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IMDbPro

The Celluloid Closet

  • 19951995
  • RR
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
7.2K
YOUR RATING
The Celluloid Closet (1995)
DocumentaryHistory
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
  • Directors
    • Rob Epstein
    • Jeffrey Friedman
  • Writers
    • Vito Russo(based on the work of)
    • Rob Epstein(story)
    • Jeffrey Friedman(story)
  • Stars
    • Lily Tomlin(voice)
    • Tony Curtis
    • Susie Bright
  • Directors
    • Rob Epstein
    • Jeffrey Friedman
  • Writers
    • Vito Russo(based on the work of)
    • Rob Epstein(story)
    • Jeffrey Friedman(story)
  • Stars
    • Lily Tomlin(voice)
    • Tony Curtis
    • Susie Bright
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 57User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys
      • 7 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Celluloid Closet
    Trailer 2:10
    Watch The Celluloid Closet

    Photos10

    Quentin Crisp, Rob Epstein, and Jeffrey Friedman in The Celluloid Closet (1995)
    1 sheet
    The Celluloid Closet (1995)
    Sal Mineo in The Celluloid Closet (1995)
    The Celluloid Closet (1995)
    The Celluloid Closet (1995)
    The Celluloid Closet (1995)
    The Celluloid Closet (1995)
    The Celluloid Closet (1995)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lily Tomlin
    Lily Tomlin
    • Self - Narrator
    • (voice)
    Tony Curtis
    Tony Curtis
    • Self
    Susie Bright
    • Self
    Arthur Laurents
    Arthur Laurents
    • Self
    Armistead Maupin
    Armistead Maupin
    • Self
    Whoopi Goldberg
    Whoopi Goldberg
    • Self
    Jan Oxenberg
    • Self
    Harvey Fierstein
    Harvey Fierstein
    • Self
    Quentin Crisp
    Quentin Crisp
    • Self
    Richard Dyer
    • Self
    Jay Presson Allen
    Jay Presson Allen
    • Self
    Mrs. Gustav Ketterer
    • Self
    Gore Vidal
    Gore Vidal
    • Self
    Will H. Hays
    Will H. Hays
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Farley Granger
    Farley Granger
    • Self
    Paul Rudnick
    Paul Rudnick
    • Self
    Shirley MacLaine
    Shirley MacLaine
    • Self
    Barry Sandler
    • Self
    • Directors
      • Rob Epstein
      • Jeffrey Friedman
    • Writers
      • Vito Russo(based on the work of)
      • Rob Epstein(story)
      • Jeffrey Friedman(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actor 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.

    • Connections
      Edited into Rescued from the Closet (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Advise and Consent (Main Theme)
      Written by Jerry Fielding

      Performed by Frank Sinatra (uncredited)

      Courtesy of Warner Bros. Inc.

    User reviews57

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Out of the closet and into the picture
    "The Celluloid Closet" is a documentary that dares to go where others haven't gone before. Hollywood, that dream factory, has always been a magnet for the artistic gays and lesbians that have had a lot to endure and have never been recognized to the valuable contributions they have made to the medium.

    Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have compiled a comprehensible account of how homosexuals have been discriminated by the industry where they have been present since the early days of silent films. In fact, movies have always attracted homosexuals who, for the sake of being in the pictures, have gone to extremes in order to work in this form of entertainment.

    We are given excellent background by a lot of people that explain the many intricacies these closeted individuals have endured while trying to have a career in the movies. Interviews with Arthur Laurents, Tony Curtis, Armistead Maupin, Susie Bright, Whoopie Goldberg, Jan Oxenburg, Jay Presson Allen, Gore Vidal and others, expand on the material we are watching. Lily Tomlin's narration is an asset.

    Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman deserve credit for their frank attempt to illustrate Hollywood's hypocritical treatment to the people who, in a way, have added to the prestige and to the artistic quality of the movies.
    helpful•24
    3
    • jotix100
    • Sep 17, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 15, 1996 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United Kingdom
      • Germany
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Sony Pictures Classics
      • Telling Pictures
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sakincali Film Dolabi
    • Filming locations
      • Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Home Box Office (HBO)
      • Channel 4
      • ZDF/Arte
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,400,591
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $95,047
      • Mar 17, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,400,591
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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