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Milk review
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A biopic of indeliable power...

"My name is Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you!"


Gus Van Sant's Milk is an incisive and stirring dramatisation of the heroic life and violent death of 1970's gay activist Harvey Milk. Van Sant's magnificent biopic of indelible power is infused with a masterful and vibrant recreation of a tumultuous era that throbs with heart, humour and anguish. This engrossing, multi-layered history lesson concerning the turbulent political situation of the '70s couldn't have been delivered at a more appropriate time - for it to arrive in cinemas in November 2008, at the time of Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign as well as the passing of Proposition 8, is almost unbearably poignant. Dustin Lance Black's script (which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the 2009 ceremony) closely sticks to the facts of Milk's political career, and Van Sant employs plenty of stock footage (as well as still photographs) from the 1970s to effectively amplify the period verisimilitude.


The framework of this biopic consists of Milk sombrely speaking into a tape recorder, preserving his story and his feelings in the probable event of his assassination. The picture covers Milk's tale from his sexual liberation up until his dying breath. Milk is accessible, enthralling and edifying - it's a penetrating chronicle of big-city politics and a touching portrait of a warrior whose passion was equalled only by his generosity and good humour.


Approaching the age of 40, Harvey Milk (Penn) realises he hasn't done anything in his life he can be proud of. To transform his life, he moves to San Francisco with young lover Scott (Franco) to open a camera shop in Castro Street, quickly making countless friends within the burgeoning gay community. Assuming a place of leadership in the neighbourhood, Milk decides to run for office, hoping to secure civil rights for homosexuals in America. In 1977, following several unsuccessful attempts at office, Harvey Milk finally wins a political seat, much to the mortification of fellow supervisor Dan White (Brolin). Achieving a revered place in the history books as the first openly homosexual man in America elected to public office, Milk takes the city by storm, seeking a better world for his gay community while dealing with such people as Anita Bryant as well as her endeavour to outlaw homosexuality across the country. Milk overthrows the iniquitous Proposition 6 and is on his way to achieving civil rights for gays, but this success was not to last... Milk was assassinated, along with San Francisco mayor George Moscone (Garber) by Dan White in 1978. (This can't be considered a spoiler as these deaths are a well-known historical fact, and a news-clip of Diane Feinstein announcing the assassination is presented early in the film.)


"All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words."


Milk is a riveting and important motion picture; it's a story which needed to be told on film, and it has been brought to life with craftsmanship of the highest order. The film's greatest achievement lies in Van Sant's meticulous recreation of San Francisco during the rolling '70s where homosexuality was a focal point in the culture. Throughout the film, Van Sant and expert cinematographer Harris Savides (who also helped director David Fincher encapsulate the same city and general era in Zodiac) employ a free-wheeling and intimate visual style to great effect; skilfully interweaving photos, archival footage, and excellent camerawork to evoke the Castro of the early 70s. The Castro has even been recreated in the precise storefront location it occupied at the time. Milk submerges a viewer into the era, skilfully moving back and forth between fact and fiction. Danny Elfman's elegant score is another key feature, augmenting the film's power during crucial sequences. Naturally, the finale is gripping, tragic, and (in the outpouring of grief) strangely triumphant.


Yet Milk has unfortunately been written with a focus on politics over personality. As a study of the protagonist's political career this biopic is remarkable, but as a story of Milk's personal life it's extremely lacking. We can understand his fight but are less enlightened about the man. Alas, it's a portrayal that errs towards hagiography. What also undermines this excellent work is that Milk, especially during its first half, is more of a polished re-enactment than a drama. Van Sant and writer Lance Black evidently want Harvey Milk's story and the history of the gay movement to be as accessible as possible, and the product is a didactic, by-the-numbers approach to his numerous tilts at elected office.


Harvey Milk's struggle with the rise of the Proposition 6 anti-homosexual movement across the country makes up the majority of the film's second half, permitting little room for Dan White's story which is so integral to any discussion regarding Milk's life. Only the poignant epilogue points out White's mental issues that are curiously omitted from the film, and the characterisation consequently feels hollow and oddly insignificant. While White's side of the story clearly just wasn't in Van Sant's field of vision, the lack of a proper psychological calibration is disappointing.


"A homosexual with power... that's scary."


Milk demonstrates how political movements can be born of frustration, and how unproblematic it is for groups of strangers to find unity and strength in numbers. A magnetic Penn leads a powerful ensemble. Penn's portrayal has been constantly praised and rightfully so, and it also earned the actor a much-deserved Academy Award. The actor's usual dedication is present here; delivering a chameleonic, utterly endearing performance. Penn's intensity and energy are in force, while additionally offering an unusual exuberance, playfulness and warmth. His attention to Milk's body language and speech patterns is absolutely remarkable. A warmly sexualised, comedic, reverential portrayal, Penn grabs Harvey Milk with both hands, and functions as the guide rails for Van Sant's hospitable direction.


Extra zing is added by the other performances, none of which can match Penn's titanic stature but all of which are nevertheless absolutely stunning. There's sharp support from Emile Hirsch (star of Penn's 2007 masterpiece Into the Wild) who brings spirit and energy to the role of Milk's protรฉgรฉ Cleve Jones. Josh Brolin as Dan White is a standout; delivering a nuanced, hugely sympathetic performance in a role that would be pure villain in most other hands. Brolin is exceptional here, and it's a genuine shame that his character isn't developed properly. James Franco also submits a terrific performance as one of Milk's lovers. Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg is whip-smart and constantly engaging, while Denis O'Hare is extremely convincing as loathsome State Senator John Briggs who spearheaded Proposition 6. Also look out for Diego Luna in a ridiculously underdeveloped role as another of Milk's lovers, as well as Victor Garber who's utterly amazing in the role of Mayor Moscone.


With respect to American President Barack Obama, Milk also highlights just how little things have changed on the political front. Thirty years following Milk's tragic assassination, America's gay community still continues to fight for its civil rights. The passing of California Proposition 8 - which eliminated the rights of homosexual men and women to marry - proves that there's a long way to go before Milk's ambitions are at long last realised.


The essential story of Milk is composed of various rudimentary elements: the triumph of the underdog, David vs. Goliath, and the tragedy of a strong voice silenced too soon. Being fully aware of the story's conclusion merely emphasises the importance of the steps leading up to that point. Van Sant has frequently practiced a type of detached romanticism, allowing his stories to unfold matter-of-factly while infusing them with touches of melancholy beauty. And here he is helped by Danny Elfman's graceful score in addition to the expressive cinematography of Savides, not to mention the fine work of editor Elliot Graham whose adroit use of documentary footage compliments the immediacy of Van Sant's direction. One of the greatest aspects of Milk lies in its uncanny balancing of nuance and scale, as well as the ability to contain just about everything - love, death, politics, sex, etc - without ever losing sight of the intimate particulars of the story it's telling. Milk represents a thought-provoking, cathartic, and predominantly true saga of politics and courage.


" I ask this... If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out - - If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door... And that's all. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it's not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power... it's about the "us's" out there. Not only gays, but the Blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's. Without hope, the us's give up - I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. So you, and you, and you... You gotta give em' hope... you gotta give em' hope."


8.1/10

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Added by PvtCaboose91
14 years ago on 13 May 2009 14:24

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