Journeys

A journey is to be considered a course of travel from one place to another, but the destination is not always certain. AS seen in many texts these journeys are not always seen as physical they can also be emotional, psychological, intellectual and so on. The 1993 film Philadelphia is one text which gives us an intimate insight into the journey of one man facing the discrimination of homosexual people in general and more particularly in the workplace. The movie incorporates many journeys into the film not only through our main character Beckett and his losing battle with cancer and his fight for equality but also through the help of a homophobic lawyer, Joe Miller. During the battle, Miller sees that Beckett is no different than any man, sheds his homophobia and helps Beckett with his case before AIDS overcomes him.   We as a viewer are drawn into Beckets emotional battle and the emotion of his death and are left with a clearer understanding of gay discrimination, issues surrounding AIDS and the incredible determination and sacrifices many gay people have made to achieve their life journey with equality.

The text Philadelphia has used music as a continual technique throughout the film to help us feel the emotion of Beckett and to help us understand the journey he was embarking. A variety of different types of music have been used in the text to depict different emotions felt by the characters. The motif of hope full music has also been used to inspire hope for Beckets journey.   French Operatic music is used in a key scene in the film, with Becket singing about his illness. The song begins off soft and calm referring to the start of his illness when hope was still around. The song then moves off into a loud and strong chorus expressing the anger and sadness becket feels towards his illness and how it had and will affect his life and others around him.

Colour is used throughout the film so that we see the downhill spiral through to the hope at the end of the...