The Celluloid Closet (1995)

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

Directors:

Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

Writers:

Vito Russo (based on the work of), Rob Epstein (story)

Stars:

Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis, Susie Bright

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lily Tomlin	...	Self - Narrator (voice)
Tony Curtis	...	Self
Susie Bright	...	Self
Arthur Laurents	...	Self
Armistead Maupin	...	Self
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Self
Jan Oxenberg	...	Self
Harvey Fierstein	...	Self
Quentin Crisp	...	Self
Richard Dyer	...	Self
Jay Presson Allen	...	Self
Mrs. Gustav Ketterer	...	Self
Gore Vidal	...	Self
Will H. Hays	...	Self (archive footage)
Farley Granger	...	Self

Storyline

A comprehensive documentary of the history of gays and lesbians in cinema, from negative to positive reflections of gay characters and the troubles of actors and actresses.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | lesbian | reference to eve arden | reference to bette davis | gay subtext | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cher, Liza Minnelli, and Bette Midler were scheduled to be interviewed for this documentary, but all canceled at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts.

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Quotes

Arthur Laurents: You must pay. You must suffer. If you're a woman who commits adultery, you're only put out in the storm. If you're a woman who has another woman you better go hang yourself. It's a question of degree and certainly if you're gay, you have to do real penance - die!

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Connections

Features Behind the Screen (1916)

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Soundtracks

Let's Knock Knees
Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel
Courtesy of Chappell & Co.

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics Telling Pictures official website

Country:

France UK Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Celluloid Closet

Filming Locations:

Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$95,047, 17 March 1996

Gross USA:

$1,400,591

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,400,591

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARTE, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Channel Four Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1