The Face of an Actor
Posted on | November 26, 2008 | Comments Off
Sean Penn in Milk
I’m having lunch with my business partners, Jeff and Mark, today. Jeff was at the preview of Milk in the Castro last night, and I am eager to talk with him about it. This is a signal event in the Bay Area, especially after the passing of Proposition 8. It is almost as if the hand of providence were timing things.
I was reading the New York Times review of the film this morning and was moved by two threads: the power of an artist and the inexorable, terrible progress towards freedom.
Penn
Dead Man Walking showed me the power of Sean Penn’s acting. His performance let me see a far broader range of art in cinema. And as strong as he was, he did not eclipse, but complemented Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen Prejean. Of course a big amount of the credit for that goes to the director, but Penn was the necessary part of the equation.
I think he is most like Marlon Brando, but stronger.
The Move to Freedom
From the review:
And his [Milk's] refusal to accept this [constant risk of harassment, humiliation and violence] as a fact of life, his insistence on being who he is without secrecy or shame, is what turns Milk from a bohemian camera store owner (after his flight from New York and the insurance business) into a political leader.
This is a grand time to be alive. It is good to have this fight and to be part of something fine. When viewed in the context of willingness to engage in a positive, productive move to freedom, Proposition 8 is a gift. A gift of challenge and self-defining.
Walk well. God is love.
[Edit 11/26/2008, 7:30 a.m. PST] I was looking at the quote from the review. Pain and shame are crucibles. And the outcome is determined by choice. Victim or leader. Gift or burden.
