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On the Set: Milk
From the Set Decorators Society of America

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Set Decorator Barbara Munch, on the set of Harvery Milk's apartment. SDSA Photo by Danny Nicoletta ©2008 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

With the Oscars right around the corner, we've been trying to catch up on the great films that are up for awards. In fact, after Gregory saw Milk, he already threw money down that Sean Penn would not only get a nod, but sweep the Best Actor category (Beth and I disagree: We're both gunning for Mickey Rourke's performance in The Wrestler). Film performances aside, we couldn't help but notice the sets from Gus Van Sant's biopic, Milk. Recreating the 60s and 70s of San Francisco's colorful Castro neighborhood was a collaborative effort: set decorator Barbara Munch says that several of the people depicted in the film brought photos and objects to share. Check out more photos of Harvey's apartment from the SDSA's Hot Off The Set! feature after the jump...


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Harvey's bedroom. We've never considered burgundy walls until now...!


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Harvey's apartment is a hodge podge of different styles that appealed to his tastes. Bright color combinations, whimsical patterns layered on top of each other, and ethnic objects are all over this set.


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Harvey's living room. We love the bright yellow-green wall with the black and white print and black lampshade. The powder blue velvet French antique chair gives the room an added unexpected twist.


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Harvey's dining room ceiling is a bit psychedelic, but it makes an excellent backdrop of a night sky to a moon-shaped George Nelson fixture.


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Cleve's apartment. Slightly more subdued than Harvey's, but with some great touches (check out the tiki masks in the back!).

Want to see more photos? Check out the entire feature and interview with Barbara Munch over at SDSA's Hot Off the Set! section.

[ Photos by Danny Nicoletta, BMunch, and Phil Bray. All photos are posted here with permission from the Set Decorator's Society of America. ]

Tags

Look!, Milk, SDSA, Barbara Munch, Sean Penn

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Comments (9)

I want Harvey's green velvet sofa, except with less-saggy cushions.

posted by tauremini on January 16th 2009 at 12:10pm
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I love love love that dining room ceiling. Now I can't stop thinking about how to replicate it myself.

posted by PhillyLass on January 16th 2009 at 12:23pm
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That ceiling is f*ing fantastic.

posted by tenderleaf on January 16th 2009 at 12:25pm
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I want Cleve's coffee table. For those who haven't seen it, the movie is fantastic.

posted by J on January 16th 2009 at 12:56pm
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Those are some ugly *ss rooms.

posted by Seaside on January 16th 2009 at 1:54pm
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they filmed some of the scenes in one of the oldest houses on my street. I wish I could figure out which interior most likely one of the top four.

posted by LoriSF on January 16th 2009 at 2:06pm
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I think Penn deserves the Oscar, but I suspect Rourke will get it.

If these interiors are historically accurate, Harvey had a great eye. I say this even though I am not *cough* a fan of '70s decor.

posted by rosenatti on January 16th 2009 at 3:07pm
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I thought the set design in Milk was pretty spectacular, for a film with such a teeny budget. One of the better re-creations of the '70s I've seen (Zodiac was another, and was probably even more successful, though they had a lot more money to work with).

posted by sunspot42 on January 17th 2009 at 3:13am
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posted by GuardianEye on February 3rd 2009 at 3:34pm
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