Harvey Milk, documentary and fiction

Harvey Milk (left); Sean Penn playing Harvey Milk (right)

Last week, I saw both the 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, directed by Rob Epstein, and the recently released fiction film Milk, directed by Gus van Sant. Both tell the story of the rise to prominence and assassination of the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the U.S. Milk was elected San Francisco supervisor in 1977 but then gunned down along with Mayor George Moscone by a bitter rival. Comparing the two films is a fascinating exercise, as they cover pretty much the same territory and the documentary clearly inspired the fictional treatment. I am sure many students will be doing just that for their term papers. To me, the Oscar-winning documentary is worthy and competently made, definitely worth seeing (now available from Amazon) but more interesting as a historical record than as a piece of filmmaking: it’s pretty traditional and sometimes a bit plodding. But the fictional Milk is a true cinematic accomplishment, one of van Sant’s best films, which is saying a lot. It brilliantly establishes the homophobic context of the times, and the many struggles for gay rights not just in San Francisco but across the U.S. While many scenes are inspired by the documentary, other dimensions are added, particularly involving the assassin-to-be Dan White (Josh Brolin) and his relationship with Milk – played by Sean Penn in one of his best performances. Somewhat ironically I find that the fictional film is the greater inspiration for a documentary filmmaker, from the standpoint of dramatic structure, character development and contextualization. As you can tell, I recommend both of these films. Milk is still in theatres, and will surely be up for some Oscars. Epstein collaborated with van Sant on the treatment for Milk. For an interview with him rest here.

Thanks to Jorge Bustos-Estefan for help with this blog.