Year: 1995
Running time: 102 min.
Country: United States
Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Screenwriter: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Sharon Wood
Music: Carter Burwell
Cinematography: Nancy Schreiber
Cast: Documentary, Self: Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, Harvey Fierstein, Gore Vidal, Farley Granger, Paul Rudnick, Shirley MacLaine, Antonio Fargas
Producer: arte, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
Genre: Documentary | Movie Documentary. Gay & Lesbian
Synopsis: Author Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City) wrote Lily Tomlin's narration for this superb documentary, based on a book by the late Vito Russo, about Hollywood's treatment of homosexual characters in this century. Never pointing a finger at anyone in the film community, The Celluloid Closet presents clips from more than 100 mainstream features (including The Children's Hour, Advise and Consent, The Boys in the Band, and The Hunger) that speak loudly in their respective images of gays and lesbians. The Celluloid Closet makes a persuasive case for patterns of sexual mythology in Hollywood, such as presenting homosexuals repeatedly as tragic, helpless figures redeemed only through death or as back-street monsters cavorting in the shadows. Things change, of course, and clips from more recent films by gay and lesbian filmmakers suggest a more vital, diverse, autobiographical approach. There are lots of great interviews with screenwriters (Gore Vidal), filmmakers (John Schlesinger), actors (Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg), and others to enunciate the major themes.
