The Times of Harvey Milk
An archival portrait of Harvey Milk’s rise as a pioneering San Francisco gay-rights politician and the civic shock that followed his assassination.
Overview
A powerful documentary that chronicles the life and legacy of a groundbreaking political figure in San Francisco.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- mournful
- urgent
- intimate
- historical documentary viewing
- social justice programming
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, well-informed archival portrait of Harvey Milk and the LGBTQ political era he helped define.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Harvey Milk’s career and legacy are assembled from archive footage and recollections by people who knew or worked with him.
Milk’s electoral campaigns are presented as a means of representing San Francisco’s gay community and challenging social invisibility.
The retrospective account moves from Milk’s rise and organizing to the assassinations and the city’s reaction.
The Castro and San Francisco city government are central locations in Milk’s political emergence and community organizing.
Films like The Times of Harvey Milk, and why
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter
social-justice documentary built from archival footage, testimony, and a politically consequential murder
The War Room
archival political documentary examining a transformative American public figure and national cultural conflict
Eyes on the Prize
emotionally stirring civil-rights documentary centered on activism, testimony, and collective memory
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
lgbtq historical documentary combining personal testimony with movement history and political struggle
Movie Details
- Director
- Rob Epstein
- Release Date
- 1984-10-07
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (127)
Cast
- Harvey Milk
- Harvey Fierstein
- Anne Kronenberg
- Tory Hartmann
- Tom Ammiano
- Jim Elliot
- Henry Der
- Jeannine Yeomans
- Bill Kraus
- Sally M. Gearhart
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Times of Harvey Milk about?
- An archival portrait of Harvey Milk’s rise as a pioneering San Francisco gay-rights politician and the civic shock that followed his assassination.
- What is The Times of Harvey Milk like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Times of Harvey Milk as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Times of Harvey Milk violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Times of Harvey Milk as mild.
- What did critics think of The Times of Harvey Milk?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, well-informed archival portrait of Harvey Milk and the LGBTQ political era he helped define.
- Which films are like The Times of Harvey Milk?
- Films with a similar feel include The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter, The War Room, Eyes on the Prize, and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt.
- How long is The Times of Harvey Milk?
- The Times of Harvey Milk runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Times of Harvey Milk?
- In United States, The Times of Harvey Milk streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
