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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Film Free Milk

Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 12:30 PM

At Schmader's suggestion, I made it my year-end mission to see Rob Epstein's 1984 documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk (which I'd never even heard about until all the Milk-related happenings this fall). But it wasn't easy. Last month, I put the documentary at the top of my Netflix cue and... waited. And waited. Apparently a lot of people had the same idea, and Netflix didn't have enough copies.

Yesterday it arrived—finally!—and when I mentioned this fact here, a helpful commenter told me:

Silly Eli, you could have just gone here.

D'oh! If, like the former me, you're out there right now waiting in some virtual line to get a copy of The Times of Harvey Milk—which you should be, because it's amazing and affecting and a necessary companion to Gus Van Sant's Milk—well, Hulu's got it for free.

Comments (14) RSS

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There are also these places out there called video stores, where one can rent a video for a small fee. I think I've even seen ads for them in your own newspaper.

Or you can ask any over-40 politically active Queer to borrow it from his or her video collection.

There are no problems, only solutions.

Posted by Andy Niable on December 31, 2008 at 12:36 PM

Look, Milk isn't a fascinating story. It isn't. His life was
nothing, he stood for only one thing worth something in regards to movie material, and he didn't die because of it.

The guy did nothing his whole life, failed miserably in politics until the seat was handed to him, fixed some dogshit and got shot by someone for reasons you WISH were homophobic. Wow, what a hero. What an inspiration.

Caligula did more good deeds and had more of a purpose than Milk.

Posted by worst civil right struggle of ever? Fags. on December 31, 2008 at 12:38 PM

Y2: You're absolutely right. Milk's is a meaningless story, and like most meaningless stories, it's inspired one great book and two great movies. Thank you for your wisdom.

Posted by David Schmader on December 31, 2008 at 12:51 PM

Milk's story is interesting, as is the story of his assassin. The documentary is well worth watching (PBS shows it annually here), not ONLY for his struggle, but it documents an important time in this city's history. That's about as bland a thing as anyone could say, but it doesn't make it less true.

Posted by Dougsf on December 31, 2008 at 1:05 PM

I watched it yesterday because the front page of Hulu was advertising it. It was great. Whoever watches it should check to see if they took "soverignman" off the comments yet. That loser thought the shooter should have got a medal.

Posted by freemovies on December 31, 2008 at 1:18 PM

mr. poe, a/k/a worst civil rights struggle of ever? fags, you're not foolin' anyone.

Posted by scary tyler moore on December 31, 2008 at 1:25 PM

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Posted by randy on December 31, 2008 at 1:32 PM

To say that The Times of Harvey Milk is a "necessary companion" to Milk is an insult to the former. The Times of... is a much better movie. After all these years, I still remember how riveted I was by the interview subjects, esp. Sally Miller Gearhart and Anne Kronenberg.

The ACTING in "Milk" is flawless. But the movie itself doesn't pack the punch of the 1984 documentary.

Posted by dc.al.coda on December 31, 2008 at 1:59 PM

Thanks for the link! The movie's been out 25 years, and today I finally saw it, on Hulu. Awesome. Heartbreaking.

Posted by SaraD on December 31, 2008 at 3:27 PM

Thanks for passing along the link, Eli! I'm looking forward to watching this.

Posted by blackhook on December 31, 2008 at 3:28 PM

Maybe if more people saw "The Times of Harvey Milk" before November, then Prop 8 wouldn't have passed.
Plus ca change.....

Posted by siobhan in boston on December 31, 2008 at 4:00 PM

I watched it on Hulu today, and although I was alive to see it and remember it, Dan White was made to look like some kind of fanatic in this documentary. He was, in some respects, but in a lot of ways he was just a normal guy who wanted his beliefs respected, like Milk did.

That doesn't forgive him for what he did. He should have gotten the very death penalty that Moscone objected to. You don't make a valid point at the end of a gun, especially when you bring extra rounds.

Rest in peace Harvey and George.

Posted by wolf on December 31, 2008 at 4:01 PM

Eli -

next time a trip to your local video store could clear this right up. I realize it's soooo 2007 but it still works. Asshat.

Posted by dr. thompkins on December 31, 2008 at 5:33 PM