Chapter 6 The Sexual Self

Philadelphia (1919)
Plot
Fearing it would compromise his career, lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) hides his
homosexuality and HIV status at a powerful Philadelphia law firm. But his secret is exposed
when a colleague spots the illness's telltale lesions. Fired shortly afterwards, Beckett resolves to
sue for discrimination, teaming up with Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), the only lawyer willing
to help. In court, they face one of his ex-employer's top litigators, Belinda Conine (Mary
Steenburgen).

Controversies
Bowers' family sued the writers and producers of the film. A year after Bowers' death in
1987, a producer, Scott Rudin had interviewed the Bowers family and their lawyers and,
according to the family, promised compensation for the use of Bowers' story as a basis for a film.

Characters
 Tom Hanks as Andrew ("Andy")
Beckett
 Denzel Washington as Joe Miller
 Jason Robards as Charles Wheeler
 Mary Steenburgen as Belinda
Conine
 Antonio Banderas as Miguel Álvarez
 Joanne Woodward as Sarah Beckett
 Robert W. Castle as Bud Beckett
 Ann Dowd as Jill Beckett
 Adam LeFevre as Jill's husband
 John Bedford Lloyd as Matt Beckett
 Dan Olmstead as Randy Beckett
 Lisa Summerour as Lisa Miller
 Charles Napier as Judge Lucas
Garnett
 Roberta Maxwell as Judge Tate
 Roger Corman as Mr. Roger Laird
 David Drake as Bruno
 Harry Northup as The Jury
 Bill Rowe as Dr. Armbruster
 Chandra Wilson as Chandra
 Daniel von Bargen as Jury Foreman
 Karen Finley as Dr. Gillman
 Robert Ridgely as Walter Kenton
 Bradley Whitford as Jamey Collins
 Ron Vawter as Bob Seidman
 Anna Deavere Smith as Anthea
Burton
 Obba Babatundé as Jerome Green
 Charles Glenn as Kenneth Killcoyne
 Tracey Walter as the Librarian
 Andre B. Blake as Young Man in
Pharmacy (as André B. Blake)
 Daniel Chapman as Clinic
Storyteller
 Peter Jacobs as Peter / Mona Lisa
 Paul Lazar as Dr. Klenstein
 Warren Miller as Mr. Finley
 Joey Perillo as Filko
 Lauren Roselli as Iris
 Lisa Talerico as Shelby
 Kathryn Witt as Melissa Benedict
 Julius Erving as himself
 Mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell
as himself

Reaction
 In Philadelphia, a Columbia TriStar Home Video release, Tom Hanks stars as Andrew Beckett, a
talented lawyer at the peak of his career. He has just been promoted to senior partner in his firm. Then,
suddenly, a glitch in an important case he is handling sends the partners into a panic. They fire him for
incompetence. Beckett knows the real reason: they have found out that he has AIDS.

After being rejected by nine other lawyers, Andrew convinces personal injury attorney Joe Miller, played
by Denzel Washington, to take his case. He intends to bring a suit against his former firm for wrongful
termination. Although these two share a love of the law, they are worlds apart in their lifestyles. Andrew
has a longtime lover Miguel. Miller is married and admits a bias against homosexuals. Again and again in
the course of the trial, he is forced to square off against his own prejudice.

Jonathan Demme's pathbreaking film about AIDS puts a human face on one of its victims and indelibly
carves into our consciousness the personal costs of this disease. Tom Hanks gives a stirring performance
as Andrew Beckett, a man whose life force is drained away before our eyes. While many AIDS patients
suffer in isolation, this one is fortunate to have the loving support of his family.

Two powerful messages of Philadelphia are that we cannot push death aside and that we can learn from
persons with AIDS to live in the moment. The most dramatic scene in the film takes place in Andrew's
apartment when he tries to share with Joe his love of opera. Attached to his I.V. bottle, he dances across
the room entranced by an aria sung by Maria Callas. Andrew, fully aware that he is dying, has mastered
the art of living fully in the ripeness of the moment while Joe, embarrassed by his client's emotional
swoon, tries to make a quick retreat.

The film also succeeds in conveying the hornet's nest of ignorance, prejudice, half-truths, and devastating
lies connected with AIDS. As Joe comes to see, this scourge extracts a social death that precedes the
physical one. In revealing the insidiousness of abuse against persons with AIDS, Denzel Washington's
performance is a tour de force. As he gradually changes his attitudes and overcomes his fears, he shows
how easy it is for prejudice to taint even the most reasonable persons. Although Joe doesn't completely
succeed in eradicating his homophobia, he does deeply respect Andrew's valiant fight for life and his
attempt to die with dignity and grace. This is a good first step. Hopefully, Philadelphia will open the door
for other filmmakers to cover the continuing drama of AIDS and the public's varying responses to it.