Philadelphia TriStar Pictures presents a Clinica Estetico production ; produced by Edward Saxon and Jonathan Demme ; written by Ron Nyswaner ; directed by Jonathan Demme. vediorecording

Originally released as a motion picture in 1993.

Special features: disc 1: filmmakers audio commentary; disc 2: "People like us: making 'Philadelphia'"

Philadelphia is a 1993 American legal drama film written by Ron Nyswaner, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is a senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia: Wyant, Wheeler, Hellerman, Tetlow, and Brown. He conceals his homosexuality and his status as an AIDS patient from the other members of the firm. A partner in the firm notices a lesion on Beckett's forehead. Although Beckett attributes the lesion to a racquetball injury, it indicates Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS-defining condition.
Shortly thereafter, Beckett stays home from work for several days to try to find a way to hide his lesions. While at home, he finishes the paperwork for a case he has been assigned and then brings it to his office, leaving instructions for his assistants to file the paperwork the following day, which marks the end of the statute of limitations for the case. Later that morning, he receives a call asking for the paperwork, as the paper copy cannot be found and there are no copies on the computer's hard drive. The paperwork is finally discovered in an alternate location and is filed with the court at the last possible moment. The following day, Beckett is dismissed by the firm's partners.
Beckett believes that someone deliberately hid his paperwork to give the firm an excuse to fire him, and that the dismissal is actually a result of his diagnosis with AIDS as well as his sexuality. He asks ten attorneys to take his case, including African-American personal injury lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), whom Beckett previously opposed in an unrelated case. Miller appears to be worried that he could contract Beckett's illness. After declining to take the case, Miller immediately visits his doctor to find out if he could have contracted the disease. The doctor explains that the routes of HIV infection do not include casual contact.
Unable to find a lawyer willing to represent him, Beckett is compelled to act as his own attorney. While researching a case at a law library, Miller sees Beckett at a nearby table. A librarian approaches Beckett and announces that he has found a case on AIDS discrimination for him. As others in the library begin to first stare uneasily, the librarian suggests Beckett go to a private room. Seeing the parallels in how he himself has faced discrimination due to his race, Miller approaches Beckett, reviews the material he has gathered, and takes the case.

In short :
Two competing lawyer join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.

MPAA rating: PG-13; for some graphic language and thematic material.

DVD, region 1, Dolby Digital 5.0, Dolby surround, remastered in high definition.

English, dubbed French, dubbed Japanese or dubbed Spanish dialogue, Chinese, English, French Japanese, Spanish or Thai subtitles; closed-captioned.

Academy Awards, USA, 1994: Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks); Best Music, Original Song (Bruce Springsteen) For the song "Streets of Philadelphia".