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Our Own Private Auteur
Vanguard filmmaker Gus Van Sant tackles Harvey Milk's story
BY ALEXANDER CHO
Out filmmaker Gus Van Sant likes to toy with our expectations.
With films as diverse as My Own Private Idaho, Good Will
Hunting and Last Days under his belt, it sometimes seems
as though he purposefully refuses genre and category. This
December sees the release of his much-anticipated Harvey
Milk biopic, Milk, starring Sean Penn. Although the film's
star wattage will guarantee it critical and popular attention,
especially in our post-Brokeback moment, we're surely in
for something original, thought-provoking and raw. Van Sant
is an honoree at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's anniversary
gala on Oct. 18, where he will show a sneak-peek of the film.
FRONTIERS: You were in your 20s when Harvey Milk was assassinated.
Do you remember your reaction at the time?
GUS VAN SANT: Yes, I was intrigued. I was scared and outraged.
I wasn't out of the closet at that time. I assumed it was
a homophobic reason for the shooting and I am not sure that
is what we have filmed, although the distance between Dan
White and Harvey Milk is investigated. I think the verdict
on Dan's crime was the homophobic answer to things.
You filmed Milk on location in San Francisco, including on
Castro Street. Was that emotional or inspiring for you?
Filming on Castro Street and visiting Castro Street has been
many different things for me; visiting a place that was at
one time a gay Disneyland—a Valhalla for gay life—and making
a story about one of the characters who lived on Castro Street
are [full of] revelations and inspirations. The people who
still live on Castro Street and the ones that didn't live
through the AIDS epidemic mix the inspiration with sorrow.
The Castro has been lively, bizarre, home, sexy, wonderful,
original, political and so many things—we tried to keep them
all in mind while we went along our way. I know we missed
on a lot of things, but we have succeeded on some as well.
What was your biggest challenge in recreating the 1970s for
this film?
Recreating the '70s goes to my design team, Bill Groom and
Danny Glicker—I pretty much stay out of it. The challenges
were more about crowd scenes, because we didn't have the
money for a crowd. But we fortunately had some very dear
help from volunteers who showed up during those scenes through
announcements we posted.
You re-interpreted the Columbine shootings in Elephant and
Kurt Cobain's final moments in Last Days. How is Milk, also
based on a poignant historical moment, similar or different?
Its similar, I guess, to Last Days and Elephant, however
those two movies were fictionalized. This is the first biographical
film for me. Most films that I have made were based on real
events or people, but not directly—this is the first one.
Why is it important for the general public to know about
Harvey Milk's story?
Harvey is important to remember because he was so impressive
in his ability to stand up for himself and his community,
to not back down because of intimidation or adversity, and
through insistence to make a very large change for people
in the city of San Francisco, and the country, and the world.
He should be remembered for that.
There is a remarkable cast of young male actors in this film,
including James Franco, Emile Hirsch and Diego Luna.
There is a lot of support from the acting community and they
did it for the cause. There wasn't a lot of money in it for
them, and they were responding as well to a really cool script.
What sort of direction did you give Sean Penn as he inhabited
the character of Harvey Milk?
I didn't give a lot of direction to Sean, but through inference—and
almost sign language—we let each other know what we liked
and didn't like as we went along.
As a gay director you have a perspective and life experience
that is different from straight directors. How has being
gay impacted your work?
It sort of comes along with my work, at times being gay can
be directly related to what I am doing in my work, and other
times not as much—but it is still there along with the work.
LIMITED RUN
Breakfast With Scot
When a “straight-acting” couple becomes temporary guardians
to an effeminate 11-year-old boy, acceptance becomes the
virtue in question. Sunset 5. Fri., Oct. 10. regentreleasing.com/breakfastwithscotpress
Saving Marriage
Three years in the making, Saving Marriage is on the scene
as one state grapples with a simple question: Should gay
and lesbian couples have the right to marry? The Regent
Showcase Theater. Fri., Oct. 17.
regentreleasing.com/savingmarriagepress
The Times of Harvey Milk
This Oscar-winner documents the rise of Harvey Milk from
neighborhood activist to the symbol for gay political achievement,
culminating in assassination. The Renberg Theatre. Thurs.,
Oct. 9. 8 p.m. Free admission. 323/993-7393; lagaycenter.org
Stop-Loss
Out filmmaker Kimberly Peirce tells a tale of brawny, Army
boys, played by Ryan Phillipe and Channing Tatum—thank
you Ms. Perice! AFI Silver Theatre. Thurs., Oct. 9. 7 p.m.
$10. afi.com
Homo Must
Q Film Festival
A presentation of several feature films and shorts, as well
as documentaries, highlighting issues within the lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. Art Theatre.
Fri., Oct. 10-Sun., Oct. 12. $10-75 (weekend pass). CenterLB.org
ON SCREEN
Breakfast With Scot
(Regent Releasing/here!)
Starring Tom Cavanagh, Ben Shenkman,
Noah Bernett
95 mins, PG-13
***
This past year saw several family friendly titles on the
LGBT film fest circuit dealing with little kids who are clearly
“different.” Adapted from Michael Downing's novel, out director
Laurie Lynd's Canadian import, Breakfast With Scot, is probably
the best of the lot. Former hockey star turned sportscaster
Eric (Cavanagh) and his dopplebanger LTR boyfriend Sam (Shenkman)
find their life disrupted when Sam's 11-year-old nephew,
Scot (Bernett), lands in their care after his mother dies.
A miniature Quentin Crisp who looks like Mason Reese, Scot
personifies every sashaying gay stereotype—loves musicals,
completely ignorant of sports, dresses for Nickelodeon's
version of Project Runway, overly sensitive, likes cosmetics—that
“straight-acting” Eric abhors, so Eric endeavors to butch
him up. Cue a journey to understanding and acceptance over
the course of 95 minutes. This is a perfectly sweet, all-ages
offering for LGBT families and their friends, boasting many
amusing lines and wonderful messages. However, lacking is
any unpredictability, subversive edge, or subtlety for cinema-savvy
adults. If you're taking the kids to Breakfast, add a star
to the above rating—and don't forget the syrup. —LAWRENCE FERBER
Filth and Wisdom
Starring Eugene Hutz, Richard E. Grant, Holly Weston
80 mins,
unrated**1/2
Not known for a lack of artistic control or ambition, Madonna
turns her attention to directing motion pictures. To be fair,
Madonna didn't even need to share this first effort with
us—as she's openly stated, this was her version of "film
school." But she has shared it with us, so… Co-written
by Madonna and Dan Cadan (a regular crew member on Guy Ritchie's
films), F&W is essentially a lightweight, forgettable
Mike Leigh-esque ensemble piece revolving around a handful
of London artists in various stages of creative and financial
struggle. A.K. (Hutz) is a Ukrainian musician who makes rent
as a role-playing rough trade hustler. Dancer Holly (Weston)
works a stripper pole (amusingly, to a Britney number in
one scene) while honing her craft. And blind gay writer,
Professor Flynn (Grant), stews in stagnation and misery rather
than strive for his next masterpiece. Hutz, looking like
Vincent Gallo rocking a handlebar mustache, is the film's
anchor. He's tasked with uttering ludicrous, pseudo-profound
dialogue in direct address to the camera, but he also delivers
the most energized, entertaining segments when performing
with real-life Gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello. And yes, Madonna's
own music occasionally informs the soundtrack, and so do
her personal passions and beliefs. You won't necessarily
feel dirty for sitting through Madge's maiden directorial
voyage, but you won't leave much wiser, either. —L.F.
ON DVD
Kiss of The Spider Woman—Collector’s Editon
William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga
***
This 1985 classic film based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel
is available on DVD for the first time, and it stands up
incredibly well. It’s also decidedly ahead of its time in
its depiction of a gay character (the Oscar-winning William
Hurt) that at first looks to be dancing in caricature territory
but eventually evolves into a fully fleshed-out, living,
breathing portrayal of a tormented man spending time behind
bars in a Latin American jail with a Marxist political prisoner
(the equally compelling Raul Julia). What starts slowly quickly
draws you in. And while it’s talky at points, the stars’
performances are a revelation. Their strained relationship
eventually grows into friendship until their cellmate bond
builds to its startling climax where the two men come together—both
figuratively and literally. Extras include a truly interesting,
feature-length documentary “Tangled Web” that tells the tale
of how this controversial film made it to celluloid. —WALLY
KING
The Picture of Dorian Gray
George Sanders, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury
****
This is glorious gothic horror at its finest, and its source
material (Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel) deserves as much praise
for this film’s fine execution as its spot-on cast. It’s
every gay man’s dream/nightmare come to horror-reality: A
handsome man remains eternally youthful but he loses his
soul and a portrait of him grows ugly to represent the many
sins of his prolonged life... which becomes, as clever allegory
goes, a sad existence. If you can get past the fact that
there are far better looking people in this Victorian England
opus than the titular Dorian Gray (and that—with makeup—he
looks a good 10 years over the 22 years he’s supposed to
portray) you’ll love the dark horror, the classic acting,
and you’ll wonder what ever happened to great films that
begin with great storytelling. Co-star Angela Lansbury is
on hand for the extras and she offers her commentary on this
dark, entertaining gem. —WK
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