“Philadelphia” Jonathan Demme depicts human freedom and liberation in the land of freedom

Casting Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington

When making this movie, director Demme said, ``It was absolutely necessary to use a star.'' AIDS was a radical theme in Hollywood at the time, but they thought that having a star would make it a viable studio production. So I sent the script to a major agent, and Tom Hanks was interested and contacted me.

According to the DVD's audio commentary with the director and screenwriter, Hanks even said, ``I don't care how much I get paid as long as I can be in this movie.'' The participation of a well-known actor like Hanks was a positive factor for this project.

As a result, Hanks won his first Oscar. Prior to this film, he received his first Oscar nomination for `` Big '' (1988), and was gaining strength as an actor, but with ``Philadelphia'' he was recognized as an actor who can also play serious roles. The following year, he won consecutive awards for `` Forest Gump '' (1994) and became a leading actor in Hollywood (he was nominated for an Oscar three times in the 1990s). When he read the script for this film, he may have had a hunch that it would change his life.

"Philadelphia" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Meanwhile, Denzel Washington plays Miller, the lawyer who defends him. At first, the role of the lawyer was said to be a supporting role, but later the role became more important and became a character almost on par with Hanks. Washington's warm humor is a nice accent to this work. He later teamed up with Demi in Crisis of America (2004).

The supporting cast is also full of talented actors, including Jason Roberts as Charles, the boss of a law firm who fires Tom Hanks. Mary Steen Bergen plays Belinda, a lawyer who defends his firm. The two also co-starred in director Demme's 1980 masterpiece Melvin and Howard, for which they were nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Steenburgen won Best Supporting Actress). These actors can be called the Demi family.

Antonio Banderas plays Miguel, Hanks' gay lover. At that time, he was not yet a major actor in Hollywood. According to Demi's audio commentary, ``His English wasn't very good, but he had great chemistry with Hanks. I've been paying attention to him for a while, so I'm glad he's on.'' .

At the time, he had played gay roles torn between pure love and desire in films such as Pedro Almodovar's ` `Sexilia '' (1982) and `` Laws of Desire '' (1987), but in this movie he played a likable gay role. Pretending to be a lover.

The main character's mother is played by Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward, also known as Mrs. Paul Newman. ``Her facial expressions will serve as a role model for many actors,'' Demi said in the commentary, and her subtle emotional expressions are wonderful, especially the expression in the final hospital scene where she looks at her son, who has only a short time to live. (That expression alone makes me cry). Demi reportedly called her many times to get her to appear (Woodward appears to have been reluctant to appear).

Also, the supporting cast is filled with faces that could be called the Demi family. Charles Napier, who has a rugged physique, plays the role of the presiding judge, Paul Leather, who plays the doctor, has distinctive eyes, and Kenneth Witt, who plays the juror, has thin hair and an interesting face like the main character of a comic book (actually, he played the role of the jury member) one of the producers). Furthermore, Roger Corman, the king of B-movies who once raised Demi, plays the lawyer. The supporting and bit roles of the unique actors, who can be called the hidden faces of Demi movies, are also enjoyable.

Demi's theme of human freedom and liberation