My reaction to Milk
Disclaimer: I don't need a disclaimer. You all know me, and you know what I stand for.
My friend David said that the filmmakers of Milk faced an impossible task. They had to somehow create a movie about the life and death of Harvey Milk, depict the gay San Francisco culture of the time, and the politics of his run(s) for election, as well as a few bits about Milk's friends, and Dan White. To be sure, the film touched on all of those things in a skillful manner. My view is, it made the movie good, not great.
I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll start with where I felt really compelled. I was compelled when watching Harvey Walk to his store at night, and become afraid at the guy getting out of the car. I'll return to this point soon, I believe. I was also intrigued when I watched most scenes of White and Milk, where White thought Milk was just a political adversary that could be dealt with (in the sense of striking deals). That depiction was very interesting to me, because it focused on numerous levels, both the personal feelings of White vis-a-vis gay people, as well as his attempt to get things done in his district.
The political campaigning during the first part of the movie was long. While I am not personally opposed to people channelling their hopes and dreams into political activism, I just don't think it makes for compelling drama. I want to hear about A) the distress that led to their desire for revolution, and B) the drama that arises when their visions clash with reality, i.e. how people react to that, how/if it gets overcome. If the Proposition 6 campaign was a historic success, and I want to hear about it, I'll watch a documentary.
Perhaps my biggest complaint is the one-dimensional nature of the gay community's adversaries. Anita Bryant, Briggs, and the rest of the religious communities. I am certain that there was something more going on in their society and their heads regarding homosexuals. It's not enough to show their shaky hands and their references to God's laws. I want to see the actual source of their fear, or frustration, or whatever it might be. You needn't be an apologist for religious conservatism to show this; it can be just depicted maturely, instead of this monolithic adversary.
Obviously there was discussion about whether this would have affected the Proposition 8 vote had it come out before november 4th. To that I ask a preceding question: was it trying to be propaganda? (If it was, then it failed miserably, by airing after election it was hoping to affect). I believe a safe answer is that it was trying to depict homosexuals in a very mature light. To that end, it performed wonderfully, and will be praised accordingly. There was just something unfinished about the rest of it, and unfinished movies don't really go down in history.
My friend David said that the filmmakers of Milk faced an impossible task. They had to somehow create a movie about the life and death of Harvey Milk, depict the gay San Francisco culture of the time, and the politics of his run(s) for election, as well as a few bits about Milk's friends, and Dan White. To be sure, the film touched on all of those things in a skillful manner. My view is, it made the movie good, not great.
I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll start with where I felt really compelled. I was compelled when watching Harvey Walk to his store at night, and become afraid at the guy getting out of the car. I'll return to this point soon, I believe. I was also intrigued when I watched most scenes of White and Milk, where White thought Milk was just a political adversary that could be dealt with (in the sense of striking deals). That depiction was very interesting to me, because it focused on numerous levels, both the personal feelings of White vis-a-vis gay people, as well as his attempt to get things done in his district.
The political campaigning during the first part of the movie was long. While I am not personally opposed to people channelling their hopes and dreams into political activism, I just don't think it makes for compelling drama. I want to hear about A) the distress that led to their desire for revolution, and B) the drama that arises when their visions clash with reality, i.e. how people react to that, how/if it gets overcome. If the Proposition 6 campaign was a historic success, and I want to hear about it, I'll watch a documentary.
Perhaps my biggest complaint is the one-dimensional nature of the gay community's adversaries. Anita Bryant, Briggs, and the rest of the religious communities. I am certain that there was something more going on in their society and their heads regarding homosexuals. It's not enough to show their shaky hands and their references to God's laws. I want to see the actual source of their fear, or frustration, or whatever it might be. You needn't be an apologist for religious conservatism to show this; it can be just depicted maturely, instead of this monolithic adversary.
Obviously there was discussion about whether this would have affected the Proposition 8 vote had it come out before november 4th. To that I ask a preceding question: was it trying to be propaganda? (If it was, then it failed miserably, by airing after election it was hoping to affect). I believe a safe answer is that it was trying to depict homosexuals in a very mature light. To that end, it performed wonderfully, and will be praised accordingly. There was just something unfinished about the rest of it, and unfinished movies don't really go down in history.