Philadelphia will be introduced by Dirk Visser, lecturer in English literature at Radboud University Nijmegen. In his presentation he will discuss some of the thorny issues concerning the way in which Philadelphia represents AIDS, and question whether its canonical status is well-deserved.
Philadelphia
Young, ambitious lawyer Andrew Becket (Tom Hanks) works at a large, very prestigious Philadelphia law firm. He has not told his colleagues that he is gay, let alone HIV-positive. When the first signs of AIDS become visible, he gets fired, allegedly for screwing up a big case. Becket does not leave it at that and files a case against his former employer. No lawyer is willing to take the case, but when homophobic and black lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) sees how Becket is treated like a pariah, he decides he will.
This emotionally compelling story of prejudice, injustice and exclusion earned director Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) numerous awards, including two Oscars. Hanks, himself not gay, stated in an interview this year that rightly so nowadays a gay character cannot be played by someone who is not gay himself. One of those Oscars back then was for him. With music by Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
Please note: VU students can attend this screening for only € 3. This discount only applies if you buy your ticket at the box office in the VU. If you do so, you will also receive a token for a free drink!
And consider this: a ticket ordered online costs €8.50. So.
