Philadelphia

Director: Jonathan Demme Jonathan Demme

Overview

"Tom Hanks stars as a gay lawyer with AIDS who battles discrimination and ignorance as he hires a homophobic personal injury attorney after being fired from his job for incompetence in this heartfelt and emotional drama, arriving on DVD from Columbia/TriStar Home Video. Presented in the original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen version (enhanced for widescreen TVs) and offering a closed-captioned English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack in addition to alternate English, Spanish, and French Dolby Digital Surround tracks, this release also offers optional Spanish and Korean subtitles. This release has absolutely no extra features."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/10/1997
UPC:	0043396526198
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:05:00
Sales rank:	16,052

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tom Hanks	Andrew Beckett
Denzel Washington	Joe Miller
Joanne Woodward	Sarah Beckett
Ron Vawter	Seidman
Antonio Banderas	Miguel Alvarez
Mary Steenburgen	Belinda Conine
Robert Ridgely	Walter Kenton
Paul Lazar	Dr Klenstein
Bradley Whitford	Jamey Collins
John Bedford Lloyd	Matt Beckett
Andre Blake	Young Man in Pharmacy
Robert Castle	Bud
Molly Hickok	Molly Beckett
Dan Olmstead	Randy Beckett
Daniel Chapman	Clinic Storyteller
Elizabeth Roby	Elizabeth Beckett
Ann Dowd	Jill Beckett
Tracey Walter	Bibliotekarz
Obba Babatunde	Jerome Green
Charles Napier	S¿dzia Garnett
Roger Corman	Pan Laird
Roberta Maxwell	S¿dzia Tate
Buzz Kilman	`Crutches'
Karen Finley	Dr Gillman
Anna Deavere Smith	Anthea Burton,Actor
Stephanie Roth	Rachel Smilow
Kathryn Witt	Actor
Dodie Demme	Actor
Kenneth Utt	Actor
James B. Howard	Actor
Charles Techman	Actor
Jason Robards	Charles Wheeler
Daniel Von Bargen	Jury Foreman
Jim Roche	Actor
Howard Feuer	Actor
Adam LeFevre	Jill's Husband
Gary Goetzman	Guido Paonessa
Jordan Cael	The Jury
Harry Northrup	The Jury
Steve Vignari	The Jury
Howard Shore	Composer
Lawrence Wrentz	The Jury
Lisa Summerour	Lisa Miller
Charles Glenn	Actor
Donna Hamilton	Angela Medina
Tony Fitzpatrick	Bartender
Ira Flitter	Andrew's Friend
Jason Robards Sr.	Charles Wheeler
Gene Borkan	Bailiff
Stephanie Roth Haberle	Rachel Smilow
Bruce Springsteen	Composer
Lucas Platt	Robert
Neil Young	Composer
Randy Fink	E.R. Doctor
Mark Sorensen Jr	Actor
Jeffrey Williamson	Actor
Lisa Talerico	Actor
Chandra Wilson	Chandra
Ford Wheeler	Alan
David Drake	Bruno
Peter Jacobs	Peter/Mona Lisa
Freddie Foxxx	Hospital Patient
Paul Moore	Hospital Patient,Lydia Glines
Warren Miller	Mr. Finley
Lauren Roselli	Iris
Lewis Walker	"Punchline"
Joey Perillo	Filko
Bill Rowe	Dr. Armbruster
Dennis Radesky	Santa Claus
Glen Hartell	Library Guard
John Ignarri	Young Man in Library
Richard Ehrlich	Young Man in Library

Technical Credits

Ron Nyswaner

Jonathan Demme	Director,Producer
Ron Bozman	Executive Producer,Producer
Howard Feuer	Casting
Gary Goetzman	Executive Producer,Producer
Edward Saxon	Producer
Kenneth Utt	Executive Producer,Producer
Ron Nyswaner	Screenwriter
Ron Bochar	Sound Effects
David Boulton	Sound Effects
Laura Civiello	Sound Effects
Janos Pilenyi	Special Effects
Robert Castellanos	Sound Effects
Kam Chancellor	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Widely noted as the first mainstream studio film to deal with AIDS, and featuring two of the world's biggest actors (Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington), Jonathan Demme's moving, well-intentioned drama, despite its naysayers, is a challenging and sometimes surprising work. Both leads (especially Hanks, in his first Oscar-winning role) deliver wonderfully nuanced portrayals, and Demme's signature touches (particularly the potent use of close-ups and music) are perfectly suited to this material. Denounced by many gay audiences as timid and tentative about its central romantic pairing (Hanks and Antonio Banderas) -- not to mention its eagerness to please mass American viewers -- the film nonetheless benefits from its decency and warm approach in dealing with its characters. For whatever missteps the film makes (framing a deeply tragic character study within the auspices of a courtroom drama, for one), its emotions are indelible and its risk-taking is appreciated. Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for his haunting, elegant opening-titles theme, "Streets of Philadelphia," and in an odd case of art imitating life, Hanks' tearful, memorable Oscar acceptance speech (where he thanked his gay acting teacher from years back) became the source material for the 1997 comedy In & Out, starring Kevin Kline.