The Celluloid Closet (1995)

Directors:

Rob Epstein
Jeffrey Friedman

Writers:

Vito Russo (book)
Rob Epstein (story) ...

Release Date:

15 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Lesbian | Social Change | Homophobia | Legion Of Decency

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Lily Tomlin	...	Narrator
Tony Curtis	...	Himself
Susie Bright	...	Herself
Arthur Laurents	...	Himself
Armistead Maupin	...	Himself
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Herself
Jan Oxenberg	...	Herself
Harvey Fierstein	...	Himself
Quentin Crisp	...	Himself
Richard Dyer	...	Himself
Jay Presson Allen	...	Herself
Mrs. Gustav Ketterer	...	Herself
Gore Vidal	...	Himself
Will H. Hays	...	Himself (archive footage)
Farley Granger	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Celluloid Closet (France)
Gefangen in der Traumfabrik (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some graphic footage of sexuality and violence, and for language.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France | UK | Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Spain:13 | USA:R

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

The filmmakers originally planned a sequence discussing how gay historical figures were portrayed as heterosexual in films. They aborted the sequence when Richard Burton's estate denied the rights to Alexander the Great (1956), MGM denied use of Hans Christian Andersen (1952) (fearing that the filmmakers were trying to "out" Danny Kaye) and Charlton Heston declined use of The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) (claiming that Michaelangelo was heterosexual).

Quotes:

Susie Bright: [on Johnny Guitar] It's amazing how if you're a gay audience and you're accustomed to crumbs, how you will watch an entire movie just to see somebody wear an outfit that you think means that they are homosexual. The whole movie can be a dud, but you're just sitting there waiting for John Crawford to put on her black cowboy shirt again.

Movie Connections:

Features Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Excellent documentary

Entertaining, thought-provoking and (at times) very funny documentary chronicling gay subject matter in motion pictures from the silents up to 1995. The narration (by Lily Tomlin) is insightful and the cameos and comments by various stars who have played gay (Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Hamlin) or are gay (Harvey Feinstein, the late Quentin Crisp, Paul Rudnick) are very entertaining and in two cases (with Susan Sarandon and Gore Vidal) utterly uproarious. Special attention should be paid to the "Ben-Hur" segment when you realize Stephen Boyd was playing it gay and Charlton Heston was totally oblivious! This is a very important film and should be seen by everybody gay OR straight. A must for film buffs. Don't miss this one! My only complaint--it's too short! The DVD version has extra interviews that are just great.