Philadelphia
original film poster
Directed by	Jonathan Demme
Produced by	Jonathan Demme Edward Saxon
Written by	Ron Nyswaner
Starring	Tom Hanks Denzel Washington Jason Robards Antonio Banderas Joanne Woodward
Music by	Howard Shore
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	December 23, 1993
Running time	125 min.
Language	English
Budget	$26,000,000 US (est.)
IMDb profile

Philadelphia is an Academy Award-winning 1993 drama film revolving around the HIV/AIDS epidemic, written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. It stars Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas, Lisa Summerour, Chandra Wilson, and Mary Steenburgen. It was partly inspired by the story of Geoffrey Bowers, an attorney who in 1987 sued the law firm Baker & McKenzie for unfair dismissal in one of the first AIDS discrimination cases. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jonathan Demme (born February 22, 1944, in Baldwin, New York) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Jonathan Demme (born February 22, 1944, in Baldwin, New York) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Edward Saxon is an Academy Award-winning film producer. ... Ronald L. Nyswaner (born October 5, 1956 in Clarksville, Pennsylvania) is an American screenwriter and film director. ... Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor, Emmy-winning director, voice-over artist and movie producer. ... Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born August 10, 1960), better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor and singer who has starred in several high-profile Hollywood films including Ballistic: Ecks vs. ... Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy award winning American actress. ... Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is an Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning Canadian composer, best known for composing the scores to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and films of David Cronenberg. ... The TriStar Pictures logo from 1993 to the present TriStar redirects here. ... December 23 is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... // March 31 - Actor Brandon Lee is accidentally killed during the filming of The Crow. ... A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ... Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... Ronald L. Nyswaner (born October 5, 1956 in Clarksville, Pennsylvania) is an American screenwriter and film director. ... Jonathan Demme (born February 22, 1944, in Baldwin, New York) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor, Emmy-winning director, voice-over artist and movie producer. ... Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. ... Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy award winning American actress. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born August 10, 1960), better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor and singer who has starred in several high-profile Hollywood films including Ballistic: Ecks vs. ... Chandra Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress. ... Mary Steenburgen (born February 8, 1953) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Baker & McKenzie is an international law firm, founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Story

Twenty-seven year old Andrew Beckett (Hanks) is a University of Pennsylvania graduate who works for the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. Andy is successful, easy-going, secretly gay, and a sufferer of AIDS. Because his boss (Robards) has a strong prejudice against gay people, he hides the truth about his sexuality along with his partner, Miguel (Antonio Banderas) from the members of the firm. Though not a full partner in the firm, his legal performance is exceptional, and he is promoted to the post of Senior Associate (one step beneath full partnership) and he is assigned the most important case the firm has taken on. This article is about the private Ivy League university in Philadelphia. ... Corporations law or corporate law is the law concerning the creation and regulation of corporations. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: , Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ... Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... For with(out) prejudice in law, see Prejudice (law). ... José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born August 10, 1960), better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor and singer who has starred in several high-profile Hollywood films including Ballistic: Ecks vs. ...

His condition has reached the stage when he has developed Kaposi's Sarcoma, a form of cancer marked by multiple tumors on the lymph nodes and skin. He has been using make-up to cover the lesions, but a member of the firm notices one that has appeared on his forehead. On the last day that they can file the papers in the case he has been assigned, he has finished the necessary forms for the case to be submitted. Leaving the paperwork on his desk in plain sight, he informs the clerk about it, instructing him to file them with the court, and he leaves. An hour later, the clerk phones him asking where the papers are — they are not on his desk. Additionally, all of the copies on his computer's hard drive have been erased. His work had been sabotaged and he is promptly fired from the law firm the next day.

Andrew tries to hire a lawyer to take his case and sue the firm for illegal dismissal, lost earnings, and punitive damages, but nobody will take an AIDS sufferer as a client. One of the attorneys he attempts to hire is Joe Miller (Washington), a family man and injury lawyer with whom he had argued against in an earlier case and is secretly homophobic himself. Ultimately, Andrew is compelled to act as his own attorney. They encounter each other again at the Philadelphia Library where he has been doing research; people in the room are leaving the immediate area when they see him and one librarian attempts to persuade him to move to a private room. Miller is disgusted with the behavior he is witnessing — behavior he was guilty of when earlier discussing the homosexual lifestyle with his wife — and, after going over some of the material Andrew had already prepared, decides to take the case. After Miller gives the firm a summons during a basketball game, they discuss wanting to find out if Beckett is a member of any LGBT rights groups and frequents gay bars. Punitive damages are damages awarded to a successful plaintiff in a civil action, over and above the amount of compensatory damages, to: punish the conduct of the civil defendant; deter the civil defendant from committing the invidious act again; and deter others from doing the same thing. ... LGBT social movements is a collective term for a number of movements that share related goals of social acceptance of homosexuality and/or gender variance. ... A gay bar is a drinking establishment which can vary in character as much as any other type of bar, but which caters exclusively or primarily to a gay and / or lesbian clientele. ...

Both gain great trust and respect for each other as they fight a David v. Goliath case, much to the shock, admiration, and, for some, disgust of the population. Joe must show that Andrew is a good man, not a threat, and that his boss fired him under fraudulent pretenses as he begins to realize that gay and bisexual people are still human beings with feelings. As the case goes before the court, the partners of the firm take the stand one-by-one, and commit open perjury — smearing Andrew's name, claiming he was incompetent, and deliberately tried to hide his condition and sexual orientation. Andrew had planned to tell his employers about his homosexuality, however, after hearing his coworkers and the firm's head lawyer, Charles Wheeler, tell a homophobic joke in their athletic club's sauna, abandoned the idea. Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. ...

Andrew has a blackout in court and dies soon after. Andrew does, however, succeed in court and the firm is ordered by the jury to make a large payout, consisting of $140,000 in back pay, $100,000 for pain and suffering and four million dollars in punitive damages. The term blackout in peacetime refers to a cessation of electrical energy through electric power transmission systems. ...

Trivia

• Philadelphia refers not merely to the city in which the story takes place. Philadelphia is also known as the "City of Brotherly Love" (from Greek: Φιλαδέλφεια, "brotherly love" from philos "loving" and adelphos "brother"). This in turn refers to two major themes of the movie, namely gay love and love between humankind.
• The late Quentin Crisp has a cameo appearance in the film when Hanks and Banderas’s characters throw a gay costume party.
• An anti-LGBT group protesting against Andrew Beckett outside the courtroom is loosely based on the reactionary Westboro Baptist Church. The WBC pastor Fred Phelps commented Philadelphia as "one of his favorite comedies" since he hates gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people, as do most of his family and all of his church congregation.
• Tom Hanks had to lose almost thirty pounds to appear appropriately gaunt for his courtroom scenes. Denzel Washington, on the other hand, was asked to gain a few pounds for his role. Washington, to the chagrin of Hanks, who practically starved himself for the role, would often eat chocolate bars in front of him.
• The following message appears in the end credits: "This motion picture was inspired in part by Geoffrey Bowers’ AIDS discrimination lawsuit, the courage and love of the Angius family and the struggles of the many others who, along with their loved ones, have experienced discrimination because of AIDS."

Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: , Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ... Quentin Crisp (December 25, 1908) – November 21, 1999), was an English writer, artists model, actor and raconteur known for his memorable and insightful witticisms. ... A protest by The Westboro Baptist Church; a group identified by the Anti-Defamation League as virulently homophobic. ... Reactionary (or reactionist) is a political epithet, generally used as a pejorative, originally applied in the context of the French Revolution to counter-revolutionaries who wished to restore the real or imagined conditions of the monarchical Ancien Régime. ... WBC member Jael Phelps (right) and an unidentified WBC child protesting in Tulsa, Oklahoma Westboro Baptist Church is a U.S. religious organization headed by Fred Phelps and based in Topeka, Kansas. ... Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. ... Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor, Emmy-winning director, voice-over artist and movie producer. ... Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Awards

The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks) and Best Music, Song (Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia"). Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Best Song is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers. ... Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... Streets of Philadelphia is an Academy Award-winning and multiple Grammy Award-winning song written and performed by American singer Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 film Philadelphia. ...

It was also nominated for Best Makeup (Carl Fullerton and Alan D'Angerio), Best Music, Song (Neil Young for "Philadelphia") and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Ron Nyswaner). These are the Academy Award for Makeup winners and nominees: 1980s 1982 Quest for Fire Gandhi 1983 none given 1984 Amadeus 2010: The Year We Make Contact Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle 1985 Mask The Color Purple 1986 The Fly The Clan of the Cave Bear... The Academy Award for Best Song is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers. ... Neil Percival Young[1] OM (born November 12, 1945, Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director from Omemee, Ontario. ... // The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ... Ronald L. Nyswaner (born October 5, 1956 in Clarksville, Pennsylvania) is an American screenwriter and film director. ...

This film's protagonist, Andrew Beckett is listed at number 49 on the AFI's list of the Top 100 Heroes and Villains. AFIs 100 Years. ...

Controversy

The film was the second Hollywood big-budget, big-star film to tackle the issue of AIDS (following TV movie And the Band Played On) in America and also signaled a shift in the early 1990s for Hollywood films to have more realistic depictions of homosexuals. However, the fact that Hanks' and Banderas' characters do not display normal relationship affections such as kissing, and the absence of gay women drew criticism from some gay film critics. In an interview for the 1996 documentary The Celluloid Closet, Hanks remarked that some scenes showing more affection between him and Banderas were cut, including a scene showing him and Banderas in bed together. The DVD edition of the film, produced by Automat Pictures includes that scene and many of the principals discuss the criticisms leveled at the film. However, a flashback which shows Andrew sitting next to another guy named Robert in a gay pornographic theater known as the Stallion Showcase Cinema is the one he claimed to have had a sexual encounter with as he revealed it in court. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic is a work of nonfiction written by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Randy Shilts (original copyright 1987) chronicling the discovery and spread of HIV and AIDS, with a special emphasis on government indifference and political infighting to what was initially... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... The Celluloid Closet is the title of a 1995 documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. ... DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... Category: ...

References

• Philadelphia. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Tom Hanks, Denzel Washing. TriStar Pictures, 1993.

External links

Philadelphia Portal

• Philadelphia at the Internet Movie Database