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

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 1	10:00 AM	BRAVO
Wed. Dec. 2	1:00 AM	BRAVO

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:

The following message appears at the end credits: This motion picture was inspired in part by Geoffrey Bowers' AIDS discrimination lawsuit, the courage and love of the Angius family and the struggles of the many others who, along with their loved ones, have experienced discrimination because of AIDS.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The actor who testifies that there was "one guy like that" when he was in the Navy states that he and his shipmates put the man's head in the latrine; latrine is an Army term. The Navy equivalent would be called "the head."

Quotes:

Judge Garrett: In this courtroom, Mr.Miller, justice is blind to matters of race, creed, color, religion, and sexual orientation.
Joe Miller: With all due respect, your honor, we don't live in this courtroom, do we?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "South Park: Tonsil Trouble (#12.1)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Philadelphia

Not a better film in sight

With Hanks, who is always watchable, and Washington, who has also got a very good track record, this film was destined to be fantastic but not even I, who always has an optimistic view when it comes to movies, was ready for the impact that this film made. Tom Hanks excelled even himself with his performance as an AIDS striken homosexual who is fired from his job simply because of his condition. It is Hanks, by himself, who makes the whole scenario in the film believable. Although this is Hanks's best performance of his career, he is very closely followed by Denzel Washington who gives a perfect performance as the only lawyer who will take on the case although he is a homophobe himself. The emotional strain of the film on the audience is immense and in the later stages of the film it is almost impossible to watch because of that. The make-up which gives the impression that Hanks really does have the terrible disease is perfect and the simple yet striking direction from Jonathan Demme(The Silence Of The Lambs) make this utterly compelling viewing although at times it is very uncomfortable. All praise to everyone in the making of this beautiful film.

Anyone who hasn't seen this film must do as soon as possible.