MILK


The Gus Van Sant biopic Milk reminded me often of the documentary The Life & Times of Harvey Milk (1984 Dir Ron Epstien) which won Best Documentary Features Oscar in 1985 and swept Australia (at least the eastern States) through the Art House Cinemas. As the story of Gay Councillor Harvey Milk drew to its sad close I was remembering some remarkable footage of a candlelight vigil held in his honor, from the documentary.



As this scene arrived in the film I experienced the overwhelming emotions I amm sure Van Sant was hoping to bring out for so many reasons; the historical context - a dramatic film almost 25 years after an Oscar winning docco, same time as the first African American President is stepping up. Is this the vast pecking order of equality and progress shifting a little, emanating from the hallowed vista of Hollywood?

My sadness was tempered by the life of Harvey Milk (beautifully portrayed by Sean Penn in a fine performance), and then so many other activists who have been assassinated, everyone from Joan of Arc through to John Lennon was shifting around like spirits for a cause on some level or other of my mind.

As they say these days (in social networking) It's complicated. I enjoyed the film Van Sant created although I feel it is very closely linked with the documentary. In certain ways I would urge people to see both and to see the bio pic first. I think the resonance of the narration read by Harvey Fierstein and written by Judith Coburn combined with the original footage of the vigil is far more powerful than the dramatic conclusion of Milk; however, having said that I recommend Milk. It is a good film, well created with some fantastic acting (Josh Brolin, James Franco, Penn), impeccable art direction and completely unnoticeable make up that transforms Sean Penn into as close as he could possibly be to the original person.

It may be this almost eerie likeness achieved by Penn and the make up department on the film that harkens so much to the docco for me, since I saw and appreciated the docco when it first came out and the likeness is quite striking.

For historic reasons I forgive the telling of a tale that ends with (yet) another Gay character shot because it is telling a true story - could this be the start of a new period in film making where the real stories of same-sex attracted men who have effected change in our lives are told?

Be good if it were. In the mean time, see MILK.

Review by David Jobling