Philadelphia is ground-breaking for being the first major Hollywood film about AIDS and for Tom Hanks receiving his first Best Actor Oscar. The good thing is that Philadelphia is a great, no splendid, film that handles a difficult subject remarkably.

It's a well-made film, not one of the most beautiful-looking films ever but it's nonetheless shot with style and grace and the close ups look good and don't feel overused at all. It's also beautifully directed by Silence of the Lambs' Jonathan Demme, he ensures that everything looks good, that the characters remain interesting and that the drama is fully allowed to resonate emotionally, with some lovely subtle touches like in the family scenes.

The music fits like a glove, not just the soothing resonance of Howard Shore's score but especially the song choices. Two song choices stood out, the Oscar-winning and very powerful Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen and in particular the near-definitive Maria Callas rendition of the sublime La Mamma Morta from Andrea Chenier accompanying the opera scene. The script is very thoughtful and enough to stir up plenty of emotions, it is a touch heavy-handed on occasions but considering the subject matter there was always going to be a chance it was going to happen. Philadelphia also has a hugely compelling and deeply moving story, and that is not just because of having a sensitive subject and dealing with it as intelligently as the film did, but also the numerous powerful scenes. The final scene, Miller intervening when Andy's discriminated against in the library, the 'children on the back of the bus' line, Miller's speech on breaking the law and Andy's expression as he steps out of Miller's office after being rejected are all really well done scenes that get even better on repeat viewings, but the standout is the opera scene, not just the perfect choice of music but it's also such an emotionally powerful scene, due to it being a master-class in close-up acting and how life-affirming it is(not just for Joe in his epiphany moment but for the viewer as well).

Philadelphia has a top-notch cast who all give wonderful performances thanks to interesting characters(Miller being the one that progresses the most)and powerful material. Tom Hanks fully deserved his Best Actor Oscar, not just because of the truly brave nature of the role but also, and especially so, the amount of emotional connection Hanks puts into it, not filling the 'gay stereotype' at all. He is especially brilliant in the opera scene and at the end. Denzel Washington has the meatier role and plays it with such authority and compelling poise, also showing excellent chemistry with Hanks, while I appreciated the subdued performance of Antonio Banderas and Joanne Woodward's nuanced turn as Andy's mother. Jason Robards also stands out, underneath the bluff his character is a complete reptile which Robards plays to bone-chilling effect.

All in all, splendid film and more than just a ground-breaking film about AIDS. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Although "Philadelphia" debuted decades ago, I only got to finally seeing it today. Why? Well, the film is incredibly depressing and I kept putting it off...and that might explain why you might not have yet seen it as well. It is sad...but also exceptionally well made and worth your time.

Tom Hanks stars as Andrew Beckett, a hot-shot lawyer at one of the top law firms in Philadelphia. Despite having just been made an associate (a reward for excellent service),he suddenly finds himself fired. The firm uses an excuse--blaming a mistake he supposedly made on one recent case. But this would not account for the firing and he appears to have been fired because he's ill...suffering from AIDS. Beckett has a hard time finding a lawyer to take a wrongful termination case for him and he's too sick to do this alone. Eventually, he finds a rather homophobic lawyer (Denzel Washington) to take the case...and the second half of the film is the courtroom battle to bring justice to Andrew.

Unlike many films, this one was filmed sequentially. This was important to do because Tom Hanks starved himself and as the movie progresses, his weight loss and excellent make up made it appear as if he was suffering the progressive effects of the disease. Hanks truly put himself out for this role...and it's among the best things he's ever done. Apart from that, it's a well made film...worth seeing and very touching. It's also fascinating to watch to see how far thinking has come regarding gay people and HIV/AIDS.

Have you ever wondered where the term Philadelphia lawyer comes from? It dates back to our colonial times when in 1735 New York newspaper editor John Peter Zenger was arrested for libel when he printed some really unflattering things about the colonial governor. As counsel he retained Andrew Hamilton who came from Philadelphia and with the court really stacked against him, Hamilton pulled out a victory. The term then entered our lexicon to mean a really sharp attorney that's totally up on his game.

Young promising attorney in a white shoe law firm Tom Hanks is terminated abruptly and rather clumsily when its discovered he has AIDS. Hanks had been a shining star in that firm, but he'd been in the closet because as he later testified he saw a rather homophobic atmosphere among the old partners in the firm. When one of the partners spotted the telltale lesion that signifies Karposi's Sarcoma, Hanks was set up to take the fall.

Hanks is deteriorating rapidly and is a believer that a lawyer representing himself has a fool for a client. The man he eventually chooses is Denzel Washington, one of those guys you see advertising on television. Washington knew Hanks from previous cases, but is as shocked as everyone else to find out about Hanks's sexual orientation. Washington has a few issues of his own with gay people as well, but he gradually comes around as a believer in his cause and a believer in Hanks's worth and dignity as a human being.

Tom Hanks won the first of two consecutive Best Actor Oscars with Philadelphia which was only done once before by Spencer Tracy. With the use of some creative makeup which also was nominated, Hanks turns in a perfect performance of a man deteriorating because of the various illnesses besetting his immune system. It's real, I've certainly seen it enough with people I've known. That's one of the horrible things about AIDS. I know people who were diagnosed with it back in the middle Eighties and are still with us. I've also known those who have deteriorated literally within weeks of getting the diagnosis. Seeing Hanks on the screen mirrored so many people who have passed in and out of my life.

Denzel Washington proves one thing about acting said by people like Spencer Tracy that half the job is listening and communicating the fact that you are taking in those words the other player is speaking. When the opera loving Hanks talks about an aria that Maria Callas is singing watch Washington's expressions. Without a word of dialog he's telling the audience what a seminal experience he is having listening to Hanks and how his view of him has come around.

Jason Robards and Robert Ridgely play two of the smug senior partners who are really grilled on their homophobia by Washington. Another standout performance is that of Mary Steenburgen who the white show firm retains as counsel. She's a deadly cross examiner and a real match for Washington in court. And Antonio Banderas is touching as Hanks's loving partner who Washington promises to Hanks he'll get the best probate lawyer possible for him when the time comes.

Of course the film got the official imprimatur of having none other than the Mayor of Philadelphia, Edward Rendell, make an appearance. Rendell went on to be Governor of Pennsylvania and Democratic National Chairman. I recognized quite a few of the locations in center city Philadelphia from some of my trips there.

Philadelphia got one other Oscar for none other than Bruce Springsteen for his original song The Streets of Philadelphia. It was nominated for Best Makeup, Best Adapted Screenplay and for another song entitled Philadelphia by Neil Young.

Tom Hanks became the face of AIDS for America and for the world with this film and the Oscar he won for it. And this review is dedicated to a young man named Robert Lynn who was a bartender I knew way back when in Brooklyn Heights who was the first person I know to die from this terrible plague. Back then it was the 'gay' disease and government was frozen in indifference toward those who had it.

It's no longer a 'gay' disease, lots of education went into making that fact rather obvious. Lots of people like Robert Lynn and so many more I've known went into the ground before their time before the medicines to control the disease and how it attacks the immune system had to unnecessarily happen. Let's have a film showing the final cure for this terrible thing and in the near future.