Philadelphia

One of my top 10 movies of all time. If you were not around in the early 80's, this movie shows the tragedy of the AIDs crisis. This is one man's journey (played by Tom Hanks) but accurately depicts the discrimination, humiliation, ignorance & prejudices of that era. For me particularly poignant is the slow process of quiet acceptance of his mortality. And his attorney (Denzel Washington), at first disgusted, slowly realizes the humanity & dignity of his client. This movie stirs up so much in me everytime I watch it. Even after 45+ years it is a masterfully written script and Hanks & Washington deliver. There's a certain sadness, pain that washes over me with this movie. I was there when this disease took hold and dominated the news cycle. It was terrible every day with reports of deaths, true hatred and fear, rumors about who was gay. Watch it. It is a history lesson of sorts. My question is have we really changed? I think not...

Philadelphia is a 1993 American legal drama film written by Ron Nyswaner, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Tom Hanks stars as Andrew Beckett: A Philadelphia lawyer that is fired (From a notably prestigious firm) and seeks out the assistance of an attorney named Joe (Washington) in doing so as he suspects AIDs as being the reason he was terminated. . . .If I'm being brutally honest I have to admit that the first hour of this film can feel particularly hard to get through; ‘Philadelphia’ wastes no time in introducing its audience members to the primary point of contention, but this is coupled with scenes that can seem unnecessary until being pondered about in retrospect. Viewers are teased with moments that are meant to give a vague idea of what an average day might look like for all of the main characters, and it’s hard not to ask what the point might be in the grand scheme of things. With that in mind from the moment Andrew meets prejudice in the most politely confrontational way - he says ‘𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦?’ and locks eyes with Joe - the part of me that whole-heartedly seeks justice was called to attention and given no reason to evacuate the premises.Context is key when trying to understand the totality of a situation and the intricacies that inevitably complicate them, and ‘Philadelphia’ is of no exception. To put it in perspective, it’s important to be reminded that despite how progressive this film might seem it was only 5 years prior to its creation that homosexuality was removed as criteria some could use to diagnose someone as being mentally ill in the first place. When this is taken into consideration (which, this isn’t alluded to much and I wish it was) it’s easier to understand the behavior of the different individuals in this film that would be considered abhorrent in these modern times as socially acceptable forms of maltreatment and discrimination. This serves to keep from villainizing personalities that are otherwise so easy to target as repulsive - such as the very same attorney Andrew hires - and only makes this film a fair reflection of a community I’m sure most of us are happy to no longer be actively a part of even if only as witnesses.For his performance in this film Hanks was honored with an Academy Award; more than deserving, he is the perfect embodiment of a man that is grasping for straws when throwing in the towel would otherwise be completely understandable. He need not talk to compel emotions as his demeanor speaks louder than words and makes for reactions that are naturally visceral. Not surprisingly, Washington’s performance follows thru as a competent co-pilot and expertly captures the essence of a man that is unapologetically flawed and inflexible in all of the ways that work to make the world a better place. The chemistry between Hanks and Washington as both actors and characters is akin to a candle in the wind: unwavering, relentless, and an unexpected source of light and guidance.This certainly is far from being one of the best movies I have ever seen, but it is very close to being one of the most important. It is one of the first films to aggressively address and call-out bigotry tied to sexual orientation as a system of hate that has no business having any subscribers.Having a connection with the LGBTQ community made this film affect me to the extent that it might not others in that as Andrew’s condition deteriorated over time I felt like I was watching a loved one become buried with an insufferable anguish that I can only begin to imagine -And thank goodness for that.I would recommend!P.S. Homophobia sucks.❤

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, yet have never been to Philadelphia… since it was WAY at the other end of the state. This movie starts strong, and just keeps getting stronger. It commences with aerial views of the Ben Franklin bridge over the Delaware River, and the skyscrapers of downtown, and then down to street-level, with all the people trying to get by, some more successfully than others, and in the background, there is the music of “the Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, singing one of his masterpieces, eponymously named after the city.The movie is about the latest global pandemic, HIV/AIDs, with the city serving only as the backdrop. The movie was released in one of the terrible years of the pandemic, 1993, when contracting HIV was essentially a death sentence. I lived in the States in the early ‘90’s, in Inman Park, Atlanta, with a substantial gay population. And I watched as the grim reaper’s scythe cut through the neighborhood, taking away many neighbors. And there was absolutely nothing you, nor they, could do about it.Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington played their parts brilliantly. Hanks, as Andrew Beckett, is an up-and-coming lawyer in a prestigious law firm. He works hard. He knows he has AIDS when the movie commences, and is concerned about the noticeable lesions, which he tries to hide. Denzel Washington was once an opposing attorney. After Hanks is fired, basically for having the disease, and being “set-up” for poor performance, he hires Washington to sue his old firm for wrongful discharge. Washington is “straight,” married, a child, somewhat homophobic at the beginning, and also a bit afraid of catching the disease himself, just by association. And when the methods of transmission still have “exceptions,” who could blame any of us, for concerns, and making sure the drinking glasses were quickly put in the dishwasher upon departure?The medical profession has some cameo appearances, but this movie is mainly courtroom drama. A jury, a plausible judge who let the story play out, for the story’s sake. Washington and Hanks on one side, “the brass” of his former employer on the other. What is really on trial is the “deviant lifestyle.” Consider a point that the movie did not bring out. The previous pandemic was influenza, of which we are now in the centennial year, and in which 50-100 million died. But in that pandemic, it really wasn’t “your fault” if you caught it, and died. What was brought out, via a witness, is that if you contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, then that was something completely different. On the other hand, if it was transmitted by evil sex…The lead attorney for “the brass” is a woman. She is good, even great, doing her lawyerly thing, trying to demolish Hanks, for it was his perversion, and that one fling in the movie theater… but her true feelings are revealed as she mutters under her breath, the subject quote. For who amongst us in the heterosexual community could throw the first stone, for similar behavior, with only a different orientation? Nonetheless, many did.I have to say it again: Hanks and Washington are brilliant actors. The balance and the themes expressed in the movie, concerning this terrible tragedy, that selected some, and spared so many others, much as war itself does, merit my special 6-star rating.

I had forgotten how emotional and powerful this film was. It is a great reminder of how HIV victims were discriminated against as the disease was emerging.