Philadelphia (1993)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer (WGA):

Ron Nyswaner (written by)

Release Date:

23 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

No one would take on his case... until one man was willing to take on the system.

Plot:

When a man with AIDS is fired by a conservative law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.

Plot Keywords:

AIDS | Lawyer | Homophobia | Pennsylvania | City Name In Title

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Andrew Beckett
Denzel Washington	...	Joe Miller
Roberta Maxwell	...	Judge Tate
Buzz Kilman	...	Crutches
Karen Finley	...	Dr. Gillman
Daniel Chapman	...	Clinic Storyteller
Mark Sorensen Jr.	...	Clinic Patient
Jeffrey Williamson	...	Tyrone
Charles Glenn	...	Kenneth Killcoyne
Ron Vawter	...	Bob Seidman
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Anthea Burton
Stephanie Roth Haberle	...	Rachel Smilow (as Stephanie Roth)
Lisa Talerico	...	Shelby
Joanne Woodward	...	Sarah Beckett
Jason Robards	...	Charles Wheeler

Also Known As:

At Risk (USA) (working title)
People Like Us (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some graphic language and thematic material.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Mexico:C | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:10 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

City Hall - Broad and 15th Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Clinica Estetico

Trivia:

Director Jonathan Demme wanted people not familiar with AIDS issues to see his film. He felt Bruce Springsteen would bring an audience that would not ordinarily see a movie about a gay man dying of AIDS. The movie and the song, "The Streets of Philadelphia", did a great deal to increase AIDS awareness and take some of the stigma off the disease.

Goofs:

Continuity: Andy's tie jumps about during the courtroom scene where he shows the jury the lesions on his chest.

Quotes:

Joe Miller: Now, explain it to me like I'm a four-year-old.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Heaven

Wonderful.

A touching movie, which has taken the place of "The Fugitive" (1993) as my favorite movie. Tom Hanks' performance was obviously worthy of his first Oscar for his portrayal of Andrew Beckett, a gay, AIDS-stricken man who was fired from his job for what he believes to be discrimination against his sexual orientation and disease. Denzel Washington, in his portrayal of Joe Miller, the ex-homophobic who decides to help Andrew win his case, is excellent, deserving of a Best Supporting Actor award. This story of AIDS, homophobia and homosexualism is first-rate. I highly recommend this to anybody looking for a great movie.