THE movie Philadelphia is all about emotion, and its Hong Kong premiere proved the point. Tears flowed, hearts ached and there was even a touch of disappointment.
That, however, was more to do with the poor turn-out for a $1,800 a head charity screening for AIDS Concern which little more than half-filled the Convention Centre. Even with the lure of a lucky draw, with a prize of an air ticket to Philadelphia, few chose to join the minor-league singers and local television personalities at the screening.
What was lacking was the A-list of local socialites. Perhaps they feel they have lost their anchor with the departure of stellar social figure Becky Purves, now Lady Purves, or maybe they simply didn't want to miss their supper. AIDS may be a blue-riband charity cause elsewhere around the world, but here it struggled.
Nevertheless, the film kept most people's attention fixed to the screen, other than Cecil Chao, who discreetly left halfway through, although wife Terri stayed to the end. Sister Maureen McGinlay said she had been in tears after 10 minutes.
Not a drop was shed by AIDS Concern's Mike Sinclair, the first Hong Kong resident to admit he was HIV positive, who had seen the film at a private showing. Mr Sinclair was less than enthusiastic about Philadelphia, although another AIDS sufferer, Joe Silk, was crying by the closing scenes.
Mr Sinclair was initially critical of Hanks, speculating that a lesser-known actor would not have had his audience recalling his other roles in films like Big and Sleepless In Seattle as they watched him face the ravages of AIDS. He also took exception to the regular chronological updates that punctuate the film, saying they had little to do with his experiences of the progress of AIDS on a human being.
Hanks' character Andy Beckett is portrayed as being the much-loved son and brother of a large, prosperous and loving all-American family complete with the white clapperboard house, fireplace and throughly understanding and sympathetic parents; a situation that Mr Sinclair regarded as almost impossibly idealised. He also noted that in contrast the partners in Beckett's legal firm who sack him are one-dimensional, malign homophobes who of course are destined to lose the legal case against them.