CINEMA FORUM ON AMERICAN CINEMA – ASPECTS TO CONSIDER WHILE VIEWING THE FILM FOR SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION: MY NAME IS HARVEY MILK
Milk (My name is Harvey Milk in Spanish) is a film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black that tells the life of the politician Harvey Milk, a defender and activist of the civil rights of homosexuals. Milk was the first openly gay person to be elected to political office in the United States. Telling the biography of Harvey Milk, this film brings us closer to several key events and tensions in the civil rights struggle for homosexuals in the United States during the XNUMXth century.
To highlight this socio-historical moment, Milk opens with archival footage of raids on gay bars during the 50s and 60s. In this post-war era, a new wave of anti-communism existed in America, led by the famous senator Joseph McCarty. Homosexuals were also categorized as anti-American and subversive. Because they were considered a security risk, during the 50s and 60s the FBI and police departments kept lists of known homosexuals, their favorite establishments and their friends to patrol them. In several cities you carried out political campaigns to rid public spaces of gays and expel them from their jobs. From there, the modern LGBT rights movement emerged in the United States, of which Milk was a part. The film follows the politicization of the character Milk, the effects of his political activism on his private and public life, his clashes with the conservative side, and his working relationship with Dan White leading up to his assassination, which made him a martyr. for the homosexual community and the LGBT movement.
Released in 2008, two weeks before California's gay marriage referendum, Proposition 8, a conservative proposition with many parallels to Proposition 6, is explored in the film. Critical reception for the film was generally very positive. It won two Oscars, Best Leading Actor (Sean Penn) and Best Original Screenplay (Dustin Lance Black).
The themes highlighted in this film are still very relevant. To this day, the LGBT community continues to fight for their rights and against discrimination. The Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2015, but, as a counterpoint, laws against homosexuality continue to exist in several states in the country.
Catherine Iannone
We are waiting for you next Wednesday at the cineforo on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at six:
Cycle 2016-2017: “American Biopics: civil rights in the United States through its protagonists”.
Screening of the film (VOSE) followed by a discussion about it.
Session corresponding to February:
My name is Harvey Milk (Milk/ 2009 Gus Van Sant / 128 min. – 2 hours)
Screening: at 18 p.m. / Colloquium: at 20:XNUMX p.m.
Moderator: Diana Norton and Catalina Iannone.
