Milk Film Analysis

Milk(2008) is a film that depicted a time where it was politically incorrect to be openly gay, and Harvey Milk challenged the norm and succeeded in being openly gay in politics. The memory we have of Harvey Milk in a social aspect and the cultural memory that was created was told in the recorded tape of his own personal memory. Through critical cultural studies and the public memory that has taught us about Milk, we are able to learn of his achievements and the change he created in politics and in the nation. Using Halbwack’s collective memory, Sturken’s camera memory as well as Landsberg’s prosthetic memory we are able to connect Van Sant’s Milk(2008) to culture and the effects Harvey Milk’s actions had on California and the nation in regard to the gay community. Memory is social and the aspect of identity as explained by Halbwack is evident throughout the film in regards to Milk’s personal identity and how it affected other people of the gay community. Sturken’s concepts of flashbulb memory and camera memory are present because of the media’s …show more content…
Franco on the other hand, is no stranger to portraying gay men and for advocating for gay rights. There are many films and projects that he was involved in, but some recent ones include I Am Michael(2015), in which he plays a former gay activist-turned pastor, as well as a short film, Interior. Leather Bar(2013) which is not only a gay film but also extremely erotic. All-in-all, James Franco has a plethora of experience in the memory that has been created regarding gay cinema. A third lead actor is Emile Hirsch, who has been in one other movie that has to deal with homosexuality, but in a much lesser way. In The Mudge Boy(2003), Emile’s character’s friend deals with being attracted to Emile’s character, but in the end turns against him because of the negative social implications of being