Stonewall (1995)

A group of homosexual people try to live with dignity and self-respect while events build to the opening battle in the major gay rights movement.

Director:

Nigel Finch

Writers:

Rikki Beadle Blair, Martin Duberman (novel)

Stars:

Guillermo Díaz, Frederick Weller, Brendan Corbalis

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guillermo Díaz	...	La Miranda
Frederick Weller	...	Matty Dean
Brendan Corbalis	...	Ethan
Duane Boutte	...	Bostonia (as Duane Boutté)
Bruce MacVittie	...	Vinnie
Peter Ratray	...	Burt
Dwight Ewell	...	Helen Wheels
Matthew Faber	...	Mizz Moxie
Michael McElroy	...	Princess Ernestine
Luis Guzmán	...	Vito (as Luiz Guzman)
Joey Dedio	...	Angelo
Tim Artz	...	Plainclothes Cop
Isaiah Washington	...	Uniformed Cop
Candis Cayne	...	Diva
David Drumgold	...	Diva

Storyline

Who could have guessed that a bunch of men in dresses would breath life into the movement to win equal rights for gay men and lesbians? Certainly not the police who raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular "drag" bar in Greenwich Village. After a long history of police raids, extortion, and brutality, a gaggle of drag queens at the Stonewall decide they have had enough and begin to riot when the police try to load them into a paddy wagon. Told by "La Miranda" (Hector), a regular customer at the Stonewall Inn, the film is a recounting of events that led up to that fateful day in 1969. "Matty Dean" is the handsome angry young man that La Miranda meets at the Stonewall one day and with whom she/he quickly falls in love. "Bostonia" is the self-styled Queen Mother of the drag queens and guides each initiate gently "into the life." Her lover, Vinnie, is the closeted proprietor of the Stonewall. His tragic response to the suffocation he feels bearing down on him from a homophobic world -- perhaps...

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Plot Keywords:

gay | police | drag | riot | police raid | 

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Taglines:

The fight for the right to love [USA theatrical]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1996 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$74,052 (USA) (26 July 1996)

Gross:

$616,248 (USA) (27 September 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), BBC Arena, Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 94 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Nigel Finch died of AIDS shortly after completing this, his last film.

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Goofs

The picket at Independence Hall was a yearly event called the Annual Reminder. It took place every July 4 from 1965 to 1969. The Stonewall riots began June 28, earlier in the summer than the Annual Reminder.

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Quotes

La Miranda: Matty Dean, do they have draqs where you come from?
Matty Dean: Well, naturally.
La Miranda: Well, then you know it ain't hip to call a D.Q. he.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

"Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)Shadow Morton (as George Morton)
Performed by The Shangri-Las
Courtesy of Mercury Records
With special permission of Polygram Special Markets

User Reviews

A film bursting with stories, colour and life.

The night they raided the NYC underground bar Stonewall was the night gay pride exploded into the mainstream. This film tells the story of that night through a group of characters who each shine with their own unique story. There's La Miranda and Matty Dean, the central fictional figures of this film, and their struggle to find love, respect and honour in 1969 against numerous odds. But there are many other important stories told in this beautiful film. Dazzling, bright, strong and rousing are just four words but they settle easily into any sentence describing Stonewall - the movie. Its one of the most colourful and well designed films I've seen - so lush and grand in its set design and the musical numbers blaze. This delicious film is an aching, sweet transport into another time and place and provides a jaunty historical summation of the pride and intensity the name Stonewall still retains in the twentieth century history of the gay experience. Its a love story, a political tale, a drag odyssey and a wonderful expression of the powerful bonds that dark times promote and cement. Most of all, its a film to share with people you care about and want to grow through life with - so march to see it now.