Milk (I) (2008)

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.

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer:

Dustin Lance Black

Stars:

Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch

Won 2 Oscars. Another 53 wins & 123 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Moscone
Denis O'Hare	...	John Briggs
Joseph Cross	...	Dick Pabich
Stephen Spinella	...	Rick Stokes
Lucas Grabeel	...	Danny Nicoletta
Brandon Boyce	...	Jim Rivaldo
Howard Rosenman	...	David Goodstein (as Zvi Howard Rosenman)
Kelvin Yu	...	Michael Wong
Jeff Koons	...	Art Agnos

Storyline

Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, this film traces Harvey Milk's 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 as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

gay rights | gay activist | gay pickup | discrimination | gay love | 

---

Taglines:

Never blend in

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Spain]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Harvey Milk Project

Filming Locations:

San Francisco Fire Station 43, 720 Moscow Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,453,844 (USA) (28 November 2008)

Gross:

$31,838,002 (USA) (10 April 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Axon Films, Groundswell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Josh Brolin doesn't appear until 45 minutes into the movie.

---

Goofs

When Milk and his allies dispose of the Coors Beer, contemporary Bud Light and Budweiser taps are visible in the bar. Bud Light was introduced in 1982.

---

Quotes

Harvey Milk: You know what I think, Cleve Jones?
Cleve Jones: That you're gonna get somewhere if you keep talking?
Harvey Milk: No, I think you should do what you do well- be a prick. But come with us and be a prick.

---

Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Happy Birthday to You
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill

User Reviews

'All Men Are Created Equal. No Matter How Hard You Try, You Can Never Erase Those Words'.

The last Gus Van Sant movie I saw was 'Elephant', a film that did not work for me. Thankfully he is back with 'Milk' which pretty much gives a detailed account of the rise of Harvey Milk and his martyrdom. Van Sant uses live footage between scenes which reminds one of how much harsher the world once was to people who were 'different'. The writing is stupendous and the dialogues are especially effective. The portrayal of the characters are very human. There is no hero or villain. There are just humans with flaws, humans fighting for what they believe in. Van Sant sets a tense and chaotic tone right from the beginning. The 70s atmosphere is well created through makeup and costumes. The use of brownish tinted light may arise nostalgia. It is two remarkable performances that make 'Milk' stand out: Sean Penn's very accurate and nuanced portrayal of Harvey Milk and Josh Brolin's layered portrayal of a complex Dan White. I doubt 'Milk' would have been effective enough if it weren't for such strong acting. The director deserves mention for his brilliant work. Movies like 'Milk' are relevant today because they serve as a reminder of how difficult life once was and how people fought against it and lives were sacrificed in order to create a better society for those living in today's world.