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In 1977, Harvey Milk became the first openly homosexual man elected by the citizens of San Francisco. Harvey Milk was a political figure in USA, the gay rights leader of the 70’s. He
also fought for civil rights and human rights in general.
In 2008, the american director Gus Van Sant picked up the story of this great man, and chose the actor Sean Penn to play the part of Harvey Milk.
also fought for civil rights and human rights in general.
In 2008, the american director Gus Van Sant picked up the story of this great man, and chose the actor Sean Penn to play the part of Harvey Milk.
THE BODY
1) The shooting of Harvey Milk mostly took place in the town of San Fransisco, Harvey Milk’s city, and into some real places and monuments of the town. For example, they shot into the real town council, where Harvey Milk was a councillor, and where he was assassinated in 1978. They also shot on «Castro Street», where Harvey Milk’s camera shop was situated. Gus Van Sant’s team reproduced this shop exactly, putting fake walls beyond the real walls. The actors played into credible settings = it reinforce the impression of authenticity.
2) Gus Van Sant works a lot with archive films and pictures, which are introduced into the fiction. Some characters of the film are not played by actors, but appear through archive films, such as Harvey Milk's political enemy, Anita Bryant. Anita Bryant is a really important character into the film, but we only see her throught the television. Thanks to this cinema technique, I think Gus Van Sant had wanted to recreate the spirit of the seventee’s on the screen.
3) Sean Penn's performance is a wonderful example of how to pay tribute to a great figure of USA history. We can have the impression that Sean Penn had absorbed Harvey’s voice and body language. By this way, the american actor not only shows Milk as a political character, but puts in light the entire man, who was funny, kind, idealistic, fighting for a better world.
2) Gus Van Sant works a lot with archive films and pictures, which are introduced into the fiction. Some characters of the film are not played by actors, but appear through archive films, such as Harvey Milk's political enemy, Anita Bryant. Anita Bryant is a really important character into the film, but we only see her throught the television. Thanks to this cinema technique, I think Gus Van Sant had wanted to recreate the spirit of the seventee’s on the screen.
3) Sean Penn's performance is a wonderful example of how to pay tribute to a great figure of USA history. We can have the impression that Sean Penn had absorbed Harvey’s voice and body language. By this way, the american actor not only shows Milk as a political character, but puts in light the entire man, who was funny, kind, idealistic, fighting for a better world.
SUMMARY
You have to remember that Gus Van Sant and his team used a lot of cinema techniques in order to give the age of Harvey Milk a new lease of life : they had shot into real settings, they have used archive films and pictures. The actor Sean Penn had made a wonderful actor’s performance to recreate the character of Harvey Milk. He wan an Oscar for it.
CONCLUSION
Directing a biopic requires talent, curiosity and great sense of respect towards the past : in my opinion, Gus Van Sant and his team had wan this bet. Thanks to this film, the figure of Harvey Milk and his fights had been put in light to general public, and all over the world.
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D. LEFÈVRE
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