Milk (2008/I)

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer (WGA):

Dustin Lance Black (written by)

Release Date:

30 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

His life changed history. His courage changed lives.

Plot:

The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Harvey Milk | Gay Rights | Lover | Politician

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 46 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Jan. 7

7:45 PM

MAX

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Harvey Milk
Emile Hirsch	...	Cleve Jones
Josh Brolin	...	Dan White
Diego Luna	...	Jack Lira
James Franco	...	Scott Smith
Alison Pill	...	Anne Kronenberg
Victor Garber	...	Mayor George Moscone
Denis O'Hare	...	State Senator John Briggs
Joseph Cross	...	Dick Pabich
Stephen Spinella	...	Rick Stokes
Lucas Grabeel	...	Danny Nicoletta
Brandon Boyce	...	Jim Rivaldo
Howard Rosenman	...	David Goodstein
Kelvin Yu	...	Michael Wong
Jeff Koons	...	Art Agnos

Also Known As:

Untitled Harvey Milk Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44714) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:M | Singapore:R21 | Finland:K-13 | Italy:T | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating on appeal) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:16 | Sweden:11 | Japan:PG-12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B15 | Austria:10 | Denmark:11 | Germany:12 | France:U | Iceland:12 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

29th & Dolores Streets, Noe Valley, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

It was widely reported that while filming a scene at the old Castro Camera, some of the actors claimed that they saw a man come in and sit on a couch. After the scene was filmed, nobody else claimed to have seen the man, and the actors themselves went on to claim that it was perhaps the ghost of Harvey Milk.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the film the title cards claim that Dan White's lawyers claimed that his consumption of junk food had caused a chemical imbalance in his brain. In reality, White's lawyers claimed that his massive consumption of junk food was a symptom, not a cause, of his depression. Psychologists employed by White's defense argued that he was clinically depressed, and pointed to several changes in behavior, among them the consumption of mass quantities of junk food. One of these psychologists claimed, as an aside, that the food may have contributed to White's mood swings, but it was never claimed that they caused his mental problems.

Quotes:

Harvey Milk: [First lines] This is Harvey Milk speaking on Friday November 18th. This is to be played only in the event of my death by assassination. During one of the early campaigns, I started opening my speeches with the same line and it sort of became my signature... Hello, I'm Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruit you.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

Queen Bitch

Van Sant delivers a great marriage of art and history

Just caught the Portland premiere and have a few thoughts.

Very thankful this film was made. Until now, it seemed like I was fairly alone in knowing about Harvey's legacy. After "Milk" starts getting attention....I hope that a whole new generation will come to know the Mayor of Castro Street (see Randy Shilt's book) and the importance of the gay rights movement.

That being said, Van Sant's "Milk" is great marriage of art and history. Instead of a dry portrait of an assasinated leader, we get a beautifully rendered flavor of the times, and an intimate vision of a man finding his place within a community and history.

Casting is brilliant. Penn inhabits Harvey Milk in a way that few actors I believe would be capable. His physicality and energy is very believable - and it's easy to forget what actor you're watching. After a while...it's just Harvey. I could go on about the supporting cast...all very solid in their own way. James Franco (Scotty) stands out as well....showing his range and willingness to expand as an actor.

Kudos all the way around...I see this film getting several nods at Oscar time.

Additionally...Rob Epstein's Oscar-winning 1984 documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk" is a definite must for anyone who enjoyed this film. I watched it right after "Milk" - and am still impressed with how affecting it is.