Milk (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 65 wins & 143 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.

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Plot Keywords:

gay activist | gay | gay rights | california | gay pickup | 

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Taglines:

His life changed history. His courage changed lives.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2016, while a guest on the National Public Radio program "Fresh Air," Cleve Jones told the interviewer Terry Gross that several weeks before filming on Milk began, he and Emile Hirsch (who played him in the movie) met and started spending time together so that Hirsch could base his portrayal on the real Jones: "I got to show him my neighborhoods and places I'd lived. We had meals together. We became friends. And it's a peculiar sensation to know that you're being watched by an actor who's going to portray you. And I will say that there was one moment...when I'm driving around town and I suddenly realized that I was trying to butch it up. I was so horrified when I realized what I was doing. That's when I took him back and made spaghetti and said, now listen, you know, OK, I'm a big old queen but I'm not a cartoon. I'm not a caricature, and you better get this right. But he did, he did. I loved the movie."

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Goofs

When Dan White's son is baptized, two godfathers and one godmother are at the altar. A Roman Catholic baptism includes one godfather and one godmother. Protestant baptisms include two godparents who are the same gender as the baby, and one of the other gender.

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Quotes

Harvey Milk: This is Harvey Milk speaking on Friday, November the 18th. This is only to be played in the event of my death by assassination. During one of my early campaigns I began to open speeches with a line that became kind of a signature. "My Name is Harvey Milk and I want to recruit you." If I was speaking to a slightly hostile audience, or a mostly straight one, I might break the tension with a joke. "I know, I'm not what you expected, but I left my high heels at home." I fully realize that what I ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Nostalgia Critic: Why Do Good Directors Go Bad? (2016)

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Soundtracks

Takin' My Time
Written by Robert Hackl & Ken Stange
Performed by Victoria Hamilton

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 2008 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Milk

Filming Locations:

San Francisco Fire Department, Fire Station 43 - 720 Moscow St, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,453,844, 30 November 2008

Gross USA:

$31,841,299

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$54,589,558

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