In 1994, Tom Hanks won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a lawyer fired from his renowned law firm because he was infected with the AIDS virus. A drama inspired by the stories of Geoffrey Bowers and Clarence Cain, who both experienced this injustice before being taken away by illness.
philadelphia : a poignant drama
Eclectic director at ease in comedy (Dangerous in all respects, Widow but not too much…) as in the thriller (Thesilenceofthelambs), Jonathan Demme unveiled in 1994 the drama philadelphia. A feature film awarded two Oscars: Best original song for Bruce Springsteen and its title Streets of Philadelphiaand best actor for Tom Hanks.
The actor lends his features to Andrew Beckett, a brilliant lawyer who works for the prestigious firm of Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards). One day it is dismissed for professional misconduct without just cause. Convinced that his former employers have dismissed because he suffers from AIDSAndrew decides to sue them.
To defend him, he calls on the ambitious Joe Miller (Denzel Washington). Despite his homophobia, the latter agrees to take charge of the case. As Andrew’s health declines, the two men gradually become friends and engage in a bitter fight together.
Antonio Banderas, Mary Steenburgen and Joanne Woodward complete the cast of this film inspired by true stories, those of Geoffrey Bowers and Clarence Cain.
A complaint against the film crew
In December 1986, in New York, the firm Baker & McKenzie dismisses the business lawyer Geoffrey Bowers because he is suffering from the AIDS virus. A procedure begins. After seven years, the company is ordered to pay $500,000 to the family of Geoffrey Bowers. This last dies two months before hearings begin in 1987, at just 33 years old.
A year after his death, producer Scott Rudin speaks with relatives of the lawyer. He promises them compensation if a feature film based on his story sees the light of day. When she discovers philadelphiathe family of Geoffrey Bowers decides to attack the film crew because they did not receive the famous compensation, as reported at the time by the New York Times. She also ensures that more than 50 scenes directly echo his fight.
The defense argues that Scott Rudin left the project when filming began. The producer had sold the idea of the feature film to TriStar and would never have mentioned this meeting with the studio and that the team was above all documented through public and varied sources, as well as on personal experiences of the screenwriter Ron Nyswaner and Jonathan Demme. She nevertheless recognizes that the drama is based in part on the life of Geoffrey Bowers.
Clarence Cain’s Fight
In 1990, Clarence Cain found himself in a lawsuit in Philadelphia opposing him to Hyatt Legal Services, for the same reasons. This lawyer also has won his legal fight, before being swept away two months later by illness aged 37 in June 1990, according to the washington post.
Weakened, he spent the last months of his life in poverty and was forced to return to his mother in Newport News, Virginia. Before his death, he declared to the Philadelphia Inquirer :
The greatest indignity is not being able to take care of yourself. And to know that you may have to borrow money from your parents for your cremation.
