PODCAST: Bacall puts her lips together and blows a giant kiss to "Milk"

The stars were out in force last night in New York for a special screening of and after-party for "Milk," the Focus Features biopic about gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

Director Gus Van Sant, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Joseph Cross and Alison Pill were all in attendance, as were numerous other notables including Tony Bennett, Steve Buscemi, Dick Cavett, Patricia Clarkson, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Peter Dinklage, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Adrian Grenier, Jill Hennessy, Ed Koch, Carson Kressley, Ang Lee, Frances McDormand, Natalie Portman, Charlie Rose, Mickey Rourke, James Schamus, Julian Schnabel, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, Jon Voight, Naomi Watts and Rainn Wilson.

Over the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to speak with several of the aforementioned guests about "Milk" and other 2008 awards contenders, and also with one other guest whose reaction to the film could offer a key clue about its awards prospects over the months ahead. First, allow me to set up the story....

In 2005, "Brokeback Mountain" — the first major American motion picture to center around homosexuals — swept the critics and guilds awards en route to eight Oscar nominations, including one for best picture. Then, in perhaps the most shocking upset in Academy Awards history, "Crash" was announced as the winner, and despondent "Brokeback" fans began looking for an explanation.

They quickly found one: During the run-up to the Oscars, several high-profile Academy members made controversial statements about "Brokeback." The two most famous examples are Tony Curtis, who said he would never see the film but still voted in the category anyway, and Ernest Borgnine, who said, "I didn’t see it and I don’t care to see it.... If John Wayne were alive, he'd be rolling over in his grave." These remarks were subsequently cited as proof that the cause of the loss was homophobia within the Academy, particularly among the older voters who make up the majority of the membership.

The truth is that there is no evidence to prove that any such homophobia, if it existed at all, was widespread, and my suspicion all along has been that these were isolated incidents. I find even greater reason to believe that based on the outspoken enthusiasm for "Milk" expressed to me by older voters last night.

I thought I'd share with you the thoughts of the most prominent among them — arguably the greatest living screen legend/voting member of the Academy there is — Lauren Bacall, with whom I chatted briefly about the film at last night's party. (You can hear the full audio of our conversation at the bottom of this post.)

Bacall, 84, effectively put her lips together and blew a big kiss to the film when she told me the following:

• What did you think of tonight's movie?
• "Oh, I thought it was fabulous! I really think it's wonderfully done. Sean, of course, is a wonderful actor. And very difficult thing to do — to make a movie like this. But, I must say, I thought they did a really first-class job. I enjoyed it very much. And Sean will not be ignored, I'm sure of that. He'd never be."

• Would you ever have thought a movie like this could have been made when you were starting out? It shows progress, huh?
• "Yeah. Well, I think certain directors would have made it, you know? Someone like John Huston might have made it, you know what I mean? But I don't know, I mean, I just think — I don't know whose idea this was, but to have done it and put it together the way they did, and handled every aspect of it — I thought really was wonderfully done. All of the emotional stuff. And it was very tasteful."

• So I take it you'll be supporting it?
• "Absolutely. Absolutely."

Click here to listen to Scott's chat with Lauren Bacall!

Comments

[DTrent]

"Homophobia"?!?! Just because some people don't support homosexual/lesbian lifestyles doesn't mean they're AFRAID of them! Just means they don't approve of the lifestyle.

[eSVee]

Crash was an amazingly beautiful film about the prejudices of our time. Was it really that much of a crime that it won?

[Robert Hamer]

'Crash' was a simplistic and condescending film that copied the structure and themes of other, better films before it. So yes, winning Best Picture over 'Brokeback Mountain' and being nominated over 'A History of Violence' was appalling and probably one of the worst Best Picture victories ever.

[Eric]

As for Brokeback Mountain...doesn't the fact that two members of the Academy admitted they didn't even watch it signify that there was some anti-gay sentiment out there? To question if it existed at all seems pretty foolish. As does insisting that a few elderly movie stars liking Milk somehow proves that there wasn't any prejudice against Brokeback.

And re: the previous comment...anyone who thinks homosexuality is a "lifestyle" is appallingly ignorant. Whether that ignorance comes from fear or not doesn't really concern me.

[Antinous]

I think that Philadelphia beat Brokeback Mountain by twelve years as the first major Hollywood film centered on a gay theme.

[Matthew]

""Homophobia"?!?! Just because some people don't support homosexual/lesbian lifestyles doesn't mean they're AFRAID of them! Just means they don't approve of the lifestyle."

Ugh. Not this tired old bleat again. Yes, "phobia" literally means "fear" in the English language. But anyone who has actually encountered the word more than a time or two should be able to realize that the *working* definition of the word "homophobia" is broader than that -- that it refers to discrimination and hatred and not just fear.

Sometimes I don't know what's worse, homophobia or intentional -- but disingenuous -- ignorance.

Matthew

[Jay Moore]

There is no reasonable doublt that Hollywood homophobia sunk Brokeback Mountain's chance for the Oscar. Crash "was simplistic" and still a good movie but not an Oscar picture-remember the look of shock on Crash actors/director when they won?

[jman]

Ok folks, its 2008, not 1908. Saying you "don't approve of the lifestyle" (whatever you mean by "lifestyle") is the same as saying you don't approve of certain people being born. Just as persons who are anti-gay say it is a choice, by saying things like "lifestyle", so-called ex-gays have not really changed themselves either. They have "chosen" to deny who they were born as. Much healthier than than actually being as god intended you to be LOL. Some people really need to go back to school.

[Jay]

Brokeback Mountain won more pre-Oscars Best Picture and Director prizes than any film in history, including Schindler's List and Titanic. It was the top box office film of the nominees and #1 of the year at box office mojo. It is the only film to win the Directors, Writers and Producers Guilds and lose the Oscar. It is the only film to win the Golden Globe, LA & NY film crix prizes and to have the most nominations and lose the Oscar. It was the overwhelming favorite based on the same criteria all other favorites are selected, and then some. Then, right wing protests started, Borgnine, Curtis, "and all their friends [in the Academy]", according to them, both refused to watch it. Of course homophobia and fear of being perceived as gay friendly caused one of the finest, most acclaimed films in cinema history to unjustly lose its due. It renders the Oscars meaningless (not that their track record was so hot to begin with, maybe 25% of Best Picture prizes right, at most). So it doesn't matter whether an individual prefers Brokeback over Crash (which the large majority did per national polls, including Newsweek), and not just it deserved to win, it was supposed to win. Haven't watched the Oscars since.

[pippin]

To be fair, Lauren Bacall does not accurately represent the many old male Academy voters, particularly those whose technical professions (sound, lighting, effects) don't really require them to be too cosmopolitan to get far in the business. Not to cast aspersions on the many informed, gay-friendly old male members of the Academy.