‘Philadelphia’ at 30: How does the landmark, Oscar-winning AIDS drama hold up today?
Welcome back to our queer film retrospective, “A Gay Old Time.” In this week’s column, we revisit 1993’s Philadelphia in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary.This month marks the 30th anniversary of Philadelphia, Jonathan Demme’s groundbreaking legal drama starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.
The movie—scripted by Fellow Travelers creator Ron Nyswaner—centers on a man wrongfully fired because he has AIDS, and his attempts to sue his workplace with the help of a homophobic small-town lawyer.
Released in the shadow of the AIDS epidemic, the movie was met with critical acclaim, earning Hanks his first Oscar for Best Actor, as well as an undeniable place in queer cinema history.This week, we take a look back at the film with three decades of distance, and hundreds of miles ahead in regards to our community’s (and the world’s) position towards HIV/ AIDS.
How does a movie that centers a gay man—but very much positions him in a mostly straight and heavily prejudiced world—feel this time around?
