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PhiladelphiaPart1MovieExplorationSectionAMoreInformationAbouttheMovie1.SourcesPhiladelphiaisahistoricallyimportantfilmbecauseitisthefirstHollywoodstudiopicturetotakeAIDSasitsprimarysubject.ItisinspiredinpartbyGeoffreyBowers’AIDSdiscriminationlawsuit.GeoffreyBowerswasalitigationassociateofBaker&McKenzie,aninternationallawfirmfoundedinChicagoin1949byRussellBakerandJohnMcKenzie.BowersjoinedBaker&McKenzieinAugust1984.InApril1986,hewasdiagnosedwithAIDS.InMay1986thelawfirm’spartnersgaveBowersasatisfactoryevaluation.Buttwomonthslater,inJuly,thevotedtodismisshim,withoutconsultingwithhissupervisorobjectedtothedecision,delayingitsimplementation,butonOctober12,the15partnersagainvotedthdismisshim,andheleftthecompanyonDecember5,1986.Bowerssubsequentlychargedthelawfirmwithdiscrimination.ButthefirmclaimedthatBowerswasdismissedbecauseofperformanceissues,whilehiscomplaintchargedthathehadbeenfiredfromhisjobbecauseofhisdisease.BowersdiedinSeptember1987beforethecasewassettled.Ittookmorethansixyearsforthecasetobefinallyresolved,wheninDecember1993hewasawardedasatisfactorysettlement.2.OntheMovie’sTitle“PeopleLikeUs”wastheoriginaltitleofthemovie,whichtendstoportrayhomosexualsandAIDSpatientsaspeoplewholivenextdoor.Later,thetitlehasbeenchangedto“Philadelphia”,whichmeanstopresentan“every-town”sortofsetting,acitythatisasopentoequalityandbrotherhoodasitispronetoracialmistrustanddiscrimination.3.MoreAboutAwards1994——NominatedforOscarAcademyAwardforBestMakeup,BestMusic,Song,andBestWriting,ScreenplayWrittenDirectlyfortheScreen1994——WonGoldenGlobe,USAforBestPerformanceandBestOriginalSong1994——WonASCAPFilmandTelevisionMusicAwardsforMostPerformedSongsfromMotionPicturesTask3(forreference)1.Beckett’sbossesclaimhehasbeenfiredforincompetenceandmisplacinganimportantdocumentforanimportantclient,butBeckettissurethatit’sbecausehehasAIDS.Heconsidersthatheisavictimofprejudice,andisdeterminedtowinhiscaseevenashisownlifebeginstofade.2.Becausethelawfirmissopowerfulandprestigious,andBeckettisagayinfectedwithAIDS,nootherlawyerswilltakethecase.Aftermanyrejections,withnooneelsetoturnto,AndrewBeckettconsultsJoeMillertohelphimpursuelitigation.3.JoeMillerrepresentsthe“everyman”whoharborshomophobictendencies.Hedoesn’tlikehomosexuals,whomakehisskincrawl.HealsohasextremefearofAIDS,andcanhardlykeephimselffromwipinghishandonhispantsaftershakingBeckett’hand.4.AchainofeventshasturnedMiller’semotionsinlinewithBeckett’scase.Hiswifehasababy,formwhichhehaslearnedwhatbirthisallabout,andthenhehasfoundoutaboutdeathtoo.HecomesacrosstheailingBeckettinthelibrary.SeeingthroughthefaceofAIDS,heseesthatthere’sadyingmanthere.Thenhehasachangeofheart,recognizingahintoffamiliardiscriminationinthewayBeckettisbeingtreated.Heisessentiallyhomophobicbutheisalsoagainstprejudice.Afterinitialreluctance,hetakesthecase.5.It’sabrilliantscenewhereBecketttriestogiveapassionatetranslationofthearia“LaMommaMorta”whileMillerlooksoninstunnedsilence.Millerisn’tanoperafan,butasthemusicplaysandBecketttalksoverit,passionatelyexplaininghisacceptanceofdeathinthemidstofdisplayinghiscontinuingpassionforlife,Millerundergoesaconversionofthesoul.Andfinally,whatMillerseesisamanwholoveslifeanddoesnotwanttoleaveit.Task5(forreference)1.Philadelphiahasmuchtosayaboutthebeautyofcompassionandsupport.Forexample,Beckett’sfamily,whostandsbehindhimthroughthecourseofthedifficulttrial,ispresentedasastronglovingandsupportiveunitforBeckett.Beckett’smotherwhispers“Goodbye,myangel”,beforeleavinghimforthelasttime.2.ThequestionhereisnotwhetherweshouldsympathizewithanAIDSafflicted,gaycharacter,butwhetherthatsumpathyopensupadifferentperspectiveonthevictimsofthediseaseintherealworld.3.PhiladelphiaisanidealfilmforpeoplewhohaveneverknownanyonewithAIDS.Itshowsuswhatalackofknowledgecandoandwhathatredandindifferencecando.Part2CultureReflectionHomophobiaHomophobiaisatermoriginallycoinedtorefertosomewomen’sstrongdislikeofmen.Itisnowoftenusedtodenotedthefearofordiscriminationagainsthomosexuals.Itcanalsomeanirrationalfearofordiscriminationagainsthomosexualityorhomosexuals.Homophobicistheadjectiveformofthisword.Homophobiamanifestsindifferentforms,suchasinternalizedhomophobia,socialhomophobia,andothers.Internalizedhomophobiareferstohomophobiaasaprejudicecarriedgyindividualsagainsthomosexualmanifestationsinthemselvesandothers.Socialhomophobiaisaboutanindibidual’sfearofbingidentifiedasgay.HeterosexismAtermusedtodescriblethediscriminationinfavorofheterosexual(opposite-sexsexualityidentity,behabiorandrelationships)andagainsthomosexualpeople.AIDSThewordAIDSisformedfromtheinitiallettersof“AcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndrome”.TheAIDSvirusisknownastheHumanImmuno-DeficiencyVirus(HIV).Theviruscandestroyabody’simmunesystemsothatitcannotfightoffinfections.EventuallyapersonwiththeHIVvirusstopsresistinglife-threateninginfectionsandsomeseriousorevenincurablediseases(includingunusualformsofpneumoniaandcancer).TheHIVviruscanbetransmittedthroughunprotectedsexualactivity,intravenousdruguse,bloodtransfusionsorcertainbloodproducts,andmothertobaby;beforeorduringbirthorthr