IMDb RATING
7.8/10
7.2K
YOUR RATING
A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
7.2K
YOUR RATING
- Writers
- Vito Russo(based on the work of)
- Rob Epstein(story)
- Jeffrey Friedman(story)
- Stars
- Writers
- Vito Russo(based on the work of)
- Rob Epstein(story)
- Jeffrey Friedman(story)
- Stars
Lily Tomlin
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
Will H. Hays
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Writers
- Vito Russo(based on the work of)
- Rob Epstein(story)
- Jeffrey Friedman(story)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaActor Michael Ontkean not only declined to be interviewed for the documentary but also attempted to prevent clips from his film Making Love (1982) from being shown in it. He was unsuccessful.
- Quotes
Quentin Crisp: Mainstream people dislike homosexuality because they can't help concentrating on what homosexual men do to one another. And when you contemplate what people do, you think of yourself doing it. And they don't like that. That's the famous joke: I don't like peas, and I'm glad I don't like them, because if I liked them I would eat them and I hate them.
- ConnectionsEdited into Rescued from the Closet (2001)
- SoundtracksAdvise and Consent (Main Theme)
Written by Jerry Fielding
Performed by Frank Sinatra (uncredited)
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Inc.
Review
Featured review
Fascinating and important documentary
The Celluloid Closet is a documentary that examines Hollywood and homosexuality, and how gays and lesbians have been portrayed in films.. It actually all began in 1895, with Thomas Edison's film of two men dancing together!
Beginning in the 1930's, filmmakers, because of the strict production code in place at the time, constantly inserted gay and lesbian themes and storylines, and the earliest gay male character was always the `sissy', and lesbians could only be used if they were presented as dangerous predators. In viewing the film clips, some scenes from certain films are more overt than others, especially in non-gay or lesbian themed films. For example, Jane Russell, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, sings in a room of half-naked man, none of whom pay any attention to her. A less overt example features a scene from Red River in which Montgomery Clift and another actor discuss their pistols after removing them from their holsters. Numerous writers, directors, and actors, including Gore Vidal, Susie Bright, John Schlesinger, Tom Hanks, and Susan Sarandon, all comment on their roles in this aspect of film history. This is an important and always interesting documentary that should be seen by everyone, no matter their sexual orientation.
Vote: 10
Beginning in the 1930's, filmmakers, because of the strict production code in place at the time, constantly inserted gay and lesbian themes and storylines, and the earliest gay male character was always the `sissy', and lesbians could only be used if they were presented as dangerous predators. In viewing the film clips, some scenes from certain films are more overt than others, especially in non-gay or lesbian themed films. For example, Jane Russell, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, sings in a room of half-naked man, none of whom pay any attention to her. A less overt example features a scene from Red River in which Montgomery Clift and another actor discuss their pistols after removing them from their holsters. Numerous writers, directors, and actors, including Gore Vidal, Susie Bright, John Schlesinger, Tom Hanks, and Susan Sarandon, all comment on their roles in this aspect of film history. This is an important and always interesting documentary that should be seen by everyone, no matter their sexual orientation.
Vote: 10
helpful•194
- fleagles
- Oct 31, 2000
Details
Box office
- 1 hour 42 minutes
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