Philadelphia

The motion picture Philadelphia opens to views of everyday life on the streets of the title city. Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) and Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) first appear on screen as opposing lawyers arguing a case in front of a judge. Beckett wins the battle of the day and they part company.

In the very next scene, Beckett is getting blood work done a clinic. The camera flashes to someone else in the clinic who is obviously suffering from AIDS. Later Beckett is speaking to him mother about his T-cells and platelets.  We immediately realize that Beckett is suffering from the same affliction himself. 

Andrew Beckett is a successful lawyer in the prestigious Wyant, Wheeler Law Firm in Philadelphia, PA. He is so successful and well-liked that he is given a promotion to senior associate in the firm and assigned to a very important case.  Another partner in the firm notices a lesion on Beckett's forehead. When asked about it, Beckett explains that he was hit in the head with a racquet ball.

Beckett later completes a critical brief for his very important case and leaves it on his desk for his secretary to file in the morning.  The file mysteriously disappears, as does any record of its existence from the company’s computer system. Beckett learns about this while he is in the hospital getting treatment.  He returns to the office but the brief is no where to be found.

The file is finally located in the office's central filing area minutes before it is too late to submit. The case is salvaged but not long after Beckett is fired by his mentor Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards) for nearly blowing the case. He immediately realizes he has been sabotaged.  His only explanation; the firm's partners realized he has AIDS and fired him for that reason.

Beckett goes to see Miller at his law office. They shake hands and are standing very close to one another when Miller innocently asks Beckett how he is doing. In a very matter-of-fact manner, Beckett says he has AIDS. Miller is obviously very uncomfortable and backs up to put as much distance between him and Beckett as the room will allow.

Beckett asks Miller if he will represent him in a wrongful termination case, which is a disability discrimination case. Beckett has been to nine other attorneys before seeing Miller. The others have turned him down either because they don't want to take on the prestigious Wyant, Wheeler Law Firm or because they don’t want to take on a case associated with AIDS, or for both.   Miller also declines. 

Miller runs into to Beckett at the library.  Beckett is researching previous AIDS discrimination cases. The librarian is suggesting Beckett do his research in a private room, obviously because of his AIDS disease.  Miller intercedes and begins to discuss Beckett's case with him. Miller learns he couldn't find an attorney to represent.  He finally agrees to take on Beckett’s case.

The film flashes forward seven months to when the trials begins. Beckett's disease is starting to take a significant toll.  He is considerably thinner and weaker. From the beginning of the trial, it is clear his previous employer has influenced witnesses. One witness, who previously raved about Beckett's representation of his company in a law suit, now claims they were merely satisfied with the outcome and that Beckett's performance was mediocre.

Miller continues to wrestle with his opinions about homosexuality. He is repulsed by the thought of men being intimate with other men, but he is starting to respect and enjoy the company of Beckett. He publicly professes that homosexuals make him sick in a crowded bar, but reassures his colleagues that he is upholding the law despite his feelings about Beckett or homosexuality.

Miller's opinion begins to change when he and his wife attend a party thrown by Beckett and his partner Miguel Alvarez (Antonio Banderas). Most of those attending the party are gay. While Miller dances slowly with his wife, he sees Miller and Alvarez dancing just as slowly and with as much passion. It is at this point that he begins to realize that Beckett is just as human and as much in love with his partner as he is.

After the party, Miller and Beckett begin to go over their testimony for the next day. Miller tries to keep Beckett on task but can not. Beckett reminds Miller that he may not be around at the conclusion of the trial. Miller tries to return to the cross-examination questions but Beckett turns up the volume on a very passionate opera piece titled La Momma Morta. Beckett describes the story and the feelings of the opera's characters. At the end of the piece Beckett interprets, “I am love”.

When the trial resumes, Beckett is describing how he came to work at the firm. He talks about his respect and admiration he has for his previous mentor, Wheeler. He explains that he is an excellent lawyer and that the only possible explanation for his dismissal is that he had AIDS. Beckett begins to feel the weight of the trial during cross-examination. He begins to loose focus, his voice is soft and he can’t keep his eyes open for long periods of time.

During Wheeler's testimony later that day, He explains that Beckett was fired because he was a poor performing lawyer. When asked why he had been promoted and given important cases, Wheeler explains that the firm had a lot invested in Beckett and wanted to see if their investment could pay off.  He explained that the firm eventually came to the realization that it would not.  Beckett faints near the end of Wheeler's testimony and is removed from the courtroom. He will not return. 

The trial goes to the jury. The jurors can not figure out why a poor performing attorney was given such high profile and important cases. They don’t believe Wyant Wheeler Law Firm's explanation and award Beckett a nearly $5 million settlement.

Beckett is now in the hospital and won’t ever leave. He is very near death and one-by-one his friends and family members say goodbye. We see that Miller has overcome is prejudice and has genuine compassion for Beckett when he speak to him for the last time in the hospital. When Beckett tries to put his oxygen mask back on, Miller takes it gently from his hand, places in over his mouth and nose, and gently caresses his face. Miller tells Beckett he will see him later, even though both know they will never see each other again. As further proof that Miller is overcoming his prejudice, he hugs Alvarez on the way out of the hospital.   

Beckett dies that night. The final scene of the film is a memorial party for Beckett. It is attended by a mixture of family, mostly gay friends and Miller and his wife. The final images of the film are home movies of Beckett when he was young boy.

Philadelphia is widely viewed to be the first main stream film to take on the subject of AIDS.  But while Philadelphia dealt with the subject of AIDS, it wasn’t exclusively about the disease. It uses AIDS as a vehicle to shed light the importance of accepting those who are different.  The film underscores what we all know to be true, that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion.

Tom Hanks gave one of the best performances of his career, if not the very best. Hanks won the 1993 Academy Award for his portrayal of Andrew Beckett. He gave Beckett a sense of humanity in a time when homosexuality and AIDS sufferers were not always seen as completely human. Hanks showed genuine emotion throughout the film. We were able to tell exactly what he was feeling during the many close-up shots of him throughout the film.  Hanks extended his performance beyond the film by tearfully thanking is mentor, a gay acting teacher, during in his tearful Oscar acceptance speech.

The role of Andrew Beckett took on a physical challenge for Hanks as well. He lost a considerable amount of weight from the time Philadelphia began production to when it concluded. He was extremely thin at the end of the film. His facial expressions, posture, and energy level were spot-on during each regressive stage of Beckett's health during the movie.

Denzel Washington was also very impressive in his role as Joe Miller. Washington authentically played the average man on the street in his representation of how society felt, and to some extent still feels, about homosexuality and AIDS. He drew viewers into to the inner conflict of examining his own true feelings on the subject and eventually coming to terms with and accepting Beckett's alternative lifestyle.  He comes to know gay people as people and not symbols or caricatures.

Philadelphia director Jonathan Demme uses many close-up images of the films characters during the film to show feelings. This technique is used when Beckett leaves Miller's office after he initially refused to take Beckett's case. You can truly see the pain and sorrow in Beckett's face. An extreme close-up is used when Miller returns to his home after listening to Beckett interpret La Momma Morta. Miller crawls into bed with his wife and the film focuses deeply on his face. He is slowly accepting and understanding Beckett and his lifestyle.

Symbolism is crucial in Philadelphia. The most obvious use of symbolism is when Beckett first tells Miller he has AIDS. Miller and Beckett are standing very close when Beckett reveals his illness. Miller immediately changes facial expression and puts as much distance between himself and Beckett as possible. Much of this scene is shot from an elevated position, giving greater emphasis to the distance between the characters.

During the film, Beckett and Miller are seen increasingly closer and closer physically, which represents how close they are becoming emotionally. It also represents how Miller's views on homosexuality are changing. The symbolism comes to a crescendo when at the end of the film Miller helps Beckett with his oxygen mask and caresses his face.

Strong symbolism is also used when Beckett begins to loose his focus during his cross-examination at trial. He appears weak and can not keep his eyes open for long periods of time. To enhance this, Demme uses odd angled, shifting photography to represent confusion. He also uses alternating normal, muffled and amplified sound to further illustrate that something is terribly wrong with Beckett.

By far the most passionate scene of the film is Beckett's translation of the aria La Momma Morta. It is during this sequence that Beckett expresses his acceptance of his oncoming death but describes his passion for life. Here again, Demme uses strong symbolism. When the music begins, the room is normal color with normal shading. When Beckett begins to describe the song and the emotions of the music, the room initially darkens. The film stays darker when viewing Miller listening to Beckett, but the film tone is a sensual red while watching Beckett speak. Beckett is full of passion while Miller is still in the dark. The darkness slowly lightens on Miller, which represents him coming into enlightenment.

Philadelphia's score is very unique. The film opens with the very passionate Streets of Philadelphia sung by Bruce Springsteen and concludes with Neil Young's equally passionate Philadelphia.  Opera is used throughout nearly the entire film, essentially becoming its musical backdrop. This musical genre provided an undertone of passion and great depth.