Milk: A Biographical Film

Second Analytic Film Assignment

Milk is a biographical film based on the life of gay activist and politician Harvey Milk. He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. He was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Dan White, a city supervisor, assassinated Milk along with the mayor at the time George Moscone. Harvey Milk’s journey to become a member of the board was a difficult one. It took him several attempts before he was elected. However, he persevered and overcame the hatred pitted towards the gay community so that he could make a difference in ways society viewed gays.

Harvey Milk changed the world because he had the passion and drive to make a better place for the gay community to live in and be treated equally. Milk was frustrated by the opposition he and other gay people were facing and utilized his skills as a business in becoming a gay activist. Through his theatrical campaigns and motivation earned him increasingly popularity. He inspired many gays and lesbians to love themselves and be proud of who they are. He also helped many people get over their intolerance of lesbians and gays. Milk was able to do that by illustrating to the gay community that if they support other groups’ causes then those groups will return the favor and support their causes. Harvey knew he needed to expand his targeted group to groups outside of the gay and lesbian communities. He focused on the minority groups because he understood what they were going through. As a gay man he was treated unequally and unfairly so he knew what it feels like to be part of a group that is treated poorly. Harvey used that to his advantage and pleaded to the middle to lower class groups and minority groups th...

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...ghts. In the film, a young boy who had not come out yet considered killing himself and was telling Harvey this. A couple of years later, Harvey founds out he is alive and well both physically and emotionally because the boy took Harvey’s advice and moved to a place where he would be accepted. The boy also told Harvey how the place he was in was going to create a movement to fight for the cause. Because of Harvey’s courage and motivation, it inspired many people in different sates fight for equality and acceptance.

All in all, the LGBT community faced a lot of hardships and problems but overcame those by the inspiration of one man, Harvey Milk. Becoming San Francisco’s openly gay city supervisor helped Harvey start a movement and achieved what he had been fighting for. Without his dedication, the LGBT community might not be the same as it is in today’s society.