Philadelphia Anniversary Edition
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: Erik Swift
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Skeptics could reasonably think Jonathan Demme’s “Philadelphia” was his apology for the Buffalo Bill character in “The Silence Of The Lambs.” The gay community vigorously opposed the latter film but praised “Philadelphia.” Surprising? Not really. While not the first production about the AIDS epidemic, its use of major Hollywood peeps attracted the general public and brought the disease even further into mainstream conversation. An all-star cast including Tom Hanks, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas, Denzel Washington, Joanne Woodward, Demme regular Charles Napier and even cameos from Dr. J and Roger Corman made it appeal to the masses. Just in time to commemorate its 10th anniversary, Sony Tri-Star has released a double-disc edition of the 1993 film that truly illustrates its depth and importance.
Hanks portrays Andrew Beckett, a hotshot lawyer at the most prestigious firm in the City of Brotherly Love. Beckett scores a major promotion and handles top clients, but his cohorts drop him for incompetence after a case is nearly botched. Andrew feels he has been wrongly fired because of his closeted homosexuality and newly discovered AIDS affliction. Joe Miller (Washington) is the man whose counsel Beckett seeks to help him sue his former employer. Having faced off in court before, Miller doesn’t recognize him at first because of Beckett’s deterioration. Miller refuses to represent the dying man because of his own homophobia, but after witnessing Beckett’s harassment at a public library he reconsiders. As Andrew suffers daily, Miller battles his own prejudice while fighting a seemingly unbeatable opponent.
Hanks is a revelation. After his first Oscar nomination for “Big” in 1988, vile turdfests (“Turner And Hooch”, “The ‘Burbs,” “Joe Versus The Volcano” and especially “The Bonfire Of The Vanities”) seemed his destiny. 1992’s well-received “A League Of Their Own” reversed that trend, grossing over $100 million. “Sleepless In Seattle,” “Forrest Gump” and “Apollo 13” did the same. Inside of three years he had become a huge box office draw but it’s Demme’s film that features his most daring work of this period. Carl Fullerton’s makeup is a huge help, showing Beckett’s subtle spiral into his impending fate with delicate touches from an occasional lesion to gradual hair changes or skin discoloration. Singing “La Mamma Morta,” Hanks gives Beckett his best. His first Oscar win is a well-deserved one.
An African American actor could garner a different type of support as he defends a Caucasian, but Washington’s portrayal of Miller deflects racial attention away. Watch Miller’s nonplussed look at the bash thrown by Beckett and his lover Miguel (Banderas) – the new father has zero desire to be at a gay party. A belief in justice ultimately helps him stay there and with his client, proof that Miller supports Beckett in multiple ways. Much of the acting praise for this film understandably goes to Hanks, but Washington’s performance can’t be ignored. The pair is at the top of their profession because of films like this. Moving around each other like prizefighting boxers, they frequently size the other up for courtroom blows as the movie wears on. Beckett and Miller need that caution: faulty moves will surely cost them, but neither has trust in the other. It has to grow, and Washington shows much of the growth in “Philadelphia.”
Demme directs “Philadelphia” with the same even hand he used in “Lambs.” The similar ease in which his actors slide into their roles and inhabit them is uncanny, especially a prickly Robards in one of his final appearances. “Philadelphia” moves quickly and quietly, unobtrusively jumping days, weeks and months at a time. If Ron Nyswaner watched too many Frank Capra films before penning his idealistic script, it seeped in. Andrew speaks so little as the film winds down that Clint Eastwood stepping in would be a relief. (Now that would be funny. Clint strolls into the courtroom, shoots the defendants and kisses the judge. It would sure make up for “Blood Work”.) No one in Andrew’s family has a problem with his sexual preference? Nyswaner’s writing leans toward the lecturing circuit but the ending makes up for it. As Andrew’s mother, Joanne Woodward’s tender goodbye to her son would fail to move only the hardest of hearts.
The bonus disc lasts 150 minutes and includes five deleted scenes and the Demme-directed clip for Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets Of Philadelphia.” Of interest is the acclaimed documentary “One Foot On A Banana Peel, The Other Foot In The Grave,” Featuring late actor Daniel Chandler (who appeared in the initial hospital scene in “Philadelphia”), it’s an overlong but engaging piece about several men in an AIDS clinic and their fight to look death in the face. The Oscar speeches unfortunately aren’t present, a crime. Hanks’ impassioned speech thanked his late acting teacher who had died of AIDS, while Springsteen’s prompted laughs (winning for his first composition for a feature film, the Boss said, “Well, it’s all downhill from here.”) In this time of year when peace on earth and good will to all is wished, “Philadelphia” is a good example of where and how to start.
Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!
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