Essay About Gay Lawyer Andrew Beckett And Audience Surrogate

Film: Philadelphia, Aids/Gay
Essay Preview: Film: Philadelphia, Aids/Gay
Report this essay
“No one would take on his case until one man was willing to take on the system” the tagline for
the film Philadelphia. This already tells us its going to be a film fighting for justice that has been
wrongly treated. Two men who are different one black, one white, one hetrosexual the other
homosexual but does that really make them different? Gay lawyer Andrew Beckett who is unjustly
fired by his firm because he has AIDS. Joe Miller is another lawyer (functioning as the mainstream
-audience surrogate which the director wanted) who reluctantly takes Becketts case and learns to
overcome his misconceptions about the disease, about those who contract it, and about gay
people in general. In this film its about AIDS a concerning diseses that is around today, sexuality is
the issue in this film. The whole court case should be the main factor that he has AIDS but the issue
including this is his sexuality. There are a lot of homophobic people out there, the word AIDS then
was automatically assume “Oh Gay” he was wrongly justifile because of that, his firm broke the lawyer,
Joe Miller a lawyer whom realize in time that it doesnt matter whether his Gay or not in the AIDS
case but he does have a problem with homosexuals and they way they live, in time he had some
conpassion in the AIDS/Gay issue.
By just watching the film now there must of been a issue with homosexuality and AIDS or
together? This film wasnt made for fun, It was made for a reason, That reason is very important
aswell. It seems media attention associated with HIV/AIDS has had the unintended
consequence of increasing homophobic attitudes. that was the main reason to make
Philadelphia It gave huge awareness of the illness to the masses to the world. –
Futhermore the director Jonathan Demme achieved what he wanted to achieve.
Showed how Important AIDS is, that GAY and AIDS are not always connected. He created Joe
Miller as a main steem viewer that would watch Philadelphia. Basically Joe Miller was the
audience who watched the film. He knew hardly nothing about AIDS as when he first found out,
Andrew had AIDS he took steps back and was watching everything he touched. After that
specially he found out more about AIDS like people watching the film, so they will have
some compassion to, like Miller got when he found out more about AIDS and worked with
Beckett. As the director wanted it to be main steem the audience specialty will be mostly.
Philadelphia is going through a jounrey Andrew Beckett being a live, going through AIDS
treatments, suffering, dying. Him dying shows it better to be protected during sex.
It is interesting that Andrew beckett, watching him, it feels like you know him or even if you
didnt know anyone with AIDS Philadelphia ables you to feel as If you know somebody
with the disease, in form of the lead character.
Andrew Beckett seems like any other man in the beginning of the film. One of those people
you would get on with, that always look on the Positive side of things (like he did on the
phone to his mum even though he got bad news at the hospital.) Right at the beginning,
when you first see Beckett is at the meeting with Miller debating and he wins, means
hes good and he strong. His job is a lawyer a powerful, constructive, high level, respected
job that you would think homosexuals work for in the homophobic eye. When he comes
back from his treatment he heading for his office his employes that are woman come up
to him, he seems very flirtly, with them a ladys man so you think hes hetrosexual at the
being of the film but you dont think about if that much because its only a minor thing.
When you just automacally think someones straight you dont think about it as if
someones gay just first impressions you always think someones gay and get to
know them better and see them more clearly in there true colours as Joe Miller
might think about Andrew Beckett this way and some of the audience too.
He doesnt have a camp voice, he wears smart clothes, he doesnt act in any way
camp or queer, Hes doesnt look feminine however he does seem like he does have a
nice sweet, gentle way to him. Another way in which he is masculine is the when he
got the bad news about his AIDS he didnt tell his mum when he called kept it to
him self (part from his partner) was making the phone call more about her saying
“how are you mum?” the effect of that phone call made him look more of a manly man.
You start to see Becketts more emotional side when he feels hes given up hope
or that he realize that this is such a mess, hen he walks out of Mr Millers Offices.
Obvisly he likes to please people at the hospital he a ranges it so his partner and
the doctor were happy. He is more masculine when he is a lawyer but out side