"Milk" is one of the best movies I've seen a very long time. It's a bold movie, well written and sincere.
Milk is based on the true story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk - who along with the Mayor at that time - Mayor George Moscone, was shot to death by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White. The story is not just about Gay Rights, but an inspirational testament to the equality and freedoms envisioned by the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.
The subject matter is highly relevant in the current political environment with Prop 8, recently voted on in California, bearing a similar controversy to Prop 6 highlighted in the movie. The movie also has live footage featuring Anita Bryant showing the senseless rhetoric of conservative Christians against gays. (I found it interesting to learn in my research that Bryant divorced her first husband after having four children, remarried, experienced a devastating decline in her career, and filed for bankruptcy twice leaving a trail of unpaid employees and credotirs in her wake, and was later shunned by Christian conservatives).
The production of the movie is a fascinating story in itself, but fortunately Focus Features and Gus Van Sant finally managed to make the project a reality. The movie was initially scheduled for production in 1992 by Warner Brothers and with Robin Williams cast to play Harvey Milk. Later Sean Penn was cast as Harvey Milk and Matt Damon was meant to play Dan White. In 2007 Damon was replaced by Josh Brolin, and Emile Hirsch and James Franco joined the cast).
Sean Penn's acting is deeply moving and will certainly earn him another nomination for an Academy Award. One of the most sincere and poignant lines in the movie is a quote by Milk himself:"All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words."
I strongly encourage anyone concerned with real honesty and decency to see this movie.
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