Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-08
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 122 minutes

Synopsis
MILK is director Gus Van Sant's riveting biopic about slain gay rights activist and San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk. Based on the politically resonant and thoroughly timely screenplay of documentarian Dustin Lance Black, Van Sant follows the arc of Milk's political awakening, from closeted Brooklyn insurance executive to doyen of San Francisco's Castro district's burgeoning gay Mecca in the 1970s. Sean Penn portrays the film's hero, melting into the role with an affable flamboyance that is both spirited and eminently engaging. James Franco plays opposite Penn as Milk's supportive and easygoing boyfriend, Scott Smith. The couple's cheerful and loving rapport lends buoyancy to the film's overall message of hope as Milk ascends from grassroots community organiser to a galvanising figurehead in the push for gay civil liberties. When Moral Majority crusader Anita Bryant forms an initiative to root out gay teachers and their supporters from public schools (Proposition 6), Milk is pitted in a bitter battle against fellow City Hall supervisor Dan White, played by Josh Brolin. While Van Sant does not deviate from the expository conventions that have defined other biopics, MILK sticks to biographically pertinent details that serve the film's underlying message of one man's idealism and conviction in the face of repression and bigotry.

From the Back Cover

Released in cinemas on on January 23, from the acclaimed director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting and Elephant) comes the powerful and inspiring story of the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America, Harvey Milk. 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.  His life changed history, and his courage changed lives.

Sean Penn	Sean Penn and Diego Luna	James Franco
Alison Pill and Emile Hirsch	Emile Hirsch	Diego Luna
Josh Brolin and Sean Penn	Josh Brolin

Customer Reviews

I am here to recruit you!
"My name is Harvey Milk and I am here to recruit you!"
This is simply a must-have movie - great director doing his best (notably better than his last), a bunch of great actors doing their best (Sean Penn hasn't done is so well for quite a while, James Franco is simply sweet), superb camera-work (parts of the movie look like original 70s footage), and screenplay based on a great true story which makes the best of it - can you ask for more?
The film concentrates on the final years of Harvey Milk's life - the chronology is a little twisted (we know that Milk's going to die from the beginning and the events are commented by Milk himself who makes a memoir-like tape-recording in the final days before his death) but Van Sant probably couldn't help giving it this little twist. We first meet Milk when he picks up a new boyfriend in New York on his 40th birthday, and he concludes that he has not done anything he would be proud of. The couple decides to move to San Francisco when they open a shop with photo equipment in the Castro which gradually changes into a gay district it is today. Yet successful as he is as a buisnessman, Milk yearns for more. He repeatedly runs for the city council and succeeds at the third time, trying another local election in the meantime. The costs of his campaigns are high - his boyfriend leaves him, a new one proves to be mentally unstable. Milk reaches his goal, he becomes the first openly gay person elected to a high office in the USA. As a politician he is quite successful, the movie concentrates on a campaign he orchestrates successfully defeats proposed law banning teaching posts to homosexuals. Yet in the process he offends (unintentionally and the man is quite clearly presented as having serious issues) one of his colleagues who ends up shooting both the Mayor of San Francisco and Milk himself. Milk dies but what he started lives on so the movie ends on a hopeful note.
Have I recruited you already? Go and get the CD. You won't regret it for a moment! I can smell some Academy Awards here!

ignorance is bliss
I really didn't know much about the real story of Mr Milk.. which meant I was really, really shocked by the ending (I imagined he'd been murdered by some lone nutcase).

But I was even more shocked by how much I enjoyed Milk. It's great fun, Penn does a fantastic job (for once an Oscar worth giving) and manages to get across a charming fella with a few flaws but a lust for life that you can imagine was highly infectious to those around him.

In fact, it's a pretty flawless film all round. Which, given that it's about the life and times of an American gay politician 30 years ago.. is all the more astounding. Great film.

Inspirational
Sean Penn does it again and easily delivers one of his best performances bringing to life a character and a man we no longer have, and may never see again. This is a cast filled with genuine legends like Penn & Brolin, and up and coming megastars such as Emile Hirsch and James Franco. Each and every cast member seems to give it their all in keeping loyal to their played roles character in order to play an honest homage to this legendary figure. Gus Van Sant, is a relatively unknown Director and I'm hoping that this picture is one that makes him a household name.

Personally, I'd never heard of Harvey Milk nor would have had any idea just who the man is, where he was from or what he stood for. When I heard about the film I thought nothing of it until I saw the trailer and then I was drawn in. Political activism is something I'm a strong believer in, I'm one for liberalism and the basic rights of man being upheld. I've always found it quite hypocritical that America, a country which swears allegiance to its constitution on a daily basis has such a history of prejudice and bigotry. You would think, looking at their constitution that politicians would fight to uphold its core values of "all men be created equal" rather than fight to rob certain minorities of their rights, but looking at Harvey Milks struggle and other struggles like it, I'm genuinely shocked.

I would put Harvey Milk in the same league as such men like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. They too were men who saw the persecution of their people and sought to put an end to it and fight for the core constitutional values to be upheld. Close to the end of Harveys life, America was going through a vote on Proposition 6. This was a vote which saw all homosexuals be removed from their jobs and focused its main attention on teachers. The reasoning behind this is that homosexuals recruit children to homosexuality and under "gods law" are simply "immoral". I've always been shocked by these claims by politicians and their justifications behind them are laughable, claims like this are even being made today but I'm glad to know that such prejudices aren't held in such wide regard as they once were. All history needs now is another champion for homosexuals that would have a bigger impact on the world stage.

The film tells of the history making chapter in the story that is of American Gay Civil Rights. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to a public office in the entire United States history and possibly the first in the world. The film is set during Harveys mid 40s when he first moves to San Francisco with his partner Scott Smith (James Franco). The heterosexual community don't agree with Harvey and Scott setting up business in the neighbourhood and try to make it difficult for them. Because of this Harvey decides to become an activists and increases the gay presence within the neighbourhood which force those companies who tried to make it hard for him out of business.

Over time, Harvey starts to realise that in order to truly stop the persecution by police and other bigotted residents Harvey must run for Supervisor of District 5. He knows it will be a difficult fight but he knows that it's the only way to truly make a difference for the gay community. The first 4 years he runs for the office, he's met with disappointing defeat yet every year he's defeated by a less and less margin until in the 5th year he manages to pull off the win and makes history. During his time in office, he finds a conflict with fellow supervisor but of district 8, Dan White. Harvey first wants Whites support in order to win votes, but due to a few conflicts Dan ends up being Harveys biggest opponent.

I think telling you more about the story would give the whole thing away, so I'll leave it there. What I want to say about this film simply can't be expressed in words. The only way I can put across my love and appreciation of this picture is to simply recommend it to the masses. It's incredible, one of the best things you'll see this year if not ever and even if this doesn't get massive worldwide advertising campaign, it's a film that will go down as a favourite amongst many. This film has also won my love thanks to the excellent acting by Emile Hirsch, I've always been a fan and is one of the reasons I chose to watch this.

Go see it, buy it or just get on a plane and watch it on your trip, but the message is loud and simple, SEE THIS MOVIE.