IG 120 - THE STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OF GAY AND AIDS - INFECTED PERSON OF THE MAIN

THE STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OF GAY

AND AIDS - INFECTED PERSON OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN JONATHAN DEMME’S

PHILADELPHIA MOVIE

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background of the Study

In general, types of literature are fiction, poetry, and drama. Fiction and drama have almost similar characteristic in their elements since both works are written in prose and in certain time-sequence. In globalization and the development of technology, people prefer watching films on television or movies to reading literature. Due to the modernization and the development of technology, people prefer watching film programs on television or movies to reading literature.

Film is a fascinating form of entertainment, because everything on the screen appears to be life-like and natural. The movie characters walk and talk just as people actually do. Rooms, houses and street seem real. The picture does not stand still at one scene. It moves forward together. Music makes the story more exciting and other sounds make the film more real. Best of all, everything blends smoothly into an entertaining show.

Film is hastily classified as a dramatic genre. Film can present several kinds of meaning at once. A film as a literary work can be used as a source for studying literature. Moreover, the movie about a human right is exciting because it reflects the human life generally.

Human rights belong to every human being. Every person is free to decide what to do now and in the future. Other people can not interfere with someone’s right. They are free to express what they want. They are free to speak, to set a material wealth and to choose a religion.

All human beings are born free and to have equal dignity and rights. Human right is the basic right of human beings and in exercise a government may not interfere (including rights for life and liberty as well as freedom of thought and expression and equality in law). Human rights are based on the recognition of the equal status and dignity of every human being regardless of any distinguishing characteristics such as race, color, sex, language, religion, politics or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It gives rise to the twin fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination.

Based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948) everyone has the right for life, liberty and security of person. It means that everyone has the right for working, free choice of employment, justice and favorable conditions of work and protection against unemployment. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to get equal pay for equal work.

One of the examples of human right manifestation can be seen in a movie. A movie often illustrates the situation of the social condition of the people in a certain time. A movie can encourage an empathy and tolerance, it can make the audience know themselves through the figures or the characters in the story, and human right already becomes good issue for years. Everyone talks about it in every place and every time. A movie is often made to be used as the manifestation of the human right issue.

One of the movies that talks about human right is Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a movie about AIDS. It was the first big-budget Hollywood films that tackle the medical, political and social issues of AIDS. This is the first major movie to deal with the subject of AIDS. The story tells about Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), a successful gay lawyer, who is fired from a prestigious Philly law firm even though he has recently been promoted to junior partner. The law firm where he works claims that they fired Andy because he is no longer a good lawyer. However, Beckett was sure that the real reason he is fired is because his bosses discover that he has AIDS and files a discrimination suit against his employers. He secures the counsel of Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a lawyer who fears of AIDS and homosexuality. Because of having an incident that happens to Beckett in the public place (library), Miller reluctantly takes Beckett’s case and learns to overcome his misconceptions about the disease and about gay people in general.

The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks) and Best Music, Song (Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia"). It was also nominated for Best Makeup (Carl Fullerton and Alan D'Angerio), Best Music, Song (Neil Young for "Philadelphia") and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Ron Nyswaner). This film's protagonist, Andrew Beckett is listed at number 49 on the AFI's list of the Top 100 Heroes and Villains. This motion picture was inspired in part by AIDS discrimination lawsuit,

AIDS. the courage and love of the Angius family and the struggles of the many others who, along with their loved ones, have experienced discrimination because of

Nonetheless, Philadelphia was not the first movie about AIDS (it followed such a worthy independent film as Parting Glances and Longtime Companion but it was the first Hollywood studio picture to take AIDS as its primary subject. The story takes place in Philadelphia; most of the scenes happen in the court room.

Philadelphia shows some violence of human right. In the United States, it is illegal to fire somebody simply because she /he has a disease. Andy, therefore, decides to sue (file a lawsuit) against his former bosses for illegally firing him. For Andy and his family, the lawsuit will come to represent a major fight against prejudice, and thus a fight for justice.

Philadelphia is directed by Jonathan Demme and presented by Hollywood studio picture. He decided to make a film about AIDS when his close friend, Juan Botas was diagnosed to have HIV+. Botas, after spending months with a group of men with full-blown AIDS, informed Demme that the physical battle with the disease would be a “compelling subject for a documentary.” Demme agreed and later decided to make “Philadelphia”. He is a director, a producer, and a writer who is unafraid to take on challenging a controversial subject matter in his films, but also knows how to make his stories absorbing and entertaining with unusual depth and humanity. He makes movies with his own way and on his own terms.

There are some of Jonathan Demme works, such as: Angels Hard as They Come (1971), Black Mama (1972), Caged Heat (1974, which he also wrote),  Crazy mama (1975), and Fighting Mad (1976, which he also wrote), Citizens’Band (1977), Last Embrace (1979), came Melvin and Howard (1980), something Wild (1986) and Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Cousin Bobby (1992).

1.2    Reasons for Choosing Topic

I choose film because through learning literature, especially drama, students get description about life, attitude, and behavior by giving life imitation and it will enable us to get something which is similar to our real life. By watching a film, we can understand it easily. We can watch directly the action and not only imagine them such as when we read short story or novel.

The reasons why I choose Philadelphia movie as the topic of my research are because it is a movie that brings a good message to everyone who watches it. This movie shows how people with AIDS are discriminated and how AIDS infects others, how they struggle to get their right. Besides, this movie can clarify the misconceptions in social reality life about the disease (AIDS), about those who contract it, and about gay people in general.

Philadelphia is Hollywood's pathetic, hygienic attempt to deal with the maelstrom of controversy surrounding AIDS. This movie educates people about AIDS along with the ignorant misconception people have about it. The movie is not only tells about the cold-blooded and hypocritical members of corporate society but also the indignities and prejudices that people living with AIDS have to go through.

With Philadelphia, Demme took on the story of a gay lawyer with AIDS (Tom Hanks has been nominated for an Academy Award for the role) who is fired by his firm and wins a wrongful-termination suit with the help of an initially homophobic lawyer (Denzel Washington). The film has completed Demme's hope of bringing a gay-oriented AIDS drama into the heartland, though again, not without generating fierce controversy.

The other reason I choose the title “The Struggle for Human Right of Gay and AIDS-infected person of the main character in Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia movie” is because a discussion on human rights is interesting.

1.3    Limitation of the Study

In this research I focus on the struggle of human right of the main character, Andrew Beckett and Joe Miller as reflected in the Philadelphia movie. The right that Andrew and his lawyer, Joe, struggle is to eradicate the discrimination of AIDS.

1.4    Statement of the Problem

The problems in this discussion can be formulated as follows:

(1)     How are the main characters Andrew Beckett and Joe Miller described?

(2)     What problems related to human rights do the main character experience in Philadelphia?

(3)     How do the main characters struggle for their rights?

1.5    Objective of the Study

The objectives of this study are:

(1)     To describe the characterization of Andrew Beckett and Joe Miller in Philadelphia movie.

(2)     To explain how the main characters face the problem related to human rights in Philadelphia movie

(3)     To explain how the main characters struggle for right.

1.6    Significance of the Study

I hope that the result of the study will be useful, not only for me but also for the readers.

Some significances of the study are given as follows:

(1)     For other students, I hope that the result of the study will give more knowledge and understanding about human right and all of those concepts, I need to help them to learn more about AIDS disease, and it hopefully may inspire them on researching a movie.

(2)     For the readers, it will help them have a deep understanding of human right discrimination (AIDS and gay).

1.7    Organization of the Presentation

This thesis is systemized in five chapters. The first chapter is introduction, which consists of background of the study, reasons for choosing the topic,  limitation of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, significance of the study and organization of the Presentation.

The second chapter is Review to related literature. In this chapter the writer presents character and characterization, Human right, movie as popular culture, and background of Jonathan Demme.

The third chapter discusses about the method of investigation. It consists of object of the study, types of data, the procedures of collecting data, and the method of analyzing data.

The fourth chapter is the result of the analysis which consists of characterization, the human right discrimination, and the human rights struggle of the main character.

The last chapter is the conclusion and suggestion.

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