Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Wordiezett So much average

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "The House I Live In" is an American live action short film from 1945, so this one is already over 70 years old. It runs for 10 minutes and even if the producers, writers and directors here are all Oscar nominees, the star is of course lead actor Frank Sinatra. It is a black-and-white film, but of course they had sound already during that time. So yeah, Sinatra is the grown-up in the center of the action here and he teaches a lesson to American kids who discriminated against a Jewish boy because of his religion. Sinatra's two stories both have military plots to them and this film is a statement in favor of freedom of religion, of course a crucial subject back then, especially when it comes to Jewery. I cannot say I am surprised the film won a Golden Globe and received a special unofficial Academy Award as well. Still there is no denying the stories seem a bit for the sake of it and random, but it's all good. The message is more important and you have to give them a thumbs-up for this emphasis on tolerance. Music's fine too, especially when Sinatra sings the title song in the end. I recommend checking this one out.

MartinHafer Frank Sinatra starred in this odd little short from RKO that is now in the public domain. The film came out at about the same time the war ended and is a nice plea for religious tolerance.The film begins with Sinatra on stage singing. After leaving the stage, he walks out into the alley and finds a group of kids picking on another because of his religion. Instead of yelling at the boys (or helping them for that matter), Sinatra delivers a nice civics lesson on religious toleration and equates prejudice with fascism. The kids seem to get the lesson but then, out of the blue, Sinatra begins singing a song that, frankly (get it?), kids would have hated. He had a lovely voice but unfortunately I think this detracted from the excellent message he gave to the kids about tolerance. It's a case of a good message with too much singing--even if the guy singing is Frank Sinatra. It's also an interesting curio--a nice historical piece that is often overlooked...plus it's quite touching even if it seems a bit schmaltzy.

cjgruner This is a very excellent movie. Although it is very short (10 minutes or so) it shows an ideal of America. Frank Sinatra used this vehicle to show his attitude toward this ideal of tolerance and understanding. It is worth seeing by just about anyone but I would especially like to see it shown to young people. It is probably too short to ever be a commercial success and I have not been able to find a VHS or DVD copy of it anywhere. I have only seen it twice and heard the complete sound track (not just the music, but the entire dialog as well) twice. I would certainly like to have it in my personal collection.

F Gwynplaine MacIntyre "The House I Live In" is a movie which everyone ought to see ... not just for its substantial entertainment value, but for its true depiction of what it means to be an American. (I came to the U.S.A. from elsewhere as an adult, so I know how precious American citizenship is.) After the world changed forever on September 11, 2001, "The House I Live In" is more relevant than ever before.Frank Sinatra plays himself in this film. He encounters a group of street boys who are bullying another boy because they don't like his religion. Sinatra handles this issue intelligently and logically, offering some ideas that the boys haven't thought about. (For instance: What if one of your relatives got a blood transfusion from someone who has the "wrong" religion?)To top off his argument, Sinatra sings "The House I Live In", a song which is often incorrectly identified as "What Is America to Me?" This is a good song by any standards - nice tune, pleasant lyrics - but it's also one of the most moving statements of the American identity I've ever encountered. The usual flag-waving tactics of most patriotic film are completely absent here.Frank Sinatra was a complex man. His flaws were often displayed in public, while his virtues (such as his many philanthropic acts) were usually exercised only in private, without publicity. In "The House I Live In", Sinatra seems to exhibit his sincere belief in America's deepest values. And if it isn't sincere, then Sinatra was a better actor than he ever let on. Whatever else he may have been, Frank Sinatra was a patriotic American.There are many excellent films, but very few truly great ones. "The House I Live In" is a great film about the greatest nation in the world.