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IMDb > Milk (2008/I)
Milk
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Photos (see all 182 | slideshow) Videos (see all 25)
Milk (2008) -- This is the theatrical trailer for Gus Van Sant's Milk.
Milk (2008) -- Milk: Rally Clip
Milk (2008) -- Behind the scenes: Filming a part
Milk (2008) -- Interview: Justin Lance Black "On how Harvey Milk affected his life"
Milk (2008) -- The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White.

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   41,219 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Dustin Lance Black (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Milk on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 January 2009 (USA) more
Tagline:
His life changed history. His courage changed lives. more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 46 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(1302 articles)
Screen Queens: Best of the Gay Aughts
 (From FilmExperience. 21 December 2009, 6:00 PM, PST)

The Decade’s Film: 2005-2009
 (From t5m.com. 21 December 2009, 7:33 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
A chronicle of history more (236 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Untitled Harvey Milk Project (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.
Runtime:
128 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Sean Penn became only the ninth actor to win two Academy Awards for Best Actor after winning for this movie. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Late in the movie, while making a speech Harvey quotes the saying on the Statue of Liberty as being, in part, "Your huddled masses yearning to be free". The actual quote is: "Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". more
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. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Queen Bitch more

FAQ

Music from what opera reappears throughout the film?
The tape recorded "Will" - real, or a plot device?
Is this the film version of Randy Shilts' 1984 book, "The Mayor of Castro Street?"
more
96 out of 125 people found the following review useful.
A chronicle of history, 28 November 2008
10/10
Author: Michael Fargo from San Francisco

I had little expectations walking into this film. The trailer for this movie has appeared at almost every feature film I've seen for the last two months. But, the trailer is a facile example of this minutely detailed story of the rise of a leader and his martyrdom. While I'm familiar with the story from other sources (Shilts' "The Mayor of Castro Street," and the 1984 documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk"), Gus Van Sant and his cast bring a new immediacy to this story.

None involved in this project could have anticipated the political climate of the premiere of this film: Both the hope of the Obama Presidency and the propaganda that helped Proposition 8 win in California. It seems a perfect environment for this story to reach across America.

The dignity with which all of this is told and acted is its success. At the same time, it doesn't shy away from the culture of the Castro. Perhaps the greatest compliment is the rendering of Dan White here. He is neither demonized nor excused.

We also don't get a white-washed version of Harvey Milk. He's there on the screen with all his foibles and kinks. Although his humanism shines in Sean Penn's unsettlingly accurate portrayal. It was Milk's love of--and impatience with--the rest of us that makes him a legend. And that is center stage in this film.

What Van Sant gives us is both humbling and an inspiration.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
one of the best lead performances of all time Marz_Barz
if you don't support gay marriage does that make you wrong? xerxerxex
The TRUTH About Homosexuality And The Bible lostlonelyartist
'I' after the film year justlev
Too gay? sparkyinbath
Who would you have casted if this film was actually made in the '70s? eight_days
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