Philadelphia (film)

Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is a University of Pennsylvania law-school graduate who works for the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. Andy is successful, easy-going, secretly gay, and an AIDS patient. Because his boss Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards) has a strong prejudice against gay people, Andy hides the truth about his sexuality along with his life partner, Miguel Alvarez (Antonio Banderas) from the members of the firm. Though not a full partner in the firm, his legal performance is exceptional, and he is promoted to the post of Senior Associate (one step beneath full partnership) and he is assigned the most important case the firm has taken on.

His condition has reached the stage when he has developed Kaposi's Sarcoma, a form of cancer marked by multiple tumors on the lymph nodes and skin. He has been using make-up to cover the lesions, but a member of the firm notices one that has appeared on his forehead. On the last day that they can file the papers in the case he has been assigned, he has finished the necessary forms for the case to be submitted. Leaving the paperwork on his desk in plain sight, he informs the clerk about it, instructing him to file them with the court, and he leaves. An hour later, the clerk phones him asking where the papers are — they are not on his desk. Additionally, all of the copies on his computer's hard drive have been erased. His work has been sabotaged and he is promptly fired from the law firm the next day.

Andrew tries to hire a lawyer to take his case and sue the firm for illegal dismissal, lost earnings, and punitive damages, but nobody will take an AIDS patient as a client. One of the attorneys he attempts to hire is Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a family man and injury lawyer against whom he had argued in an earlier case. Andrew's appearance is markedly different from when Miller saw him previously, and when Andrew reveals that he has AIDS, Miller's entire mood changes. Miller is homophobic and not knowledgeable about how AIDS is spread, fearing that Andrew's handling of objects in his office can spread the disease. Miller steadfastly refuses to take Andrew's case for personal reasons, and is so fearful that he later gets a checkup from his doctor.

Ultimately, Andrew is compelled to act as his own attorney. They encounter each other again at a law library where Andrew has been doing research; people in the room are leaving the immediate area when they see him and one librarian attempts to persuade him to move to a private room. Miller is disgusted with the behavior he is witnessing — behavior he was guilty of when earlier discussing the homosexual lifestyle with his wife Lisa — and, after going over some of the material Andrew had already prepared, decides to take the case. After Miller gives the firm a summons during a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game, Wheeler and the other partners discuss wanting to find out if Beckett is a member of any LGBT rights (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) groups and frequents gay bars.

Andrew and Joe gain great trust and respect for each other as they fight a David v. Goliath case, much to the shock, admiration, and, for some, disgust of the population. Miller must show that Andrew is a good man, not a threat, and that his boss fired him under fraudulent pretenses as he begins to realize that gay and bisexual people are still human beings with feelings. As the case goes before the court, the partners of the firm take the stand one-by-one, and commit open perjury — smearing Andrew's name, claiming he was incompetent, and deliberately tried to hide his condition and sexual orientation. Andrew had planned to tell his employers about his homosexuality - but after hearing his coworkers and the firm's head lawyer, Charles Wheeler, tell a homophobic joke in their athletic club's sauna, abandoned the idea. Alleging that the partners learned of his illness from a lesion on his forehead, Beckett's case is proven graphically to the jury when Miller asks him to unbutton his shirt while on the witness stand, revealing that his lesions were indeed visible and recognizable as such.

Later, during Wheeler's cross-examination by Miller, Andrew has a blackout in court and goes into his final medical crisis. Andrew does prevail in court and the jury orders the firm to make a large payout, consisting of $143,000 in back pay, $100,000 for pain and suffering and $4,782,000 in punitive damages. He learns of the victory as his family gathers around him at the hospital. Andrew's head has been shaved, and he's been blinded in one eye by the vicious seizures and medication. He removes his oxygen mask to speak to Miller when the attorney arrives (to great Beckett family fanfare). When Andrew, at one time, struggles to breathe, the previously phobic Miller replaces the mask on Andrew's face, touching his skin in the process. Miller knows this is the last time he will speak to his client and friend, but yet says, "I'll see you soon". Finally, all the family says their goodbyes and Andrew is left to spend his final moments with Miguel. Miguel dims the lights in the room, and begins kissing the fingers of his lover. Andrew removes his mask and tells Miguel "I'm ready." The scene then cuts to the Miller family home, where Lisa fields a call from Miguel, then wakes Joe suddenly; Miguel has called to inform Joe of Andrew's death.

The final scene is the reception at Andrew's home following the funeral, where many mourners, including Miller, view home movies of a vibrant young Andrew with his family, running around without a care in the world.

[edit] Awards

The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks) and Best Music, Song (Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia").

It was also nominated for Best Makeup (Carl Fullerton and Alan D'Angerio), Best Music, Song (Neil Young for "Philadelphia") and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Ron Nyswaner).

This film's protagonist, Andrew Beckett is listed at number 49 among the heroes on the AFI's list of the Top 100 Heroes and Villains.

The film was ranked #20 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers.

[edit] Controversy

The film was the second Hollywood big-budget, big-star film to tackle the issue of AIDS (following TV movie And the Band Played On) in America and also signaled a shift in the early 1990s for Hollywood films to have more realistic depictions of homosexuals. However, the perception that Hanks' and Banderas' characters do not display normal relationship affections such as kissing (even though they do kiss on the mouth in an early scene, and Banderas' character kisses Hanks' fingers later in the film), and the absence of gay women drew criticism from some gay film critics. In an interview for the 1996 documentary The Celluloid Closet, Hanks remarked that some scenes showing more affection between him and Banderas were cut, including a scene showing him and Banderas in bed together. The DVD edition of the film, produced by Automat Pictures, however, includes that scene.<ref>Philadelphia. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington. TriStar Pictures, 1993.</ref>

[edit] Video

Philadelphia (1993) Trailer

Philadelphia Theatrical Trailer

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Categories: 1993 Movies | USA Movies

Philadelphia (film)

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