Philadelphia: Anniversary Edition

Columbia/Tristar | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Matt Brighton

I have to admit that I saw "Philadelphia" when it first opened in late 1993. I haven't seen it since (until recently, of course) - by choice. It was the movie that brought Tom Hanks his first Oscar and a well-deserved one at that. Before his role as Andrew Beckett, Hanks had been a mainstream Hollywood actor, but was playing roles that were just getting him paychecks. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but looking back on Hanks' career, this is the one that defined him. First, the movie was directed by Jonathan Demme, who had just directed "The Silence of the Lambs" a few years earlier. But most notably, it was the first studio movie that addressed the issue of AIDS. Eleven years have passed since "Philadelphia" opened and though no cure has been found, it's possible that the virus can be slowed down and even suspended indefinitely in some cases (take "Magic" Johnson for example). But the heart of the movie wasn't the patient with AIDS, how he fought it and those who opposed him, but rather the prejudice that he faced. Additionally, Hanks played the role very down to Earth and not choosing to play his character as the flamboyantly “queeny” stereotype that is associated with many homosexual men. The bottom line is that gay men and women are just like the rest of us and AIDS is an epidemic that has crossed the bounds of homosexuality into the heterosexual world. No other movie has addressed this issue like "Philadelphia".

And so we meet Andrew Beckett, a lawyer who has just been recognized as a partner in a prestigious Philadelphian law firm. He's given a big case to handle and, once the partners find out of his disease - he's taken off of it. Beckett is forcibly fired from his job and decides to sue them. The problem is that the firm is so powerful and respected, no lawyer in his right mind will take the case. That is until Beckett enlists the help of Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), an attorney who advertises on television and is essentially doing the case for the exposure. Miller is prejudiced against homosexuals and has locked horns with Beckett in the courtroom before (he lost), but even the coldness of his heart has to see through the faces of AIDS and see that there's a dying man there. As the inevitable courtroom drama unfolds, we meet the defense in Belinda Conine (Mary Steenburgen) who does her job because she's supposed to, but even admits to a member of her council that she despises the case. As we see Beckett lose more hair, weight and see AIDS take over his body, we're naturally on his side from the very beginning. The movie plays out several sequences in an operatic format as opposed to the traditional dialogue. We become even more involved with Hanks' character when we meet his lover played by Antonio Bandares and his mother (Joanne Woodward).

"Philadelphia" broke new ground when it came to a major movie about the AIDS epidemic and it's played to near perfection by Tom Hanks, who really started the second half of his career with this movie. Roles would follow for both Hanks and Washington (two of the best actors working today) and their only road block is that they're both so consistently dependent in their roles that serve as their downfall as well. Hanks would win a Best Actor Oscar for his role here and the very next year as Forrest Gump, something not done since Jason Robards did it with "All the President's Men" and "Julia" and Robards coincidentally plays Charles Wheeler, the head partner of the firm that fired Andrew Beckett. "Philadelphia" may be referred to as "...that movie about AIDS", but assuredly there are performances and issues that are more than that. The inborn prejudices that we have against people different than us and the human spirit are at the core of this great movie. The DVD has been given the treatment that it rightly deserves and the movie was originally released as one of the initial releases of the format (part of Columbia/Tristar's initial line that included other titles like "A Few Good Men", "Sleepless in Seattle" and "In the Line of Fire"). Tom Hanks has had many great roles (and will likely have many more), and this is one of his best if not his absolute best. Highly recommended.

This appears to be the same transfer used for the initial release, which is odd considering that with the advents in technology (especially those in DVD replication), a new transfer could and should have been used. All things considering, though, the original transfer wasn't that bad with a sharp look and feel to it, but lacking edge enhancement and artifacting. There was a problem with some dirt on the print and some scenes look downright dingy, but aside from occasional spec on the screen, it's not that bad. For the most part the 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer looks very good.

This is one of those rare exceptions in which a Dolby Digital 5.0 mix is used (no LFE track), but still to pretty good effect. The movie is dialogue driven and thus center channel occupies much of the soundtrack. The movie, on an audio scale, is much more remembered for the title song "Streets of Philadelphia" performed by Bruce Springsteen, than the actual dialogue of the movie. Surround effects are few and far between and though there's nothing that stands out too much, there's nothing to complain about either. It's a good, solid mix and I doubt a true 5.1 track would have added much.

The first (of two) disc contains the movie and an audio commentary with Director Jonathan Demme and Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner. The two seem very talkative and full of information. They recall some details about the shoot and also remember friends who have died from complications of AIDS. It's a good track and worth a listen. The second disc contains the rest of the supplements starting off with six deleted scenes (running about 15 minutes). Though interesting and nice to have, they didn't offer much in terms of plot and it was right to cut them. They are presented in full-frame and do not have a commentary associated with them. Two documentaries are the heart of the supplements, the first is entitled "People Like Us: The Making of Philadelphia" running at about an hour. "People Like Us" was the original title of the movie (obviously changed later to "Philadelphia") and the documentary has interviews with the cast and crew who tell of their roles and the cultural impact of the movie. The second documentary is a bit more difficult to watch and is called "One Foot on a Banana Peel, the Other Foot in the Grave". Odd title, but the imagery is right on the mark. We're guided through this by Daniel Chapman and see the effects of AIDS first hand. It's a bit graphic, but the morale of the people is surprisingly upbeat (though they're all deceased now). Next is some Courthouse footage, which is an extended look at the courtroom mob scene. This was probably the weakest of the supplements and though nice to have, I didn't really see a purpose in this one. Bruce Springsteen's video is included, though it appears to sound different than I remember, like the vocals aren't cleaned up or something. Or maybe I just haven't heard the song in a while. Lastly a trailer for this, "Sleepless in Seattle" and "A League of Their Own" are included. Overall, this movie has now gotten the treatment it richly deserves and is a must own.