Based on Vito Russo's groundbreaking 1981 work of film history, The Celluloid Closet gathers clips from dozens of mainstream Hollywood films to illustrate how the movies have dealt explicitly -- and more importantly, implicitly -- with gay and lesbian themes. Layered between the clips are interviews with filmmakers whose works have touched on that subject. The popular films of the Golden Age could only hint at homosexuality and often portrayed gays as simpering characters, objects of scorn or
merriment, or insidious villains. With the strictures of the old Production Code loosening, bolder presentations were possible, but often over the objections of studio executives who feared a public backlash against a film that dealt with a long taboo subject. Among the films discussed are Philadelphia, The Children's Hour, Making Love, Rope, and Spartacus. Gore Vidal, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, and director John Schlesinger are among the film's strongest interview subjects. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi
Makes it clear Hollywood wanted it both ways: It benefitted from the richness that gays added to films, but didn't want to acknowledge their sexuality.
Top-notch entertainment, not only because it's enjoyable, but because it argues its case with an effectiveness that would impress even a top-notch, homophobic attorney.
It's interesting to see how gay and lesbian themes began to be treated openly in films, but it's fascinating to see how -- earlier -- those themes were used subtextually in films that make no overt reference to the real subject.
Even if The Celluloid Closet ... isn't quite the most perfectly political piece of filmmaking that you'd expect (or hoped) it would be, it's still a pretty convincing argument and, what's more, likably entertaining.
Instead of an angry diatribe against Hollywood, the film shrewdly opts for a wity, often campy commentary by gay figures (Gore Vidal), directors (Wyler) and actors (Tom Hanks) who shed light on the context in which these films were made and viewed.
Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment's DVD ... arrives with a fine transfer of pristine source material in its original full-screen 1.33:1 aspect ratio.... The extras offer a strong variety of supporting supplements....
Like a scrapbook of movie memorabilia from some of the greatest films ever made, it's a welcome look back at the ever-changing times of the world around us.
"It's amazing how, if you're a gay audience and you're accustomed to crumbs, how you will watch an entire movie just to see someone wear an outfit that you think means that they are a homosexual. The whole movie may be a dud but you are just sitting there waiting for Joan Crawford to put on her black cowboy shirt
again." -Susie BrightAn interesting documentary that enabled me to view some of my favorite films from a different perspective.
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