Harvey Milk and The Nature of Courage

So, Milk was released on DVD yesterday, which prompted a trip to Best Buy and a purchase. This one I didn't have to make her watch; She wanted to see it as badly as I did and our interest was only increased by Sean Penn's Best Actor nod and the win for Best Screenplay to Dustin Lance Black.

I grew up in San Diego and I remember hearing about the slaying of George Moscone and Harvey, but I was only peripherally aware of the story of the man. I knew he was an activist and I knew what he did was important.

This is a fantastically compelling tale and it is well told to boot. The acting is amazing, not just Penn but many others besides. The writing is top notch and the director did a great job of capturing some of the feel of San Francisco (one of my favorite cities, actually. Though I'm more about Chinatown than the Castro. the food, you know.)

Sean Penn deserved Best Actor. Other performances that I feel absolutely have to be pointed out are James Franco as Scott Smith, Lucas Grabeel as Danny Nicoletta (a brave step as an actor, here. Typecasting is always a career danger)and most especially Josh Brolin.

Brolin got some Oscar buzz and deserved it. The man showed some serious cajones choosing roles last year. It could be argued that playing George Bush and Dan White back-to-back opens him up for some major hate mail. Bush pisses many of us off for many reasons, but it must be remembered that a great majority of the people who know Dan White's name view him not just as a villain but as a monster.

Brolin portrayed White as a deeply conflicted man who was horribly uncomfortable and uncertain of his own ethics. White was a fireman and a family man before becoming a politician and eventually a murderer. The character could have been written or played as a cliche and it is to the lasting credit of the film and the actor that he is not. He is shown as a deeply troubled person. His appearance, clearly drunk, at Harvey's birthday party strongly shows this side, as does his uncertainty of how to act when Harvey is the only Supervisor to show at his son's christening.

It is a good movie and one with an important message that will resonate for many in these times of Prop 8. The opening credits will force you to focus on how much we have changed, while the reality of Proposition 8 forces you to remember how far we have yet to journey.

But the message of Milk, the film and the man, is hope. We can change the world. Harvey Milk did, and he paid the ultimate price. The film makes it clear that Harvey knew what he risked. He knew it and confronted it everyday.

He would want you to take up his fallen banner and carry it, even if only in small ways. He was a proud American and he cared about people of all races, genders, backgrounds and orientations. When watching the scene where he brings in his new campaign manager, remember that today's GLBT community did not exist then. Gay and Lesbian were separate worlds, a reality that Harvey refused to acknowledge.

This film is a moving portrayal of a committed and courageous man. Enjoy it, be touched by it, and remember how far we have come and how far we have to go.