Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Times of Harvey Milk Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 15, 2011

Winner of Oscar for Best Documentary, Rob Epstein's "The Times of Harvey Milk" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; video interview with filmmaker Jon Else; with director Rob Epstein, coeditor Deborah Hoffmann, and photographer Daniel Nicoletta; excerpts of draft interviews which director Rob Epstein recorded during the preproduction of the film; collection of clips about San Francisco supervisor Dan White; and more. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

On the streets of San Francisco

There are two things that I like about Rob Epstein’s documentary film, which chronicles the events surrounding the tragic deaths of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the state of California, and George Moscone, the mayor of San Francisco, which is where Milk lived. First, the film does not attempt to change perceptions and opinions. The majority of the footage in it is from interviews which Epstein conducted with various people who knew Milk and witnessed his political success. We learn from these interviews that as soon as Milk became active on the local political scene some people immediately embraced him because they felt that what he represented were their ideals and hopes. But there were also those who were suspicious of him and had to be convinced that he was a man worthy of their support. Amongst them were many straight men and women, African, Hispanic, and Asian-Americans. I like the fact that Epstein invited some of these people to share their thoughts and memories in front of his camera because it makes it a lot easier to understand why Milk became so popular.

I also like the fact that the film is raw and unpretentious. For example, there is plenty of footage in it that shows Milk on the streets of San Francisco, first having fun and later on campaigning. In other words, we see Milk-the ordinary man and then Milk-the suave politician.

The early footage with Dan White, the man who would eventually kill Milk and Moscone, is also fascinating. There are clips from various interviews in which he looks and sounds just as enthusiastic and passionate as Milk. He has dreams and visions about the future of San Francisco, and he obviously cares about its people. Unlike Milk, however, in these clips he does not seem like a man capable of compromising. His statements are too unrefined, at times painfully direct.

The film also creates the impression that White was a naive idealist. The more time he spent working with his colleagues, the more disillusioned he became with politics. And when the sponsored by John Briggs infamous Proposition 6 - which would have prevented gays, lesbians, and anyone supporting gay and lesbian rights from serving in California’s public schools - was defeated, White announced his resignation.

The vacuum White left behind was poisonous - it divided a lot of people, even those who typically wouldn’t pay attention to local politics. Eventually, he decided to come back and approached Moscone. But so did Milk, who was convinced that White's return would polarize things even more. A few days later, after it became obvious that he would not be reappointed, White shot and killed Milk and Moscone.

The consequent trial was extremely controversial. Epstein interviewed various people who felt that White’s sentence was a disgrace but, strangely enough, none of the people who delivered it. This omission, which effectively left the door open for wild speculations and conspiracy theories, is his film's biggest weakness.

Ultimately, however, this is an important film that captures the pulse of a very specific time period and city, which has evolved enormously since the late 70s. Has the rest of America also changed since then? This is undoubtedly a question which a different film should try to answer, but I certainly hope so.

Note: In 1985, The Times of Harvey Milk won an Oscar Award for Best Documentary Feature. During the same year, the film also won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Times of Harvey Milk Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Rob Epstein's The Times of Harvey Milk arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"Supervised and approved by director Rob Epstein, this new digital transfer was created on a 4K Spirit Datacine in 2K resolution from UCLA's restored 35 mm duplicate negative, which was created from the original 16 mm color negative AB rolls, 16 mm reversal preproduction element, and the original 1-inch video production master. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

Telecine supervisors: Rob Epstein, Lee Kline, Ross Lipman.
Telecine colorist: Gregg Garvin/Modern Videofilm, Los Angeles."

The image quality is very impressive. Considering the various limitations, the detail and depth the transfer conveys are quite exceptional. Even brightness and contrast levels are surprisingly consistent. Occasionally, colors fluctuate, but very obviously the fluctuations are determined by the source; in other words, they are not a byproduct of a transfer anomaly of some sort. Damage marks, cuts, stains, and debris have also been thoroughly cleaned up. In fact, I did not even see any specks while viewing the film. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Times of Harvey Milk Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from UCLA's restored magnetic track, which was created from the original 35mm 6-track master sound mix and original PCM-F1 stereo music master by Mark Isham. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Sonic Solutions and Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using Sonic Solutions and Audio Cube's integrated audio workstation."

Mark Isham's music score has greatly benefited from the loseless treatment - there is a surprisingly good range of dynamics and stability is greatly improved. On the other hand, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

The Times of Harvey Milk Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Postscript - a selection of comments by political consultant Tory Hartmann, gay rights activist Bill Kraus, Harvey Milk aide Anne Kronenberg, and auto machinist Jim Elliot, which were considered for the film's conclusion but were ultimately not included. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for The Times of Harvey Milk. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Jon Else - filmmaker Jon Else, director of the UC Berkeley documentary program, discusses director Rob Epstein's The Times of Harvey Milk and its message, its structure and history. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).

• Two Films, One Legacy - a wonderful featurette in which director Rob Epstein, producer Richard Schmiechen, director Gus Van Sant, actor James Franco, and Harvey Milk friends Cleve Jones, Anne Kronenberg, and Daniel Nicoletta discuss discuss discuss Harvey Milk and its legacy. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).

• Harvey Milk Recordings - a collection of video and audio recordings of important events from Harvey Milk's career. Audio only.
  
  -- "Out of the bars and into the streets" (14 min).
  -- Texas Gay Conference five (48 min).
  -- Harvey Milk speaks out (3 min).
  -- Anti-Proposition 6 election night party (11 min).
  -- Harvey Milk's political will (14 min).

• Director's Research Tapes - excerpts of draft interviews which director Rob Epstein recorded during the preproduction of the film. In English, not subtitled. (80 min, 1080i).
  
  -- Scott Smith
  -- Bob Ross
  -- Amber Hollibaugh
  -- Cleve Jones
  -- Lillian Sing
  -- Hank Wilson

• From the Castro to the Oscars - footage from the premiere of The Times of Harvey Milk in San Francisco on November 1, 1984, as well as the Academy Awards, where the film won an Oscar for best documentary feature.
  
  -- Premiere at the Castro Theatre (8 min, 1080i).
  -- A Night at the Oscars (4 min, 1080i).

• The Dan White Case - a collection of clips about San Francisco supervisor Dan White from a November 2003 panel discussion with his attorneys, Douglas Schmidt and Stephen Scherr, and deputy district attorney Jim Hammer, recorded at the University of San Francisco. In English, not subtitled.
  
  -- News Clips (5 min, 1080i).
  -- Panel Discussion (30 min, 1080i).

• Harry Britt, Milk's Successor - an excerpt from a speech Harry Britt, Harvey Milk's successor, delivered at a 2003 event marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of Harvey Milk's assassination. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080i).

• Candlelight Memorial - longtime San Francisco supervisor Tom Ammiano and the late mayor George Moscone's daughter, Rebecca Moscone, address the crowds during a candlelight memorial. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080i).

• Audio Commentary - an audio commentary with director Rob Epstein, coeditor Deborah Hoffmann, and photographer Daniel Nicoletta. The audio commentary was originally recorded in 2004, but it has been remastered by Criterion to include new material. In English, not subtitled.

The Times of Harvey Milk Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Times of Harvey Milk is an important film with many important messages. Unfortunately, I believe that quite a few of them are still relevant today. Criterion's presentation of the film is impressive. The distributors have also provided a number of very informative supplemental features. RECOMMENDED.