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Philadelphia (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) |  | Directors: Jeffrey Schwarz, Jonathan Demme, Juan Botas, Lucas Platt
Actors: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman, Karen Finley
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.94
Buy Used: $2.45
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New (17) Used (36) from $2.45
Rating:  115 reviews
Sales Rank: 39198
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Chinese (Subtitled), Thai (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 99
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: COLD07853D
ISBN: 0767882490
UPC: 043396078536
EAN: 9780767882491
ASIN: B0002XNT0I
Theatrical Release Date: December 23, 1993
Release Date: November 2, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A young Philadelphia lawyer with AIDS is the victim of irrational fear of the disease and fights back in the courts where even his own attorney is phobic.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Philadelphia wasn't the first movie about AIDS (it followed such worthy independent films as Parting Glances and Longtime Companion), but it was the first Hollywood studio picture to take AIDS as its primary subject. In that sense, Philadelphia is a historically important film. As such, it's worth remembering that director Jonathan Demme (Melvin and Howard, Something Wild, The Silence of the Lambs) wasn't interested in preaching to the converted; he set out to make a film that would connect with a mainstream audience. And he succeeded. Philadelphia was not only a hit, it also won Oscars for Bruce Springsteen's haunting "The Streets of Philadelphia," and for Tom Hanks as the gay lawyer Andrew Beckett who is unjustly fired by his firm because he has AIDS. Denzel Washington is another lawyer (functioning as the mainstream-audience surrogate) who reluctantly takes Beckett's case and learns to overcome his misconceptions about the disease, about those who contract it, and about gay people in general. The combined warmth and humanism of Hanks and Demme were absolutely essential to making this picture a success. The cast also features Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas (as Beckett's lover), Joanne Woodward, and Robert Ridgely, and, of course, those Demme regulars Charles Napier, Tracey Walter, and Roger Corman. --Jim Emerson
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 115
 DVD Philadelphia June 6, 2010
J. JONES (Staten Island, NY)
I am very happy to inform you of my expereience with Amazon.com
has been very good. All items that I have ordered have been shipped to me so quicky. I like the e-mails that have been sent to me, when my order was processed and when I can expect the arrival of it.
 The Gift of the 2-disk Edition of a Classic May 15, 2010
Jill Morris
One could justifiably say that Philadelphia is a film that changed the world. And I just did. lol
I will not waste anyone's time on plot delineation or the inspired casting, soundtrack, writing, directing, editing, given, who has not seen this classic at least once?
What I will do, is encourage everyone to buy the 2-disk anniversary edition with all the bonus material, every part of which is an augmenting gift.
Gifts from the commentary track to the principals sharing how and why they came onboard---in Denzel's case, serendipitously---and gestated a meticulous collective vision of the property in its real potential, to the evolution of the script, to, that the scenarist. Ron Nyswaner, realized it was his moment to come out, to Jonathan Demme's two-element inspiration to commit to making this film: first, Demme sustained criticism from the LGBT community for the portrayal of Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs, and second, his wife's best friend, a gifted young artist originally from Spain, Juan Botas, was diagnosed with HIV.
There are two documentaries on the second disk, one of which is a stand alone work... an inspiration of & partly shot by Botas, who died of AIDS during its making. It chronicles the reality history of HIV, and depicts paradigms of human courage and character on deep human levelsof the sort we are rarely privy to.
The collective gifts Philadelphia demanded & achieved over time is the issue. And, notwithstanding that some virulent activists, i.e., the late Larry Kramer, railed against the film, saying it capitulated to Hollywood...such criticisms comprised a small minority.
Beyond Philadelphia qualifying as a classic, when we also have the privilege of knowing every part of the creative process of a team of of importantly talented humans in any endeavor, I think there's not much more nourishing or inspiring.
Great! February 15, 2010
Hannah M. Pham
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The movie I had ordered arrived sooner than I thought and in great condition, which was the condition that was stated it to be when I had purchased the movie. I was very satisfied with this purchase.
Philadelphia January 4, 2010
Arnita D. Brown (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Andrew Beckett is a young up-and-coming lawyer who has just been fired by his prestigious law firm. His former colleagues claim he's just not good enough; Andrew says he's been fired because he has AIDS. Determined to defend his professional reputation; Andrew hires fierce personal-injury attorney Joe Miller to represent him as he sues his former firm for wrongful termination. Separated from Andrew by a deep social and cultural chasm, Joe is initially reluctant to take the case. For Andrew the battle is clear cut--he's fighting for his reputation, his life and for justice. Joe, however, faces a different kind of struggle as he confronts his own fears and prejudices about homosexuals. Philadelphia is a brilliant movie. You have to have an open mind and not be so prejudice to understand the meaning of the movie. I recommend it to everyone.
Not Quite Epic, But Will Make You Think August 9, 2009
Zachary Koenig (Fergus Falls, MN)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Over the last few years, I have been churning my way through the films of Denzel Washington. I love the intensity and passion he brings to his roles, plus the fact that, "Manchurian Candidate" aside, he hasn't really been in any bad films. For whatever reason, I had not yet seen "Philadelphia", which is hailed by film critics and garnered Tom Hanks a Best Actor academy award in 1992. After viewing, I found it to be not as epic as some would have me believe, but still an interesting two hours nonetheless.
The basic plot of the film is the story of two lawyers (Denzel and Hanks). Hanks' character contracts AIDS and enlists the help of "Washington" to help him file a discrimination lawsuit against the company that fired him (supposedly due to the disease). Along the way, the plot actually morphs to become more of a "panel discussion" on the treatment/perception of gay people in the United States.
In dealing with such a sensitive topic, the film is able to lay out its message without sounding too crass or too offensive to either side. Basically, director Jonathan Demme knows that viewers will obviously have pre-determined attitudes about the issue before viewing the film, and thus doesn't try to sway any perceptions. Instead, through the legal, court-room setting, he just invites both sides to think about the issues at hand and consider possible scenarios. I liken it to a more recent Denzel Washington film entitled "The Great Debaters", which discussed the issue of the Jim Crow south through a high school debate team. Some pretty meaty issues were thrown around, but under the guise of "debate" the viewers don't really feel any compulsion to take a side, instead just being privy to the information. A similar factor is what I believe is the true brilliance of Demme's film...he treats the viewers like a jury and allows us to come to our own conclusion about the issues he is discussing.
Thus, unless you have incredibly strong feelings one way or the other about the issue of gay rights (then the film is bound to upset in its generalization of the topic), I would recommend this film to pretty much anyone. While it may not live up to critical hype (likely due to the fact that critics are usually bonkers over artsy or heavy-themed films), it will give you some things to think about.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 115
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