| | | Question the knowledge|Question the Knowledge.
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Surround Sound, English, Subtitled, French, Spanish, Dubbed & Subtitled
Kristy Swanson, Omar Epps, and Michael Rapaport star as first-term freshmen who get a crash course in diversity, identity, and sexuality in writer/director John Singleton's bold look at contemporary college life. Also starring Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes, Jennifer Connelly, and Tyra Banks.
"...Singleton has a goal most of his contemporaries have given up on: He wants to make a movie that makes a difference." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Provocative...credible...well-acted.." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"(Singleton) sees with a clear eye and a strong will, and is not persuaded by, fashionable ideologies." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"A head-on collision of thought-provoking emotion." Jeanne Wolf's Hollywood
"Another tour-de-force for Singleton." Clint Morris, MovieHole
"...Singleton's third (and best) film." David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
"...an entertaining and thought-provoking film." Michael Dequina, Mr. Brown's Movies
Editor's Note
The third installment in John Singleton's trilogy about South Central Los Angeles, HIGHER LEARNING examines mid-1990s university politics from racial, sexual, and economic standpoints. At fictional Columbus University (where a statue of the explorer stands witness to the dominant culture's supremacy), three freshman arrive to find a campus ready to explode. Malik (Omar Epps) wavers among the influences of revolution-preaching super-senior Fudge (Ice Cube), no-excuses Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), and his motivated girlfriend Deja (Tyra Banks). Kristen (Kristy Swanson), another neophyte, is thrown into sexual confusion when she meets a charismatic lesbian, while the socially inept Remy (Michael Rapaport) can only fit in with the local skinheads. The storylines cross and complicate as each character tries to discover what's right, but the potential for violence grows with every wrong choice they make. Singleton recruited an emsemble of considerable talent to flesh out the complex plot, which allows him to deal efficiently with a breadth of concerns without preaching.
| Features | Thai Subtitles | | Scene Selection | | Interactive Menus | | Portuguese Subtitles | | Chinese Subtitles | | Korean Subtitles | | English Subtitles | | French Subtitles | | Spanish Subtitles | | Director's Commentary | | Theatrical Trailers | | Filmographies | | French Track | | Spanish Track | | Portuguese Track | | Widescreen Version | | Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video | | English 5.1 Dolby Digital & 2-Channel Dolby Surround |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 12/21/2004 |
| Running Time: 128 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1994 | | Catalog ID: 06768 | | UPC: 00043396067684 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed, Portuguese Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Chinese | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Image Award (1996) |  | Laurence FIshburne, Winner, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture | | | Ice Cube, Nominee, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture | |
Winner (1996) | | | Image Award, Laurence FIshburne, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | |
Nominee (1996) | | | Image Award, Ice Cube, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...An unapologetically confrontational film..." 01/26/1995 p.66-68USA Today
"...[An] appealing cast..." 01/01/1995 p.4D Variety
"...[The] cast is solid....Ice Cube scores effectively....Fishburne is all commanding charisma..." 01/09/1995 Los Angeles Times
"...Singleton remains a fluid filmmaker who works well with actors..." 01/11/1995 p.F12 Chicago Sun-Times
"...[Singleton] sees with a clear eye and a strong will, and is not persuaded by fashionable ideologies. His movies are thought-provoking because he uses familiar kinds of characters and then asks hard questions about them..." 01/11/1995 p.33 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
...Singleton, as an accomplished filmmaker, is able to imbue his characters with a vitality that allows them to escape the boundaries which might normally constrain them. Each grows and evolves... Solid acting abounds...
ReelViews 7 of 10
With his third feature, writer/director John Singleton (Boyz 'N the Hood, Poetic Justice) has turned his focus from the inner city to the college campus. Set on the grounds of a fictional California school, Columbus University, Higher Learning strives to examine the political, sexual, and racial undercurrents that coalesce in such a volatile atmosphere...Solid acting abounds, and helps immeasurably when the script weakens. None of the three main performers displays an overabundance of talent, but all are more than equal to their roles. Supporting players the likes of Laurence Fishburne (as a professor with a lot to say but very little to do) and Jennifer Connelly (as a lesbian who befriends Kristen) round out a fine, if somewhat unorthodox, cast...Singleton's views of modern college life are considerably better-rounded than those presented by many recent pictures (PCU and Threesome leap to mind). Despite excesses and missteps, there is still a wealth of digestible, thought-provoking material in Higher Learning. The best parts tend to be the most subtle ones -- racism shown by a glance or friendship by a kind word. When this movie is quiet and introspective, it speaks with a clear voice. That insight gets muddled, however, the more forceful Singleton becomes. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Singleton's film is interesting for a lot of reasons, but especially because he stands outside this campus system and looks at it with a detached eye. Like Spike Lee's "School Daze," Singleton's "Higher Learning" is idealistic in a way that seems refreshingly dated: He believes the campus should allow students from different races and places to get to know one another, instead of compartmenting them into rigid self-righteousness. At a time when some believe only blacks should teach black studies and the ideas of dead white European males should hardly be taught at all, this is almost radical...Singleton himself, at 26, is only a few years out of USC, and his film is at home on the campus..."Higher Learning" is Singleton's third film, after the great "Boyz N the Hood" (1991) and the more meandering, romantic "Poetic Justice" (1993). He may be following, in some way, the threads of his own autobiography, in these three films about teenagers in South Central Los Angeles, young people working for the post office, and now freshmen in college. He sees with a clear eye and a strong will, and is not persuaded by fashionable ideologies. His movies are thought-provoking because he uses familiar kinds of characters and then asks hard questions about them..."Higher Learning" has no easy answers. - Roger Ebert
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