Milk and More
We went to see Milk tonight at the Castro Theater. It was the commercial premiere of the movie, in the heart of the Castro where it all began. What an amazing experience.
Not the least of which was the fact that there were over 700 bears there as part of a movie-club fundraiser. That was quite an interesting crowd to see the movie with, for sure.
The film is terrific, though, and Sean Penn, in particular, gave a standout performance in a movie filled with them. He made me forget that I was watching an actor, and instead was wholly absorbed into the performance. Josh Brolin, as Dan White, gave another great performance, and Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Diego Luna were almost unrecognizable -- in the best way -- in each of their respective roles.
I loved the aesthetic of the movie, too. Gus van Sant mixed archival footage with new shots designed to look old, plus regular digital movie stock, the result of which was that it felt like history was coming to life.
It was a little over two hours, but it felt like it flew by, and by the end, I admit that I was crying. It was stunning and a little disheartening to watch them campaign against Anita Bryant and the Briggs Amendment, and to realize that -- 30 years later -- the same tactics, the same rhetoric, was used to pass Prop. 8. But at the same time, it was amazing to see how far the gay rights movement has come in 30 years, and to realize that even in San Francisco, as late as 1978, it was still difficult and dangerous to be gay.
Seeing the movie in the Castro, a block from where much of it took place, and surrounded by men and women who had -- it seemed from the crowd response -- known many of the main players -- was really a moving experience. It was funny to hear everyone laugh at jokes about Pacific Heights and the Richmond, and hiss at the screen whenever they showed Anita Bryant, but it was even more fascinating to overhear scraps of conversation from men who have been living in the Castro for over 30 years, and who remembered it all as if it were yesterday.
If you get a chance this holiday season, I highly recommend it. I hope that, especially in light of Prop. 8, that it helps to spread the life and times of Harvey Milk far and wide.
Not the least of which was the fact that there were over 700 bears there as part of a movie-club fundraiser. That was quite an interesting crowd to see the movie with, for sure.
The film is terrific, though, and Sean Penn, in particular, gave a standout performance in a movie filled with them. He made me forget that I was watching an actor, and instead was wholly absorbed into the performance. Josh Brolin, as Dan White, gave another great performance, and Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Diego Luna were almost unrecognizable -- in the best way -- in each of their respective roles.
I loved the aesthetic of the movie, too. Gus van Sant mixed archival footage with new shots designed to look old, plus regular digital movie stock, the result of which was that it felt like history was coming to life.
It was a little over two hours, but it felt like it flew by, and by the end, I admit that I was crying. It was stunning and a little disheartening to watch them campaign against Anita Bryant and the Briggs Amendment, and to realize that -- 30 years later -- the same tactics, the same rhetoric, was used to pass Prop. 8. But at the same time, it was amazing to see how far the gay rights movement has come in 30 years, and to realize that even in San Francisco, as late as 1978, it was still difficult and dangerous to be gay.
Seeing the movie in the Castro, a block from where much of it took place, and surrounded by men and women who had -- it seemed from the crowd response -- known many of the main players -- was really a moving experience. It was funny to hear everyone laugh at jokes about Pacific Heights and the Richmond, and hiss at the screen whenever they showed Anita Bryant, but it was even more fascinating to overhear scraps of conversation from men who have been living in the Castro for over 30 years, and who remembered it all as if it were yesterday.
If you get a chance this holiday season, I highly recommend it. I hope that, especially in light of Prop. 8, that it helps to spread the life and times of Harvey Milk far and wide.