Such changes of heart are obligatory (see, for example, Spencer Tracy's acceptance of Sidney Poitier in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"). Fired shortly afterwards, Beckett resolves to sue for discrimination, teaming up with Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), the only lawyer willing to help. A partner in the firm notices a lesion on Beckett's forehead. The DVD edition, produced by Automat Pictures, includes this scene.

However, right after earning a promotion, the shocking early signs of AIDS will lead to his ignoble dismissal, on account of alleged incompetence. Shortly thereafter, Beckett stays home from work for several days to try to find a way to hide his lesions.

Beckett is yanked off the case and informed he doesn't have a future with the firm.


Instead, it relies on the safe formula of the courtroom drama to add suspense and resolution to a story that, by its nature, should have little suspense and only one possible outcome. At the Miller home later that night, Miller and his wife are awakened by a phone call from Alvarez, who tells them that Beckett has died peacefully. For his role as Andrew Beckett, Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 66th Academy Awards, while the song "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Philadelphia is a superb drama starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.

Miller visits Beckett in the hospital after the verdict and overcomes his fear enough to touch Beckett's face. During his hospitalization, the jury votes in Beckett's favor, awarding him back pay, damages for pain and suffering and punitive damages, totaling over $5 million.

Extras cast in this film included 53 people who were AIDS-infected as of the time of shooting the film. [1], On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 6.75/10. Nyswaner was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, but lost to Jane Campion for The Piano.

It's a ground-breaker like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967), the first major film about an interracial romance; it uses the chemistry of popular stars in a reliable genre to sidestep what looks like controversy. By the time the trial reaches its conclusion, the predictable outcome serves mostly as counterpoint for the movie's real ending.

[12], Philadelphia was released on DVD on September 10, 1997. | He sued Hyatt in 1990, and won just before his death. According to Kenton, the woman was an innocent victim, unlike Beckett, and further testified that he did not recognize Beckett's lesions. Dexter Haven, arrives at her house, he brings with him a tabloid reporter named Mike Connor and his photographer, Elizabeth Imbrie. Plot Keywords Instead, in a brilliant and original scene, Hanks plays an aria from his favorite opera, one he identifies with in his dying state. [20] However, Springsteen's first contribution, "Tunnel of Love," was rejected by Demme. And yet "Philadelphia" is quite a good film, on its own terms.

For example, it's obvious that at some point the scales will fall from the eyes of the Washington character, and he'll realize that his prejudices against homosexuals are wrong; he'll be able to see the Hanks character as a fellow human worthy of affection and respect. Rated PG-13 Although Beckett attributes the lesion to a racquetball injury, it indicates Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS-defining condition. And for moviegoers with an antipathy to AIDS but an enthusiasm for stars like Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, it may help to broaden understanding of the disease. Miller doesn't like homosexuals, but agrees to take the case, mostly for the money and exposure. Miller, who is admittedly homophobic and knows little about Beckett's AIDS, initially declines to take the case and immediately visits his doctor to find out if he could have contracted the AIDS through shaking Beckett's hand. Shortly thereafter, Beckett stays home from work for several days to try to find a way to hide his lesions. PHILADELPHIA asks the question of how we treat people who have sexually transmitted diseases, especially AIDS and especially when they're gay. [18], In a contemporary review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars and said that it is "quite a good film, on its own terms. Beckett suffers from bowel spasms at home and is rushed to the hospital. Having recently divorced her husband of two years, the old-money C.K. *sales figures based on certification alone^shipments figures based on certification alone, Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association, AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains, "Law: At The Bar; A Lawyer With AIDS Wins a Legal Victory, and Gives His Employer Some Unwelcome Publicity", "Philadelphia Screenplay Suit to Reach Court", "Shaking the Very Foundations of AIDS Orthodoxy : Kaposi's Sarcoma: Two studies of this condition pose a question once considered a heresy: What if HIV is not the cause of the epidemic? In the course of testimony, it is revealed that the partner who had noticed Beckett's lesion had previously worked with a woman who had contracted AIDS after a blood transfusion and so would have recognized the lesion as relating to AIDS. When asked about the truth of how he got infected, he confirms that he engaged in anonymous sex with another man at a pornographic movie theater. Film and Plot Synopsis The Philadelphia Story begins as Tracy Lord gets ready to marry a nouveau riche man named George Kittredge. [2] It was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and homophobia. Philadelphia eventually grossed $77.4 million in North America and $129.2 million overseas for a total of $206.7 million worldwide against a budget of $26 million, making it a significant box office success, and becoming the 12th highest-grossing film in the U.S. of 1993.

[14], The screenplay was also republished in a novelization by writer Christopher Davis in 1994.[15]. After declining to take the case, Miller immediately visits his doctor to find out if he could have contracted the disease. Miller dismisses the request by laughing it off, thinking it a joke.
The screenplay by Ron Nyswaner works subtly to avoid the standard cliches of the courtroom. Upon receiving a summons by Miller, the head of the firm, Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards), worries about the damage the lawsuit could do to his business and reputation, although one partner (Ron Vawter) unsuccessfully tries to convince them to settle out of court with Beckett. After the family leaves the room, Beckett tells his partner Miguel Alvarez that he is ’ready’. Sooner or later, Hollywood had to address one of the most important subjects of our time, and with "Philadelphia" the ice has been broken. [6][citation needed]. To prove that the lesions would have been visible, Miller asks Beckett to unbutton his shirt while on the witness stand, revealing that his lesions are indeed visible and recognizable as such.

In a year or two, it will be time for another film to consider the subject more unblinkingly. As the case goes before the court, Wheeler takes the stand, claiming that Beckett was incompetent and claiming that he had deliberately tried to hide his condition. Can they make a difference?

The defense repeatedly suggests that Beckett had invited his illness through promiscuity and was therefore not a victim. Synopsis. [4] The lawsuit was settled after five days of testimony. He hides his homosexuality and his status as an AIDS patient from the other members of the firm. As others in the library begin to first stare uneasily, the librarian suggests Beckett go to a private room. In its 14th weekend, the weekend after the Oscars, the film expanded to 888 theaters, and saw its gross increase by 70 percent, making $1.9 million and jumping from number 15 the previous weekend (when it made $1.1 million from 673 theaters), to returning to the top ten ranking at number 8 that weekend. In the course of testimony, it is revealed that the partner who had noticed Beckett's lesion, Walter Kenton, had previously worked with a woman who had contracted AIDS after a blood transfusion and so should have recognized the lesion as relating to AIDS. A memorial is held at Beckett's family home following the funeral, where many mourners, including Miller and his family, view home movies of Beckett as a happy child. The doctor explains the methods of HIV infection. After Beckett's family leaves the room, he tells Miguel that he is ready to die. to a member of her team.) Later that morning, while still at the ER, he receives a frantic call from the firm asking for the complaint, as the paper copy cannot be found and there are no copies on the computer's hard drive. More than a decade after AIDS was first identified as a disease, "Philadelphia" marks the first time Hollywood has risked a big-budget film on the subject.


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