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

Harvey Fierstein: Every time I watched a straight scene I had to do this massive translation for myself. Then I did Torch Song Trilogy. I get these straight people saying to me 'you know, it's not really gay, it's universal'. I say 'up yours, it's gay'. That you can take it and apply it to yourself is wonderful, but at last I don't have to do the translating, you do.

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Connections

Features Hairspray (1988)

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Soundtracks

It Couldn't Please Me More
Written by John Kander and Fred Ebb
Courtesy of Alley Music and Trio Music Co., Inc.

User Reviews

The Power of Cinematic Image

Based on the book by Vito Russo, written by Armistead Maupin, and narrated by Lily Tomlin, THE CELLULOID CLOSET uses interviews and hundreds of film clips to examine the way in which Hollywood has presented gay and lesbian characters on film from the age of silent cinema to such recent films as PHILADELPHIA and DESERT HEARTS.

Throughout the documentary, the focus is on both stereotypes and the various ways that more creative directors and writers worked around the censorship of various decades to create implicitly homosexual characters, with considerable attention given to the way in which stereotypes shaped public concepts of the gay community in general. Overtly homosexual characters were not particularly unusual in silent and pre-code Hollywood films, and CLOSET offers an interesting sampling of both swishy stereotypes and unexpectedly sophisticated characters--both of which were doomed by the Hayes Code, a series of censorship rules adopted by Hollywood in the early 1930s.

The effect of the Code was to soften some of the more grotesque stereotypes--but more interesting was the impetus the Code gave to film makers to create homosexual characters and plot lines that would go over the heads of industry censors but which could still be interpreted by astute audiences, with films such as THE MALTESE FALCON, REBECCA, BEN-HUR, and REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE cases in point. Once the Code collapsed, however, Hollywood again returned to stereotypes in an effort to cash in on controversy--with the result that throughout most of the sixties and seventies homosexual characters were usually presented as unhappy, maladjusted creatures at best, suicidal and psychopathic entities at worst.

The film clips are fascinating stuff and are often highlighted by interviews of individuals who made the films: Tony Curtis re SOME LIKE IT HOT and SPARTACUS, Shirley MacLaine re THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, Stephen Boyd re BEN-HUR, Farley Granger re ROPE, and Whoopie Goldberg re THE COLOR PURPLE, to name but a few. All are interesting and intriguing, but two deserve special mention: Harvey Fierstein, who talks about the hunger he had as a youth to see accurate reflections of himself on the screen, and Susan Sarandon, who makes an eloquent statement on the power of film as "the keeper of the dreams."

Although the material will have special appeal to gays and lesbians, it should be of interest to any serious film buff with its mix of trivia and significant fact. The DVD also includes notable packages of out-takes from interviews that are often as interesting as the material that made the final cut. If the documentary has a fault, however, it is that it offers no "summing up," preferring instead to show only how far the portrayal of homosexuals has come and indicating how far it has yet to go. Recommended to any one interested in film history and interpretation.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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