The Celluloid Closet (Special Edition)
by Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein
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DVD details
Actor: Armistead Maupin, Arthur Laurents, Lily Tomlin, Susie Bright, Tony CurtisDirector: Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein
Brand: TOMLIN,LILY
Writer: Armistead Maupin
Writer: Jeffrey Friedman
Writer: Rob Epstein
Producer: Bernie Brillstein
Writer: Sharon Wood
Writer: Vito Russo
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); French (Dubbed)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-05-29
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of The Celluloid Closet (Special Edition)
DVD Review: I consider this a collectors item.
Summary: 5 Stars
Very well done special, narrated by Lilly Tomlin. Eye opening look at how the gay issue has been handled in films & media, years ago, and now.DVD Review: An Entertaining, Enlightening Documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
The Celluloid Closet takes its name from a book by Vito Russo and tells us that in 100 years of movies, homosexuality has only rarely been portrayed on screen except to create humor, pity, and/or fear. Besides examining the subtle gay subtext of films as far back as the late 1920s, it also discusses the censorship practices of the Hollywood Production Code.
Narrated by Lily Tomlin, the documentary features a whole array of filmmakers, film historians, and studio heads both straight and gay. Some familiar faces include Tony Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, Harvey Fierstein, Tom Hanks, and Susan Sarandon.
The film covers Hollywood's depiction of homosexuality from the `20s to the early `90s. There's the "Sissy," Hollywood's first stock gay character and the subtle way filmmakers would imply homosexuality in cinema. Most know that Peter Lorre's character in The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition (1941 & 1931 versions / Satan Met a Lady) was gay, but this film shows the subtle hinting (particularly, the musical score) and the obvious (the novel explaining he's "queer").
When Hollywood introduced the Production Code, scripts were frequently changed to remove "unsuitable" material. This didn't erase homosexuality from film, but made it even harder to find.
In one of my favorite parts of this doc, Gore Vidal (the screenwriter of Ben-Hur) talks about his discussion with director William Wyler about introducing a homosexual element into the film. By making Ben-Hur and Messala former lovers, there was a reason for their hatred of one another. Wyler agreed, but only told Steven Boyd, who played Messala, for fear of Charlton Heston's reaction. Vidal gleefully compares the performances of the two, one knowing his character is gay and the other unaware.
It wasn't until the 1960s that Hollywood became more willing to pull the subject from between the lines and shuffle it to the forefront. But, it wasn't until the 1970s (particularly with The Boys in the Band) that doors were opened for how homosexuals were portrayed onscreen. Of course the film also covers the `80s and `90s, but it's my goal to get you to see it rather than just explain it all to you.
One thing I found interesting was some of the films from the late `20s and early `30s, as the gay stereotype from that era greatly parallels the modern stereotype.
The documentary succeeds on several key levels. It is rather enlightening, although covering more obvious films like Rebel Without a Cause (Two-Disc Special Edition) and Cabaret. However, I wasn't aware of the elements in Ben-Hur and tracing elements of homosexuality to a Charlie Chaplin short were pretty enlightening. Also, letting us hear from both straight and gay filmmakers allows the doc to avoid much bias.
With films like Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition) and Milk achieving acceptance in the mainstream, the subject of this documentary is not as profound as it may have been in even 1995. Despite this it is still an entertaining, funny, and enlightening history lesson on homosexuality and censorship in cinema.
GRADE: A
DVD Review: Fabulous
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a sucker for documentaries, but I absolutely adore this film! The interviews bring so much life to it, and I want to go see all the movies they talked about now!DVD Review: Fascinating look at a not-so-hidden thing
Summary: 5 Stars
The GLBT world was said to have been hidden, but it was right there out in the open all along, even in cinema, and many people just didn't realize it or did not wish to acknowledge the reality of what was in front of them. From Edison's film of two men dancing in 1895 to Philadelphia, released in the 1990s, cinema has taken some twists and turns over the past century or so in this regard. Writers, activists, actors, and producers discuss various films and their experiences in seeing them or working on them. Done with compassion but without beating us over the head with a message, this documentary is a real eye-opener.DVD Review: could not use.
Summary: 1 Stars
I thought this was a new DVD but could not get the CC on it or see it clearly at all....
Description of The Celluloid Closet (Special Edition)
A hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians in motion pictures, with excerpts from 120 different films, and comments by contemporary actors who have portrayed gay characters.Genre: Documentary
Rating: R
Release Date: 29-MAY-2001
Media Type: DVD
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 the 20th 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 film 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. --Tom Keogh
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