#98 - Philadelphia

This film is beautiful. It is artful, touching and entertaining. I may be a bit bias b/c I have spent a lot of time in Philly but, I found this to be one of the best films that takes place in Philly that I've seen.

For it's time "Philadelphia" was a revolutionary film. It was the first mainstream movie to tackle the subject of AIDS. In this picture, "Tom Hanks stars as Andrew Beckett, a homosexual Philadelphian lawyer who is fired by his firm after they discover he has AIDS. They claim to have fired him for being incompetent at work and so Andrew hires a homophobic, hotshot lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) who harbors many misconceptions about the disease."
(pg. 821)

From the 1st minute this film grabbed me. The opening scene/credit sequence is one of the most well-done credit sequences I've seen. As the credits roll, the viewer is treated to different views of the people, places, and well, the streets of Philadelphia. The sequence isn't just a treat for the eyes but a delight for the ears. As you see the sights of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen's beautiful song "The Streets of Philadelphia" serenades you. The opening is a perfect introduction for this film.

But, the greatness doesn't end after this opening sequence. This movie continues to be great all the way to the end. First, the performances are excellent and make you believe you are watching real life. Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington are magnificent. Casting or having a strong casting director working for him seems to be one of director Jonathan Demme's strengths. In one of Demme's more recent movies "Rachel Getting Married" the characters also seem real and are relatable. You feel like you know them and therefore care about them.

What also makes this movie so watchable is how it was shot. A majority of the time in this film is spent in the Philly Courthouse (Trivia: The courtroom scenes were filmed in an actual courtroom that the city let the producers used. It was not a set.) You'd think this would get repetitive & boring. However, it never does. Demme has us enter the courthouse from different vantage points, shows us different point of views in each scene, and keeps the dialogue interesting. The dialogue is mixed with emotion and humor that help advance the plot.

Another thing I like about how Demme shoots his movies is how he focuses close-up on people's faces and lingers on them. He allows the characters to use expressions or body language to convey emotion without telling us how they feel all the time. It gives the audience a richer and more intimate experience that helps make Philadelphia a very moving picture.

Philadelphia and Rachel Getting Married are two movies that caused me to get emotional b/c they had very relatable, flawed characters who just want to be loved for who they are, flaws and all.