By: debbie lynn elias
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. . . a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Truer words could never be said about Harvey Milk; a genteel, quiet, bookish, closeted gay New York financier who found his own time to speak and when he did, it was with a voice so loud that it shattered glass ceilings across the country. And now 30 years later, with MILK, when we are at a precipice in this country’s history with basic fundamental human rights and equality being questioned, squelched and even regressing to an era before Harvey Milk, and with political and economic upheaval knocking at the door like the Big Bad Wolf, director Gus Van Sant and writer Dustin Lance Black not only celebrate Harvey Milk but educate and inspire us all with this chapter of his life, a chapter that reminds each of us to speak out, stand up and be counted, know who you are and be proud of it, to love, to champion what you believe and do so with all your heart and soul.
For those of you a little lacking in your American history, Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man voted into public office in the United States, holding a seat for District 5 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 after 4 attempts. It is also out of his death that one of the most famous legal defenses in American jurisprudence was born – The Twinkie Defense – which was asserted by Milk’s former colleague Dan White after he gunned down Milk and Mayor George Moscone in cold blood. Once stifled and closeted, at age 40 Milk moved from New York to the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco with his partner, Scott Smith, where they opened Castro Camera. As if looking through the camera lens of life, Milk and his passion opened ever wider as he found his niche, his comfort zone, his voice, himself. And as he did, he and his beloved Castro neighborhood became the rally point for equality not just for gays, but for the elderly, the blue collar worker, the union laborer, the truck drivers, immigrants, women and even gay schoolteachers.
Surrounded by a core group of friends and allies, among them, his long time friend, lover, partner and campaign manager Scott Smith, his protege Cleve Jones, photographer Danny Nicoletta, campaign manager Dick Pabish, political strategist Michael Wong and Anne Kronenberg who entered the “boys” club for Milk’s fourth – and winning – campaign, MILK follows the humanity and spirit of this chapter of Harvey Milk’s life and his own credos, “Taxes and priorities change from year to year, but freedom does not” and above all, “You gotta give ‘em hope.”
Despite some excellent and lauded male performances already this year, we knew it was only a matter of time before a clear frontrunner emerged as a Best Actor contender for Oscar. Take a long hard look folks because he’s here now – Sean Penn. As Harvey Milk, he is transformed. Physically, emotionally, vocally. Sean Penn IS Harvey Milk. But going beyond the visual recreation and resemblance is the strength, spirit and passion that Penn brings to the role. Were you to ever listen to an audio of Harvey Milk and then Sean Penn, they would be indistinguishable with inflection and fire and hope. Penn is inspiring. Equally impressive is the supporting cast of characters portraying Milk’s cronies and none moreso than Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones and Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg. Hirsch may wrap up the Best Supporting Actor category right here. Again, beyond the physical mirroring and authenticity, Hirsch’s upbeat energetic enthusiasm as Cleve Jones is infectious. He brings a vibrancy and elan to Jones that is invigorating. Jones, who “mentored” Hirsch on being him and who himself was on the set throughout the shoot proved an invaluable source to Hirsch as ‘any question I had was a just a few words away from being answered.” As Anne Kronenberg, Alison Pill, the lone female of the group, is nothing short of a powerhouse. She brings a defiant but embraceable determination to Kronenberg, who was also on set and provided personal insight to Pill. When I spoke with Pill about her experience, one thing that stood out most was her heart and sensitivity as she related to me a vignette about Kronenberg giving her one of the earrings that she and her then partner would wear some 30 years ago, a token that Pill wore throughout the film and which “gave me a sense of history.”
James Franco steps in as Milk’s first boyfriend, Scott Smith. The catalyst which propelled Milk cross country and started him on his way to embracing himself and finding his voice, as Smith, Franco sets the initial tone and gives footing to Penn’s dynamic performance while himself, going toe-to-toe with Penn in an emotionally charged relationship and love story. This is a heartfelt performance and captures to a tee the emotional roller coaster of a marriage, a partnership, life. And ladies – and gentlemen – please be advised that in the swimming pool scene, Franco does his own asswork (and what a fine viewing experience that is for us all). Known for taking risks and very eclectic roles, Diego Luna is no different here as tackles Milk’s second relationship, Jack Lira, with unbridled aplomb. Capturing the intricacies of Lira’s fragile emotional and mental state, Luna’s warmth fills Lira making him endearing despite his obsessiveness with Milk.
Perhaps the most daunting role is that of Dan White which is more than capably handled by Josh Brolin. Walking a tightrope as if a double edged sword, Brolin didn’t have the luxury of consulting Dan White (who committed suicide after being released from prison having served time for the double murder of Milk and Moscone). Faced with only political paperwork and documents associated with the murder trial, but for White’s confession tape, there was very little known of the man. But Brolin, the consummate professional, has the ability to read between the lines, look at the totality of the situation and then turns in a nuanced performance laced in homophobic subtlety, insecurity, tacit jealousy and envy giving multi-textural complexity to what could have been a stale plat performance. And for me, Victor Garber as Mayor Moscone is just icing on the cake. Garber can do no wrong in my books.
Written by Dustin Lance Black, MILK is a labor of love and a very long labor at that. Some 10 years in the making, Black was touched by Harvey Milk in the 1990’s when he saw the documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk” and heard Milk give an empowering speech about hope that moved him to tears and the need to tell Milk’s story. Calling on first hand accounts from the likes of Cleve Jones (who is the creator of the Project AIDS Quilt and who serves as historical consultant on MILK) and other of Milk’s contemporaries, the process of gathering backstory and facts was tedious and difficult as Milk’s legacy is still very much revered and protected by those that knew him best. Fortunately for Black, key to the writing process was one of Milk’s key advisors, Michael Wong, who kept meticulous journals which he eventually entrusted to Black. “The whole challenge of writing this stuff was that I didn’t have a source. It had to be from an account. A lot of these people that I met with were skeptical because they’ve been approached a lot. At the time there was no financing or company and they were like ‘No, why should I share this with you.’ It was important to get those first hand stories. Those are what we haven’t heard and you want to get to the specifics.” The attention to detail and the power of authenticity is impeccably meticulous No stone is left unturned be it in character development, story arc or production design, itself an important character to the film.
There is no one better than Gus van Sant to direct a film that requires such authenticity and realism. His exacting nature, yet ease and flow of creation on set, mandates inherent excellence and is one of the primary reasons San Francisco City Hall opened its doors and its vaults of paperwork to van Sant and Black. To attain accuracy and realism, not only did van Sant shoot on the actual Castro locations where Milk worked and lived, but he brought in production designer Bill Groom who ultimately worked with Gilbert Baker and Tom Randolph, designers of Milk’s original camera shop. Cleve Jones also interacted with the Art Department to maintain accuracy of , among other things, signage and posters (on obsession of Jones’). Incorporating actual news footage and home movies – many of which were provided by Castro residents who are still in the area as well as the Hormel Library and the Gay and Lesbian Center in San Francisco which maintains home movie archives – and blending it with current footage, van Sant recreates 1970’s San Francisco.
Known for edginess, van Sant doesn’t disappoint as he inserts visceral images depicting the brutality and hatred existing at the time, shocking you in several instances. A particularly difficult scene was the candlelight march held after Milk’s murder. According to van Sant, “I needed some documentary footage for the marches because we didn’t have the marchers. We tried to make a 35mm have a grain structure that was compatible with the other [actual] footage sort of to blend in.” Key to the success of the look and feel of the film is the work of cinematographer Harris Savides who is a master with iconic eral photography.
MILK speaks to us on so many levels. For Alison Pill, one thing to take away from this film is the fact that “there is no judgment in it. The fight and argument of the film has nothing to do with gayness.” For Pill personally, “the activism in the Castro, the inspiration that he brought not just to that particular community but within the District within the coalition that he built up with the seniors, bringing in the entire women’s movement, the Chinese, the minorities – there is activism and communities that need to be brought together and when you can do that you can create a majority from minorities. To see during the candlelight march, to come into Market Street and to see all these volunteers, older generation, younger generation, to walk out into that, I will never forget that night. All these people came with their own candles walking down Market Street coming out in the middle of the night. The fact that that memory lives on, the fact that people still care is an important thing to remember.”
It was Harvey Milk that rallied support against a Statewide referendum, Proposition 6, that would allow the firing of gay school teachers; a campaign which he won and which changed the face of our nation. But Milk was so much more than just a gay man who “came out” and who got elected. He was a champion and reformer of social activism, a voice with a clarity and calmness and call to action that spoke to the masses and gave them hope. With MILK, Harvey’s legacy and voice live on and he still does give us hope. A film for our time. A film that is timely. A film not to be missed.
Harvey Milk – Sean Penn Cleve Jones – Emile Hirsch Dan White – Josh Brolin Anne Kronenberg – Alison Pill Scott Smith – James Franco Jack Lira – Diego Luna
Written by Dustin Lance Black. Directed by Gus Van Sant. Rated R.
