Milk (2008/I)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer (WGA):

Dustin Lance Black (written by)

Release Date:

30 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

His life changed history. His courage changed lives.

Plot:

The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | San Francisco | Harvey Milk | Gay Rights | Politician

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 44 nominations

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Harvey Milk
Emile Hirsch	...	Cleve Jones
Josh Brolin	...	Dan White
Diego Luna	...	Jack Lira
James Franco	...	Scott Smith
Alison Pill	...	Anne Kronenberg
Victor Garber	...	Mayor George Moscone
Denis O'Hare	...	State Senator John Briggs
Joseph Cross	...	Dick Pabich
Stephen Spinella	...	Rick Stokes
Lucas Grabeel	...	Danny Nicoletta
Brandon Boyce	...	Jim Rivaldo
Howard Rosenman	...	David Goodstein
Kelvin Yu	...	Michael Wong
Jeff Koons	...	Art Agnos

Also Known As:

Untitled Harvey Milk Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44714) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:M | Singapore:R21 | Finland:K-13 | Italy:T | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating on appeal) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:16 | Sweden:11 | Japan:PG-12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B15 | Austria:10 | Denmark:11 | Germany:12 | France:U | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

29th & Dolores Streets, Noe Valley, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

Sean Penn's cosmetic transformation in the film included a prosthetic nose and teeth, contact lenses and a redesigned hairline. His makeup was done by Academy Award winner Stephan Dupuis.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Scott and Harvey are lying in bed together in the beginning of the film, Scott tells Harvey he is going to get fat. The scene is shown again at the end of the film, but this time Scott tells Harvey he is going to be a "fat ass."

Quotes:

Harvey Milk: [First lines] This is Harvey Milk speaking on Friday November 18th. This is to be played only in the event of my death by assassination. During one of the early campaigns, I started opening my speeches with the same line and it sort of became my signature... Hello, I'm Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruit you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Wake Up, San Francisco

Great Actors and a Great Filmmaker at the service of a Great Story

Enormously moving film/document about the raise and fall of Harvey Milk. If you don't know who he was, you will. The most startling feature of the film is the casting of Sean Penn. A stroke of genius. I, personally, never would have though that the range of this fantastic actor was as wide as this. He took me over and convinced me. I was watching Harvey Milk himself and Penn with the extraordinary support of his director never betrays that illusion. I'm sorry "Milk" didn't come out a few weeks ago. For those in California having to vote for Proposition 8, it would have been easier to decide just by watching Anita Bryant ranting about the evils of homosexuality. She sounded ridiculous then, Im sure, but today she sounds ridiculously ancestral. The vision of Harvey Milk is still, unfulfilled but we're certainly getting closer. Gus Van Sant surrounds our hero by an extraordinary group of young actors, in particular Emile Hirsch, James Franco and a superlative Josh Brolin. Not to be missed.