In't Milk Brilliant!? (Milk (DVD))

Member Name: flodombey

Product:	Milk (DVD)
Date:	05/07/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sean Penn, James Franco, city scenes, archive footage, wonderful story

Disadvantages: None

I was waiting for this film to arrive from my rental list with much anticipation as a massive fan of San Francisco and the gay rights movement. I attended the Gay Pride Parade in SF in 2004 and wanted to be able to understand the history of the fight for gay rights that this wonderful city has become renowned for over the years. Personally, now I have seen this film I think that Sean Penn totally deserved the oscar for his performance in the lead role of Harvey Milk.

Critically acclaimed, this film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and won two, one for Penn and one for Best Original Screenplay for Dustin Lance Black who turned the story into the movie we see today with amazing talent for one so young (35) and relatively inexperienced. With the direction of Gus Van Sant this film also received many nominations and awards for Best Picture at the Golden Globes, Screenwriters Guild and Critics Choice awards amongst others.

Plot
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The film follows the life of Harvey Milk, who was the first gay member of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. He comes to be on the board due to his mounting anger at the discrimination and treatment of homosexuals in the City's slowly emerging gay area known as the Castro. Having moved to San Francisco with his much younger gay lover hoping for better understanding and acceptance, Milk is dismayed to find the gay community still facing harrassment and abuse but realises that with a representative on the board of supervisors they could begin to have a voice and begin to break down some of the barriers they face.

Milk's campaign is demanding and takes its toll on his personal relationships, it also ultimately costs him his life and his well documented assassination is portrayed here following the story of how he fought so hard to be in office, changed the mood of San Francisco towards the gay community and motivated the community to stand together and demand to be heard. Knowing it is based on the real life of one of the most notorious and respected gay activists that the western world has ever seen lends a certain poignancy to the story which is sensitively and lovingly portrayed here.


Cast
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Sean Penn - Harvey Milk
Josh Brolin - Dan White
Emile Hirsch - Cleve Jones
James Franco - Scott Smith
Alison Pill - Anne Kronenberg
Diego Luna - Jack Lira
Victor Garber - Mayor George Moscone


The Good
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Penn turns in an amazing performance as Harvey Milk and from the very first moments he was on screen he captured the mannerisms and subtle campness of the character with charm, style and warmth. Penn carries off the role with aplomb and it is clear he has studied his subject, not once does even the slightest element of stepping out of character appear in this dedicated portrayal and it really is a joy to watch what feels like a very true to life depiction of such a courageous and determined man.

In the first half of the film when Milk is involved with Scott (Franco) the chemistry between these two characters is wonderful to watch, throughout the film Franco's portrayal of Scott is believable and endearing, at the outset he is a cute, sassy and confident young man who never expects to fall for a man so much older than he (when they meet Milk is about to turn 40 and Scott is in his 20s) but by the end of the film he has matured and become a gentle, considered man with evidently still a great affection for Milk which has never gone away.

Milk and Scott's relationship is shown as becoming a casualty of the demands of a campaign trail and of the strain on a relationship when one half becomes the impassioned voice of a generation and focal point of a cultural movement. It always seemed to me that eventually Scott and Milk would find their way back to each other and tragically things were looking to be doing this at the time of Milk's assasination.

This film is a wonderful portrayal of the struggle and the passion of the gay community in the United States during the 60s and 70s. In turn it made me feel ashamed, horrified, saddened at their fight and then immensely proud, charmed and vitriolic about their progress and ultimate recognition within the city and across the country.

I do feel it ticked every box for me in explaining why the city that means so much to me is shaped the way it is and why and how it came to be a global centre for the gay community and a bastion of acceptance and equality. It is testament to the determination of a small group who refused to accept that discrimination on the grounds of sexuality was fair - and found their icon and mouthpiece in the articulate and impassioned Milk.

I absolutely cried my eyes out when the inevitable assasination by fellow City Supervisor Dan White (Brolin) occured. Knowing that it was coming made it no easier to stomach and the pathetic waste of such a life seemed even more heartbreaking after watching Penn's portrayal of the events up to that fateful day.

Another major plus point for me with this film was the use of actual footage from the time, news reports, archive film of the marches, the riots and the reaction around the country were pieced together with the narrative to provide and impressive tapestry of events and give an excellent depth to the story.


The Bad
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Nothing can be particularly pinpointed for criticism, in my opinion, about this film. If anything I found Brolin's portrayal of the assassin Dan White a little less authentic feeling than some of the other roles, but this is probably emphasised by the brilliance of Penn and Franco. Apparently Matt Damon was originally cast in this role and I do wonder if he may have carried it off with more gravitas.


Overall
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An amazing story about a man who engineered some major events for the gay community and achieved so much in a short space of time that one wonders how much more he could have done, had he not had his life so tragically cut short. Wonderfully directed, showcasing a beautiful city as it evolves into a global focal point for gay rights, this is a joy to watch and a reason to be proud of all that Milk stood for and demanded.

If you haven't seen it then you really must, it is not only a great documentary piece of an important part of the story of equality but a warm, endearing and truly inspired piece of film. I shall definitely be buying a copy for my collection and watching it again many times no doubt.

Run time: 129 mins

Summary: A truly inspiring film about a truly wonderful man