Review 91: Milk
Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, this film traces Harvey Milk's (Sean Penn) career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet and New York, opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Francisco's growing gay community, and organizes gays' purchasing power to build political alliances. He runs for office with lover Scott Smith (James Franco) as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White (Josh Brolin) wins in the city's conservative district. The rest of the film sketches Milk's relationship with White and the 1978 fight against a statewide initiative to bar gays and their supporters from public school jobs.
The plot is one of the most hopeful and original plots ever written, Not I only did I review this film but I also felt I'd learned something, Harvey Milk was a good man, a man who really fought for Gay people he had more guts than any gay person put together at that time and fought he put his life to give them equal rights.
I suppose you could call it the hay equivilent of Black People fighting for equal rights.
It's mainly a story about courage and hope and how we can have that courage to make a difference in the world and Harvey Milk had that courage to stand up for these people. Harvey Milk may have fought for Gay rights but in doing so he gave hope to other minorities (mentally and physically disabled people, colored people and elderly people).
But what really amazed me was how brutally gay people were treated back then, I was literally shocked. It's also a story about a man who made a difference, he embraced everybody and he rooted for everybody, he was able to raise a lot of consciousness and it's about believing in your self. Buy his examples and actions he changed the world.
Originally Harvey Milk came to San Fransisco not planning on going into politics but he got to the Castro and saw this new neighbourhood exploding, this new time happening and he felt he could make a difference.
Director Gus Van Sant's directing is precise, the score by Danny Elfman is beautiful, the production and costume design recreating the 1970's are splendid, the cinematography has kind of a unique quality it's seamless in a way, it's-as though the it was shot through clear water, there some sweet touches of humor, the make up is rich and beautifully detailed and the ending was superb.
The acting is a sensation, I thought Sean Penn was wonderful as Harvey Milk, he puts on such a great voice, perfect for portraying Milk, Josh Brolin is mighty as Dan White, James Franco is splendid as Scott Smith, Alison Pill is luminous and lovely as Anne Kronenberg, Emile Hirsch is brilliant as Cleve Jones, Lucas Grabeel is marvellous as Daniel Nicoletta, Diego Luna is sensitive as Jack Lira, Victor Garber is powerful as Mayor George Moscone and Denis O'Hare is great as State Senator John Briggs.
Milk is an emotional, powerful and at times humorous bio pic and a film that spurs hope in everybody, 5/5.
The Anonymous Critic
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