Milk: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) [Paperback]

Dustin Lance Black (Author), Gus Van Sant (Author)

Book Description

Series: Newmarket Shooting Script | Publication Date: November 4, 2008

Official screenplay book for the new Focus Features film directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho), starring Academy Award(r) winner Sean Penn (Mystic River, Dead Man Walking) as gay-rights icon Harvey Milk.

His life changed history. His courage changed lives. In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans.

Academy Award(r) winner Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk, with Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones, Josh Brolin as Dan White, Diego Luna as Jack Lira, and James Franco as Scott Smith, and under the direction of Academy Award(r) nominee Gus Van Sant, filmed on location in San Francisco, from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black.

In addition to the complete screenplay, Milk: The Shooting Script(r) includes:
* an introduction by director Gus Van Sant
* scene notes by Dustin Lance Black
* an exclusive conversation with Lance Black, Gus Van Sant, and activist Cleve Jones, who was mentored by Harvey Milk * a color photo section
* and the complete cast and crew credits.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The use of Harvey's recorded will to frame the story was a very early creative decision. By quickly establishing this intimacy, I hoped to shape a story that, despite mountains of political talk and plot, feels more like the personal story of the man than a political issue film." -Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, from the Scene Notes --Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, from the Scene Notes

"A total triumph! Brimming with humor, heart, sexual heat, political provocation, and a crying need to stir things up. If there's a better movie around this year, with more bristling purpose, I sure haven't seen it. An American classic." --Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Review

"I always thought of Castro Street itself and City Hall as being two separate and not connectable places in San Francisco, and here was the connection: the man from Castro Street who glued Castro Street into City Hall, along with the lifestyle of the denizens of Castro Street. And I always thought that was kind of the portrait that I was interested in somehow showing....That was something that Lance's script did really well." -Director Gus Van Sant, from the book

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press; Media tie-in edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557048274
• ISBN-13: 978-1557048271
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for film buffs or students of gay activism history, November 23, 2008

By 

Bob Lind "camelwest" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Milk: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) (Paperback)

It's a story most gay (and many straight) people already know, that of Harvey Milk, the Long Island native who relocated to San Francisco in 1972 and opened a camera store in the gay centric Castro section of that city. After two previous attempts at running for public office, Harvey was elected in 1977 as a city supervisor representing that area, and "The Mayor of Castro Street" became a national celebrity as the first widely-known gay elected official. His life, accomplishments, and eventual assassination, as well as the trial of his killer and its aftermath, is a story that has already been told in a best selling books, a TV movie and an Oscar-winning documentary film. Dustin Lance Black's new screenplay of his life has been praised by critics as a brilliant retelling of the story, making the characters come vibrantly alive as never before, with several Oscar-worthy performances as well as possible nods for the screenplay and direction.

This book by Newmarket Press contains the entire shooting script, including scenes later deleted in editing the final film. It has an introduction by director Gus VanSant, on how he came to know the screenwriter and came on board for the film. There is also a very informative compilation of "Scene Notes" from the writer, explaining why and how certain scenes were edited or cut, as well an enlightening transcript of a post-production conversation between Black, VanSant, and Cleve Jones, who was a student intern to Harvey Milk during his time as an elected official. There are also 32 color stills from the film and from its production.

A bit pricey for a book that is only 147 pages, but well worth it for students or avid fans of filmmaking or the history of gay activism. Five grateful, trailblazing stars out of five.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Script for the Time, February 7, 2009

By 

Christophe Lepage "Christophe L." (NEW YORK, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Milk: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) (Paperback)

The movie MILK speaks for itself. But to be able to read this increbible script makes it even more powerful at some many levels. Does History ever repeat itself? Harvey defeated Prop 6 but California passed Prop 8 last year. Do not pass on this incredible script a MUST read for all Movie fans and film students around the world.

5.0 out of 5 stars I was in San Francisco when that happened, April 18, 2009

By 

Gail Lelyveld - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Milk: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) (Paperback)

This was a wonderful depiction of a horrible time in San Francisco history to which I was a witness. I was living in San Francisco, working on becoming an actress, Pat Boyle of Scotland resonates with me. I learned alot of this information in the newspaper articles after the event, but before they happened, I knew that most of my friends and my Step Mother thought that Harvey Milk was a good guy. When we heard the news at work, it was a great shock.

I went to the march at City Hall. I listened to the Memorial Service at the Opera House. I was outside of course, but they had a sound system, and I heard his campaign manager say, "I didn't know whether I should wear a dress or come in full leather".