Poor Focus Features.
The film company hit gay gold a few years back with Brokeback Mountain, a love story about gay cowboys. Well, the company will tonight premiere its latest lavender adventure, Milk, a biopic about slain San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. While laymen may assume Focus would want to build the hype, they’re eschewing a big hoopla over the homo-tinged feature.
So, what gives? Well, one source says it’s part of a plot to win over more mainstream audiences. Said the source, “The best way to help this film win over a mainstream audience is to avoid partisanship, and the best way to avoid partisanship is to let people find out about the film from the film itself.” Alright, that’s understandable – sleeper hits by definition come out of left field. Still, there seems to be more to this story, like the fact that Focus must present this gay movie as more of a movie than gay – especially in these times of political upheaval:
Focus plans on selling “Milk” in part as a story of hope and change (Harvey Milk won equal-rights battles against great odds) that happens to be gay, just as it sold “Brokeback” as a love story that happened to be gay.
The ploy was logical with “Brokeback.” It’s less so here.
Like “Brokeback,” “Milk” features a gay romance. But unlike “Brokeback,” “Milk” is made by gay filmmakers, features the polarizing Penn and puts itself squarely in a political context. Milk’s fight against California’s anti-gay-rights Proposition 6 — a drama the movie deals with in great detail — spookily parallels the current California fight over the anti-gay-rights Proposition 8.
Embracing the political message would, first off, do right by the movie. Studios’ knee-jerk reaction to political films is to say they don’t want them politicized. But why not? “Milk” is about politics.
More to Focus’ concerns, it could help with awards. A win for John McCain or Prop 8 may drive voters to cast a ballot for Penn (a lock for an Oscar nom) or best picture. (This on top of voter sympathy because they didn’t support “Brokeback.”) Awards love will further put it in pundits’ crosshairs, which will further draw awards voters.
Sure, the political climate could influence the Academy’s decision, but those Hollywood types are total suckers for two things: slain leaders and tragic gays. If you ask us, Penn’s got this nailed.
Paul Raposo
This is why I can’t stand it when hets make gay themed films. Let’s not forget that the president of Focus Films once said, while complaining about the tilte of the indy film, “Thumbsucker”, that it might as well be called, “Buttfucker”. This is why I chuckle when pious, self-righteous liberals who are more homophobic that anti-gay rightwingers, get trashed for their homophobia.
But of course, this film will win an Oscar and all of homophobic Hollywood will pat themselves on their straight backs.
Goddamn.
WickedGayBlog.com
I couldn’t tell by the last post comments if the President of Focus Films or the the last person who posted has some serious self-loathing issues. Either way that person is probably not out to everyone he knows and will probably vote for McCain with such internalized hatred of self with quotes like “This is why I chuckle when pious, self-righteous liberals who are more homophobic that anti-gay rightwingers, get trashed for their homophobia.”
Sad, So very Sad.
On the the topic of the Milk Movie, VERY excited if it can in fact make in impact that helps my gay brothers and sisters in California!
Dave, WGB
crazylove
This is bullshit. Did you see the same trailer that I did? Just curious. Just because someone lobs a criticize, doesn’t mean you should post it as true. Focus , by the way, unlike most of Hollywood is trying. If you were involved in this business beyond trying to go see gay rent boy movies, maybe you would appreciate why a filmmaker like me appreciates the existence of a Focus.