QFT Screenings: The Times of Harvey Milk

By Orla Lloyd

The Times of Harvey Milk (1984), directed by Rob Epstein brilliantly captures the portrait of a man as he fights against the odds, rallying those around him to fight against homophobia. This man is Harvey Milk – the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. Following him from his neighbourhood activism, to his position as the first openly gay supervisor in San Francisco, this documentary does incredibly well in portraying Milk’s spirit and the impact he made on those around him, told by those who knew him.

The documentary is framed by interviews and archival footage intercut together to capture Harvey Milk’s rise and impact. The people interviewed are primarily colleagues of his. Interview subjects comprising of: Anne Kronenberg (city hall aide to Harvey Milk), Tory Hartmann (political consultant), Tom Ammiano (schoolteacher), Jim Elliot (auto machinist), Henry Der (executive director, Chinese for Affirmative Action), Jeannine Yeomans (TV reporter), Bill Kraus (gay activist), Sally M. Gearhart (speech professor). These interviews gave an insight into Milk: the human, as opposed to just his political career. The film offered a good balance between the personal anecdotes and professional impact Milk had, which created an emotional, yet inspiring look into the life of Harvey Milk and his fight against discrimination.

The film opens gravely with Dianne Feinstein announcing that Milk and mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, had been assassinated in City Hall. This emotional and shocking opening provides a point from which to explore Milk’s rise as a politician and gay rights activist. The film ends similarly, delving into Milk’s assassination, but the primary focus of the film is not to shock, but to display the impactful way in which he lived. This is an important precedent to set as the most significant thing about Harvey Milk is the hope in which he inspired; a hope that continues to burn bright through modern day activism, more specifically The Harvey Milk Foundation (founded in 2009 by Stuart Milk and Anne Kronenburg).

The editing and cinematography brings the viewer close to its subject, using a litany of closeups that create an intimacy, as though Milk is speaking directly to you. The choice to shoot on 16mm celluloid isn’t groundbreaking, (the standard for documentaries in the 80s) but watching the film 30 years on, there is something so genuine to this type of footage. The grain emanates a warmth that certainly helps give an impression of the type of character Milk was. Composer Mark Isham does well to create an emotional musical motif that runs throughout and is hard to forget. The technical elements all blend well together to create a cohesive and inspiring piece of work, deserved of the academy award for Best Documentary Feature in 1985. Furthermore, it was selected in 2012 for preservation in the National Film Registry, as it is considered an important cultural work.

A key milestone focused on in the documentary is Proposition Six (The Briggs Initiative), a law that proposes banning homosexuals from teaching in classrooms. Republicans argued that homosexuality is a threat to children, and should be kept out of learning environments, stoking fear surrounding homosexuality at the time. By opposing the bill, Milk was proplled into a national spotlight, and despite a majority expecting it to pass, the referendum failed by a vote of 58.4% to 41.6%.

Whilst Milk was successful in the 80s, there have been multiple instances of history repeating itself, most recently with the legislation of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill. There have been repeated attacks on transgender rights particularly, with 130 out of 325 bills being specifically anti-trans as of April of 2022. There will always those trying to spread hate, and there was always be people trying to spread light. During this current conservative period in American politics, this becomes more important than ever to remember.

The documentary is incredibly inspiring and it was clear that it had an impact on everyone sitting in Screen One of the QFT. Furthermore, hearing from Milk’s nephew – Stuart Milk – and the Mayor of Belfast – Micky Murray – highlighted the relevance of the film today as he discussed the discrimination against the LGBTQ population toda, particularly trans people and how the importance of standing up for marginalised groups.

They emphasised the point that the only way to make change happen is to take a stand, no matter the consequences, a sentiment strongly echoed in the film that preceded the Q+A.

‘No more will we stay in our closets. This is our city too‘.

I thoroughly enjoyed how this film expressed the energy of 1970s’ San Franciso, the technical components, and the way in which Epstein honours Milk by championing the message of acceptance. The following Q+A at with Milk’s nephew was enlightening and created an energy in the room that spoke to me as people ready to rally for change.  

The Times of Harvey Milk can be viewed on Apple TV, Amazon Prime or Youtube.