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 32 wins & 45 nominations

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:

During breaks in filming, avid reader James Franco ploughed through the works of Thomas Pynchon.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During rally scenes in the San Francisco Civic Center, the old and new San Francisco Public Library buildings are visible in the background. The Pei Cobb Freed designed New Main Branch Library was not built until 1995

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 Jezebel (1938)

Soundtrack:

Queen Bitch

"I'm 40 and I haven't done anything"

Gus Van Sant's talent and humility allows Harvey Milk to be a the center of this remarkable story without putting himself in front of the camera. Sean Penn shines with a new and extraordinary light as Harvey Milk. His humanity is overwhelming at times. That permanent smile defining his face talks volumes about his faith in people, no matter what. His awareness is filled with truth and innocence, he worries he's about to be 40 and hasn't accomplished anything. Little did he know.The film is constructed brilliantly in a series of vignettes that builds up into a whole fluid narrative. Josh Brolin, as the disturbed Dan White is another standout in a complex and remarkable performance. No cheap shots here. Diego Luna, Joseph Cross and Emile Hirsch are also terrific as the boys around Harvey but it is James Franco who truly gets under your skin. His romantic turn is one of the most compelling gay love stories I've ever seen (and I've seen Brokeback Mountain). Highly recommended!