involved in the editing. The gestation came to a head: the studio decided to use the version with Norton’s changes, Kaye attempted to remove his name from the film’s credits, requesting absurd pseudonyms

THE PROBLEMS WITH KAYE – Kaye later filed a $200 million lawsuit against DGA and New Line Cinema, though the case was dismissed in 2000. The director disowned the film, describing the released version, which was 24 minutes longer than his version original, as a “total abuse of creativity.” Kaye’s behavior caused Hollywood to consider him unemployable, and he didn’t direct a film again until 2006. Kaye said he never watched the film until 2007. He later apologized

COLLECTIONS – American History it premiered in Los Angeles on October 28, 1998 and the same week in New York. It received a wider release across the United States on October 30. The film, which had a budget of 20 million dollars, grossed 23.9 million worldwide (about 7 million in the US)

NORTON’S DEFEAT AT THE OSCARS – Edward Norton’s acting performance was praised by critics and earned him an Oscar nomination for best leading actor. But in the 1999 ceremony the Academy gave the statuette to Roberto Benigni for his performance in Life is Beautiful. Empire magazine included Norton’s defeat in its list of the “22 Most Shocking Oscar Injustices.”

THE AWARDS – Norton won the Satellite Award for the role of Derek Vinyard and was nominated for a Saturn Award. In 1999, Empire ranked the film 311th on its list of the 500 greatest films of all time. In 2008, Norton’s was ranked by Total Film as the 72nd greatest film performance of all time. A few years ago the project was started for a sort of ideal, titled sequel African History Ywith Kaye directing and starring Djimon Hounsou

THE AMNESTY CAMPAIGN – In 1999, Amnesty International in the USA used American History for an educational campaign, screening the film at universities and nationwide events to raise awareness of human rights. In France too, Amnesty organized screenings followed by debates

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