Milk
by Gus Van Sant
List Price:
Our Price: $1.98
You Save: $13.00 (87%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.40 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alison Pill, Diego Luna, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Sean PennDirector: Gus Van Sant
Brand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 128 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2010-08-22
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Product features:
- TESTED
Movie Reviews of Milk
Movie Review: Sean Penn Tour-de-Force
Summary: 5 Stars
"Milk" stars Sean Penn in the title role of Harvey Milk, a closeted gay man who moved from New York to San Francisco in 1972. There he came out of the closet and opened a camera shop in the Castro District, an area experiencing a huge influx of gays and lesbians. He ran for political office unsuccessfully several times on a platform that included workers' issues and education as well as the rights of gays and other minorities, and finally won an election for city supervisor. He led several battles against anti-gay initiatives in California.
Penn presents Milk primarily as outspoken activist, community organizer, and champion of civil rights for gay Americans. Director Van Sant combines actual news and archival footage with footage of his actors to illustrate seamlessly the 1970's era that saw the birth of the gay rights movement in the United States.
"Milk," however, is more than just the tale of a firebrand working up the populace into action. It's a movie about one person spearheading a movement to give voice to a minority that had been forced into hiding. By fighting for the right to live without persecution, the gay community became a visible, political force that voted its mind at the polls. Milk worked to organize and inspire his constituency out of complacency and acceptance of intimidation to active protest and demands. It started in California, but quickly spread across the country.
Mr. Penn does some of his finest work in "Milk." From his slicked down hair to his softly Brooklyn-tinged voice to his self-assured swagger, Penn provides an amazing characterization of a man who, in his 40's, finally found a purpose and the wherewithal to achieve it.
There is a self-deprecating facet to Penn's performance. His Harvey can make jokes at his own expense while taking his cause seriously. Mr. Penn captures the folk-hero quality of Milk while never losing sight of Harvey the man. We see him as a flawed individual, not happy in his previous pursuits and as terrified of discovery as most gay people of the time, but ultimately inspired by injustice to be the voice of protest and change.
The movie shows how that change comes in stages. What starts as periodic clashes with the police leads to grass-roots organization for the purpose of declaring themselves to the larger society and persuade the world that they are entitled to the same rights as anybody else. Milk recruits average folks -- mostly gay -- who can summon a crowd of 1,000 protesters on a moment's notice or get endorsements from local newspapers.
Among these associates are Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), Anne Kronenberg (Alison Pill), and photographer Danny Nicoletta (Lucas Grabeel). We're also introduced to two of Milk's boyfriends, Scott Smith (James Franco) and Jack Lira (Diego Luna).
Scott seems to be the inspiration for Harvey to embark on a more meaningful course. Franco is entirely believable in some intimate scenes with Penn. It's in the early scenes, in his conversations with Scott, that we see Harvey's frustration at approaching his 40th birthday and not really having done anything significant. He's ready for a change. They leave New York together to resettle in San Francisco only to find a not-too-welcoming introduction to the Castro District's businessmen.
Josh Brolin plays Dan White, a fellow city supervisor, who shares an unusual collegial relationship with Milk. Staunchly in favor of preserving "family values" and blocking any pro-gay legislation, White is an enigma. As portrayed in the movie, he doesn't have many friends, appears uncomfortable at the inroads the gay community is making in California, is dissatisfied with his job as city supervisor because of its low pay, and ultimately is jealous of the media attention Milk is getting while he remains anonymous. Brolin continues to associate himself with top-quality motion pictures. Excellent in "No Country for Old Men," "American Gangster," and "W.," he continues his winning streak in "Milk."
Rated R, "Milk" won the Best Actor Academy Award for Penn, and was nominated for Best Picture. The script by Dustin Lance Black moves quickly and presents the events of Milk's life in dramatic, fascinating fashion. The film is extremely timely in light of California's passage of Proposition 8, which bars same-sex marriages. Though Harvey Milk fought vigorously thirty years ago for gays to receive the same rights as all other Americans, it seems the fight isn't over.
Summary of Milk
MILK - DVD MovieWhen a famous person, like the nation's first openly gay male city supervisor, inspires an acclaimed book (The Mayor of Castro Street) and Oscar-winning documentary (The Times of Harvey Milk), a biopic can seem superfluous at best. Taking over from Oliver Stone and Bryan Singer, Gus Van Sant, whose previous picture was the more experimental Paranoid Park, directs with such grace, he renders the concern moot. Unlike Randy Shilts' biography, which begins at the beginning, Dustin Lance Black's script starts in 1972, just as Milk (Sean Penn, in a finely-wrought performance) and his boyfriend, Scott (James Franco, equally good), move from New York to San Francisco. Milk opens a camera shop on the Castro that becomes a safe haven for victims of discrimination, convincing him to enter politics. With each race he runs, Harvey's relationship with Scott unravels further. Finally, he wins, and the real battle begins as Milk takes on Proposition 6, which denies equal rights to homosexuals. He does what he can to rally politicians, like George Moscone (Victor Garber) and Dan White (Josh Brolin). While the mayor is willing, the conservative board member has reservations, and after Milk fails to back one of White?s pet projects, the die is cast, leading to the murder of two beloved figures. If Van Sant?s film captures Harvey in all his complexities (he was, for instance, a very funny man), Milk also serves as an enticement to grass-roots activism, showing how one regular guy elevated everyone around him, notably Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), the ex-street hustler who created the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial. Released in the wake of Proposition 8, California?s anti-gay marriage amendment, Milk is inspirational in the best way: one person can and did make a difference, but the struggle is far from over. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Get to Know the Cast From Milk
 Sean Penn (Harvey Milk) |  Josh Brolin (Dan White) |  James Franco (Scott Smith) |
Beyond Milk on DVD
 Get in on Blu-ray |  More from Focus Features |  Shop More Oscar Nominees & Winners |
Stills from Milk (Click for larger image)
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Similar DVD Movies
Boys Don't CryFox; Release date: 2009-10-13; Published: 2009-10-01; DVD
Best price: $6.33
Price in other shops:
The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milkby Randy Shilts
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-10-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
ChangelingNBC Universal; Release date: 2010-04-25; DVD
Best price: $1.73
Price in other shops:
The Kids Are All RightUniversal; Release date: 2010-11-16; DVD
Best price: $3.07
Price in other shops:
CapoteSony; Release date: 2006-03-21; Published: 2006-03-01; DVD
Best price: $2.76
Price in other shops:
The Times of Harvey Milk (The Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2011-03-29; DVD
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
W. (Widescreen)Lions Gate; Release date: 2009-02-10; DVD
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Matthew Shepard StoryEcho; Release date: 2010-06-01; DVD
Best price: $2.60
Price in other shops:
Frost/ NixonUniversal Studios; Release date: 2009-04-21; Published: 2009-04-01; DVD
Best price: $0.99
Price in other shops:
Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition)NBC Universal; Release date: 2006-04-04; DVD
Best price: $1.88
Price in other shops: