In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. During the last eight years of his life, while living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, he and his lover Scott Smith relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood. Then, with support from Scott and from new friends like young activist Cleve Jones, Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk's actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words. When Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5, he tries to coordinate his efforts with those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White. But as White and Milk's political agendas increasingly diverge, their personal destinies tragically converge.
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Movie Details
Running Time:
128 min
Release Date:
Jan 9, 2009
Director:
Gus Van Sant
Starring:
| Sean Penn | |
| Emile Hirsch | |
| James Franco | |
| Josh Brolin | |
| Diego Luna |
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In 1972, when he was in his early 40s, Harvey Milk came to San Francisco from New York as part of a wave of gay men and women looking to live openly. The radical new film Gus Van Sant has made of Milk's life gets right down to business. Not far into "Milk," Harvey picks up a stranger in a stairwell. It's Harvey's birthday, and the stranger, Scott Smith, is an uninterested young man whom he works hard to persuade. (Full review)
3-1/2 stars (Full review)