“Milk” Filming Benefits the Castro

posted by btkrefft on February 4, 2008 at 3:00 am

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Filming of Gus Van Sant’s upcoming biopic, Milk, has recently begun on location around San Francisco, including in the Castro neighborhood, which the film’s production team has transformed parts of to appear as they did in the early 70s. The film is about the first openly gay elected official in America, Harvey Milk, called “The Mayor of Castro Street”, who was assasinated along with Mayor George Moscone by Dan White in 1978. Van Sant has shot at locations connected to Milk including his camera shop on Castro Street (now a gift shop), City Hall, and the historic Castro Theatre.

The production, partnering with a local business association and the Castro Theatre’s owners, gathered funds to repair the neon on the marquee and also repaint the facade of the theater. Location manager Jonathan Shedd said, “There’s very few chances in our business where we can have a chance to make a postive change. But it’s nice to know that when we leave here, we’re going to leave something that’s had a lasting impact”.

The film stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk and Josh Brolin as Dan White. Also starring in Milk are Emile Hirsch, James Franco, and Victor Garber.

For more information, see the article in the Hollywood Reporter.

Theaters in this post

Comments (2)

HowardBHaasEsq
HowardBHaasEsq on February 4, 2008 at 7:30 am

not my photos) Neon marquee!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/5150fag/2235804293

Today’s news explains why in recently flickr looking for “movie theater” various photos of scaffolding appeared:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mthacker/2236437469/
View link
and painting:
View link

Marquee:
View link
Facade:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/too_tired/2235765472/

sotoskappas
sotoskappas on February 11, 2008 at 10:57 am

From 1961 till 1963 I worked as an usher at the RKO theatre on 58th
Street and 3rd Avenue in New York City. Moving in 1963 to Hollywood California, I ushered and later on managed theatres for Fox West Coast Theatres, which later on it became National General Theatres and presently, Mann Theatres. Some of the theatres I worked, were the “Vogue theatre” “The Hollywood, Hollywood theatre” “Fine Arts” “Fox Wilshire theatre” “State Theatre” “Guild theatre” “the Lido theatre” and “the Village theatre."
Sadly, "Pay TV” (Gable Television) destroyed most of those gorgeous theatres…

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