The More Things Change....

There was something eerie and special about seeing the premiere of Gus Van Sant's "Milk" at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco last night.

"Eerie" because of the conflation of history and art as we sat in the real theatre on the real street where most of the events depicted in the film took place, surrounded by many of the real people whose lives were being portrayed on screen. 

"Special" for those same reasons, because the film itself, as beautifully directed by Gus Van Sant, was so special, and because it felt like it was arriving at exactly the right historical moment, despite what was in reality an almost twenty year struggle to get it made.

And most special of all, for an actor who has given us some amazing characters over the years, for my money this was Sean Penn's greatest performance. He was so warm and natural. His voice, his movement, his gestures, it was like he was using all of his DNA to give us such a full and deep impression of a man.

It was almost 37 years ago that Harvey Milk, the subject of the film, moved to the Castro District from New York City and set up his camera shop there with his boyfriend Scott Smith, at what was to become ground zero in a cultural movement and struggle for respect and equal rights for gay people that, despite the major victories Harvey and his supporters achieved before his untimely assassination, as he became the first openly gay elected official, and won an improbable victory over the ignominious Proposition 6 and its sponsors Anita Bryant and John Briggs, still reverberates today. (Who could miss the eerie resemblance between two faces of evil separated by a generation: the well-coiffed All-American act of intolerance agent Bryant and a certain designer-clad hockey mom of today?)

So here we were, one week before an election that not only marks a decisive moment in our nation's history, but also finds us fighting against another major assault by the forces of bigotry and intolerance in a California state referendum, which is Proposition 6, repackaged now thirty years later as Proposition 8.

As Martin Luther King famously said in a speech titled Where Do We Go From Here: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." But clearly it only bends because of the efforts of good people who keep fighting the fight.

Arriving on Castro Street, the theatre had been transformed for a real Hollywood Style Major Movie premiere, with a banner of Sean Penn as Milk several stories tall, and the proverbial red carpet and kleig lights.

Hanging out of windows and lining the sidewalk three deep on the other side of the street were No on Prop 8 protestors, whose chant of "not fair, not right" reverberated through the whole arrival ceremony.

Focus Films CEO James Schamus and John Lyons, the president of production, were in attendance. They were both instrumental, along with Executive Producer Michael London of Groundswell Productions, in backing the film at a critical moment when, once again, it looked like it might tip over.

Here's the director Gus Van Sant, who was typically calm and cool, even as he presided over an event that I am sure he had dreamt about for some time, as this was a story he had been trying to tell for many years.

The Castro is a cavernous old movie palace. It was beautiful inside and a great venue for the event. I had heard rumors of its imminent demise for some time, as these single screen old theatres are so hard to make economically viable today. I hope someone will buy it and restore it and preserve it. So much history there.

As Mayor Gavin Newsome put it in his remarks prior to the screening, "this is a city that doesn't just tolerate differences of identity, it celebrates them."

I think this patron would agree!!

The after-party was held in San Francisco's City Hall. As the site of the assassination of Milk as well as then-mayor George Moscone, it was a bit unnerving to see the crowd there in celebration of the film walk up the steps of the huge rotunda in re-enactment of Sean Penn walking up the same steps in the movie, in re-enactment of Harvey Milk having done the same for the brief time that he held office and came to work here every day.

But we were all here, not just to remember a transformational figure in American history and honor his life and sacrifice, but by telling his story now to help those still very much in need (the whole event was a benefit for four major SF area LGBT groups ), and to raise awareness for the fight that is still upon us, and join together to defeat Proposition 8 next Tuesday.

william

Comments

[Margaret Oomen]

What a wonderful mix of hollywood, politics and social issues in this post. Again I am proud to be Canadian where a lot of what you speak of are non issues here. My daughter was visiting her 92 year old grandmother the other day and they watched Ellen together after breakfast. They chatted about how Ellen was gay and her marriage to Portia and then went on to have a long discussion about how very common it was and how great it was that Canada recognizes gay marriages , etc..

[bluemountainsmary]

What extraordinary times we - but especially Americans - (and obviously even more so Californians) are living in.

You have my support in all you are hoping for.

[Maiz]

I am so excited to see this movie! Sean Penn giving his best performance yet, and in a film about Harvey Milk? YES! I saw "The Times of Harvey Milk" many years ago, and found it very moving. It must have been so exciting to be in SF for this event.

[katie did]

i just discovered your blog! another jewel! i loved this post and all it stands for. thank goodness for all the brave souls who have stood up for who they are and what they believe. we can only hope for the best on tuesday. if things go poorly i may move to australia! keep up the great work and attitude....

[PutzFrau]

I live in SF and am happy that this movie will share Harvey's story with the rest of the world.

We are proud of our city and our community that acceptance of all types of people. I can't wait to see the movie!

BTW: The Castro theater is amazing - did the organist play before the movie?