Courage and integrity of the highest order
Added 11/19/2009
This film is just exceptional, accomplishing the difficult task of teaching social history without preaching, of exploring character and courage from a perspective of lived reality, and communicating to gay audiences the historic struggles of the gay rights movement while communicating to straight audiences the motivations that moved the gay rights movement forward. The cast is superb, with Sean Penn offering a perfect performance of power and grace, humor and courage. James Franco does a wonderful understated calm performance as Scott Smith, the lover who follows Harvey to San Francisco and emotionally supports him during his rocky rise in the local political scene. Gus Van Sant may have been the perfect director for this script since he is sensitive to the subtle dynamics and evolution of the gay rights movement while also making a credible effort to explore the character of Harvey Milk and his lovers. The film reminds us of the terrible violence and discrimination those in the gay community experienced from the police, media, and courts. This reference back to these days of harassment and attacks is important in grounding the work and philosophy of Harvey Milk. Placing this story within the history of the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco helps give the narrative a time and place as well as makes reference to a major social movement. The historic films, including the films of Anita Bryant's bigoted campaign against gay men and women, give all viewers a feel for the hatred, bigotry, violence, discrimination, and lack of civil rights that gay men and women experienced. The film is very educational in that it firmly places gay rights as in the same group with civil rights for African Americans and women. Yet Harvey Milk is a critical piece of this history, not just as an activist but also as the first open gay person elected to public office in the United States. Harvey Milk is fully characterized as a multi-dimensional, resilient, courageous, transcendent human being. His resiliency, as portrayed by Sean Penn, is inspiring. Milk had a broad and objective view of the condition of gay men and women in the United States and the political skills to move forward in the fight against discrimination. He loses a handsome young lover in his political fights and then adopts a damaged soul as his second lover. It is the loving, protective way that Harvey loves and supports his emotionally and mentally fragile lover that echoes his love and protection for all of those in the gay movement. In other words, Harvey was willing to take a partner who was damaged goods, and in so doing, personifies his philosophy that the gay community is full of persons who are damaged and deserve protection. Harvey loses three consecutive elections but finally with his vision and resiliency, he prevails and is elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors. The rise and tragic fall of Harvey Milk makes for wonderfully moving drama, even more penetrating, because it reflects a significant time in our history.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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great acting
Added 11/18/2009
Hi guys . this is a great film tells you about the gay activist but if you are not into biographys then dont buy it or gay theams as you wont like it . saying that he got the oscar for his role so dont dismiss it all together .i enjoyed it and i thought it was worth the viewing time i wouldent say it was a feel good movie .it left me feeling a little mad at the politics in america . but whats new guys , enjoy .BRIAN
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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The Start of a Cultural Revolution!
Added 11/18/2009
I first heard the name Harvey Milk about a few years ago when a new high school for gay teens was being opened in Manhattan and stirred a lot of controversy. That school was named after Harvey Milk. The news said that he was an openly gay politician from San Franscisco.
I was a little remiss at the time because when I hear somebody mentioned who I know nothing about, I usually research them at a minimum on Wikipedia. I failed and the name Harvey Milk was filed deep in my brain until this movie starring Sean Penn won critical acclaim and an award for best actor in 2008. I still failed to do any research.
The other night I finally saw this film and it was a fascinating tale. It shed a lot of light on things that I vaguely heard about but never really thought about. I remember Anita Bryant from all the orange juice commercials she did but nothing about her crusade against the gay community. When we look back today, she definately looked ridiculous. Her time could have been better spent on doing something more productive with her time.
The movie explains how the gay movement began in San Francisco, where Harvey Milk opened a shop that catered to a mostly gay clientele. Pretty soon other gay run shops started opening on his street (Castro) and pretty soon many gays started moving to the area. Many of them had very sad stories of being abandoned by their families because of their preferences.
Eventually Harvey is encouraged to go into politics and crusade for rights to protect people against discrimination based on their sexual orientation. It is a fascinating study and we also see a lot of the dirty end of politics where favors are bought and traded. Josh Brolin is excellent and one of Harvey's political peers who keeps requesting favors from Harvey but does nothing to help Harvey's cause.
James Franco looking much different from his Harry Osbourne/James Dean look, plays Harvey's friend and lover (Scott). Scott puts a lot of pressure on Harvey to give up political ambitions and causes Harvey to have to make several tough decisions.
One can easily see why Sean Penn was an easy choice for his Oscar in this role. A first rate movie that should not be missed.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A time and a place in history that defined a watershed of change! A great film!
Added 11/15/2009
Sean Penn won an Oscar for his outstanding performance in this 2008 film. No wonder. He is simply magnificent. And, in my opinion, the film is a winner in every category. Not only does it tell the true story of the man himself, Harvey Milk, who, in 1977 was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was the first openly gay elected official in America, it is the story of a movement and a time and a place in history that defined a watershed of change.
Bravo to the filmmakers! The casting is perfect with James Franco playing the long-time boyfriend of Harvey Milk and Josh Brolin cast in the role of a troubled fellow city supervisor, who in an insane frenzy, brutally murdered both Milk and the Mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone in 1978.
We first meet Milk, a 40-year old New York businessman, who changes his life dramatically by embracing the counter-culture movement and moving to San Francisco in the early 1970s with his young lover. They live in the Castro district, which is fast becoming a Mecca for gays, opening a camera store and fighting the establishment. Soon, Milk becomes political, running for public office. He loses, not once but twice, but, finally, when he changes his hippie appearance and starts to wear suits, he eventually is elected. He fights vigorously for gay rights, influencing gays to unite and "come out of the closet" and mostly, because of his activism and his strong personality, a proposition to keep gays from teaching in public schools, promoted by the gay-bashing activist, Anita Bryant, was defeated.
Sadly, Harvey Milk served a mere 11 months in office before he was assassinated. But the changes he brought about are living on as the concept of inclusion is a reality in our culture today. The cinematography and direction are exceptional and there is not a dull moment in the film. I loved every minute of it. Hooray for Harvey Milk! And Hooray those who brought his inspiring story to the screen!
This film gets my highest recommendation. Don't miss it!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Sadly, no relationship to fact
Added 11/9/2009
Those of you whom weren't there may enjoy the movie. Those of us who were there will be appalled. How misleading, sad and inaccurate. Maybe some day the real story will be told. Obviously, not now.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Courage and integrity of the highest order
Added 11/19/2009
This film is just exceptional, accomplishing the difficult task of teaching social history without preaching, of exploring character and courage from a perspective of lived reality, and communicating to gay audiences the historic struggles of the gay rights movement while communicating to straight audiences the motivations that moved the gay rights movement forward. The cast is superb, with Sean Penn offering a perfect performance of power and grace, humor and courage. James Franco does a wonderful understated calm performance as Scott Smith, the lover who follows Harvey to San Francisco and emotionally supports him during his rocky rise in the local political scene. Gus Van Sant may have been the perfect director for this script since he is sensitive to the subtle dynamics and evolution of the gay rights movement while also making a credible effort to explore the character of Harvey Milk and his lovers. The film reminds us of the terrible violence and discrimination those in the gay community experienced from the police, media, and courts. This reference back to these days of harassment and attacks is important in grounding the work and philosophy of Harvey Milk. Placing this story within the history of the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco helps give the narrative a time and place as well as makes reference to a major social movement. The historic films, including the films of Anita Bryant's bigoted campaign against gay men and women, give all viewers a feel for the hatred, bigotry, violence, discrimination, and lack of civil rights that gay men and women experienced. The film is very educational in that it firmly places gay rights as in the same group with civil rights for African Americans and women. Yet Harvey Milk is a critical piece of this history, not just as an activist but also as the first open gay person elected to public office in the United States. Harvey Milk is fully characterized as a multi-dimensional, resilient, courageous, transcendent human being. His resiliency, as portrayed by Sean Penn, is inspiring. Milk had a broad and objective view of the condition of gay men and women in the United States and the political skills to move forward in the fight against discrimination. He loses a handsome young lover in his political fights and then adopts a damaged soul as his second lover. It is the loving, protective way that Harvey loves and supports his emotionally and mentally fragile lover that echoes his love and protection for all of those in the gay movement. In other words, Harvey was willing to take a partner who was damaged goods, and in so doing, personifies his philosophy that the gay community is full of persons who are damaged and deserve protection. Harvey loses three consecutive elections but finally with his vision and resiliency, he prevails and is elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors. The rise and tragic fall of Harvey Milk makes for wonderfully moving drama, even more penetrating, because it reflects a significant time in our history.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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great acting
Added 11/18/2009
Hi guys . this is a great film tells you about the gay activist but if you are not into biographys then dont buy it or gay theams as you wont like it . saying that he got the oscar for his role so dont dismiss it all together .i enjoyed it and i thought it was worth the viewing time i wouldent say it was a feel good movie .it left me feeling a little mad at the politics in america . but whats new guys , enjoy .BRIAN
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
The Start of a Cultural Revolution!
Added 11/18/2009
I first heard the name Harvey Milk about a few years ago when a new high school for gay teens was being opened in Manhattan and stirred a lot of controversy. That school was named after Harvey Milk. The news said that he was an openly gay politician from San Franscisco.
I was a little remiss at the time because when I hear somebody mentioned who I know nothing about, I usually research them at a minimum on Wikipedia. I failed and the name Harvey Milk was filed deep in my brain until this movie starring Sean Penn won critical acclaim and an award for best actor in 2008. I still failed to do any research.
The other night I finally saw this film and it was a fascinating tale. It shed a lot of light on things that I vaguely heard about but never really thought about. I remember Anita Bryant from all the orange juice commercials she did but nothing about her crusade against the gay community. When we look back today, she definately looked ridiculous. Her time could have been better spent on doing something more productive with her time.
The movie explains how the gay movement began in San Francisco, where Harvey Milk opened a shop that catered to a mostly gay clientele. Pretty soon other gay run shops started opening on his street (Castro) and pretty soon many gays started moving to the area. Many of them had very sad stories of being abandoned by their families because of their preferences.
Eventually Harvey is encouraged to go into politics and crusade for rights to protect people against discrimination based on their sexual orientation. It is a fascinating study and we also see a lot of the dirty end of politics where favors are bought and traded. Josh Brolin is excellent and one of Harvey's political peers who keeps requesting favors from Harvey but does nothing to help Harvey's cause.
James Franco looking much different from his Harry Osbourne/James Dean look, plays Harvey's friend and lover (Scott). Scott puts a lot of pressure on Harvey to give up political ambitions and causes Harvey to have to make several tough decisions.
One can easily see why Sean Penn was an easy choice for his Oscar in this role. A first rate movie that should not be missed.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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