

The Celluloid Closet
Genres
Overview
What "That's Entertainment" did for movie musicals, "The Celluloid Closet" does for Hollywood homosexuality, as this exuberant, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Lily Tomlin narrates as Oscar-winning moviemaker Rob Epstein ("The Times of Harvey Milk" and "Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt") and Jeffrey Friedman assemble fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s. Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis, Harvey Fierstein and Gore Vidal are just a few of the many actors, writers and commentators who provide funny and insightful anecdotes.
Details
Budget
$0
Revenue
$1400591
Runtime
102 min
Release Date
1996-01-30
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
103
Vote Average
7.2
Lily Tomlin
Narrator (voice)
Tony Curtis
Self
Susan Sarandon
Self
Gore Vidal
Self
Whoopi Goldberg
Self
Antonio Fargas
Self
Shirley MacLaine
Self
John Schlesinger
Self
Armistead Maupin
Self
Arthur Laurents
Self
Tom Hanks
Self
Farley Granger
Self
Quentin Crisp
Self
Harry Hamlin
Self
Sharon Stone
Self
Susie Bright
Self
Mart Crowley
Self
Jay Presson Allen
Self
Richard Dyer
Self
Jan Oxenberg
Self
Paul Rudnick
Self
Barry Sandler
Self
Ron Nyswaner
Self
Daniel Melnick
Self
Stewart Stern
Self
Harvey Fierstein
Self
Paul Newman
Self (archive footage)
James Dean
Self (archive footage)
Sal Mineo
Self (archive footage)
Natalie Wood
Self (archive footage)
7.6
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
With one of the most memorably stunning voices that has ever hit the airwaves, Linda Ronstadt burst onto the 1960s folk rock music scene in her early twenties.
2019-09-06 | en
5.5
Facial Weaponization Communiqué: Fag Face
Facial Weaponization Suite protests against biometric facial recognition–and the inequalities these technologies propagate–by making “collective masks” in workshops that are modeled from the aggregated facial data of participants, resulting in amorphous masks that cannot be detected as human faces by biometric facial recognition technologies.
2016-11-18 | en
6.9
Tarnation
Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more -- culled from 19 years of his life.
2003-10-19 | en
6.2
Falling Star
During a brief rule towards the end of the 19th century, the Italian duke Amadeo of Savoy occupied the Spanish throne. However, confined to the safety of life within the palace walls, the lonely, frustrated king and his servants succumb to playful adventures focused more on pleasure than his duties.
2014-01-26 | es
4.9
Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story
A former U.S. Navy Seal seeks life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness living life as a transgender woman.
2014-03-07 | en
5.8
Wig
Spotlighting the art of drag, and centered on the New York staple Wigstock, this documentary showcases the personalities and performances that inform the ways we understand queerness, art and identity today.
2019-05-04 | en
0.0
SHRED
A group of queer Latinx skaters struggle with crippling mental health and societal expectations in Southern California. In their local skate community, they find cathartic release, chosen family and mastery of empowerment.
2024-09-20 | en
7.1
The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.
1896-06-30 | fr
7.0
Circus of Books
For decades, a nice Jewish couple ran Circus of Books, a porn shop and epicenter for gay LA. Their director daughter documents their life and times.
2019-04-26 | en
5.9
Alexander
Alexander, the King of Macedonia, leads his legions against the giant Persian Empire. After defeating the Persians, he leads his army across the then known world, venturing farther than any westerner had ever gone, all the way to India.
2004-11-21 | en
1.0
Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End
Narrated by Linda Hunt, this documentary examines the life of the late author and gay rights activist Paul Monette. Born in 1945 to a well-off Massachusetts family, Monette grows up unable to accept his homosexuality, for years hiding it from his loved ones while struggling to develop as a writer. In 1978, Monette publishes his first novel, which allows him to come out to his parents. After losing one lover to AIDS in 1986, he becomes a ferocious advocate for awareness of the disease.
1997-01-01 | en
4.8
Two Spirits
Fred Martinez was a Navajo youth slain at the age of 16 by a man who bragged to his friends that he 'bug-smashed a fag'. But Fred was part of an honored Navajo tradition - the 'nadleeh', or 'two-spirit', who possesses a balance of masculine and feminine traits.
2009-06-21 | en
5.9
Saving Marriage
A landmark court decision in Massachusetts allows gay people in that state to marry - forcing activists, legislators, and ordinary people to reconsider how they view same-sex relationships.
2006-06-15 | en
6.4
Primary
Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960. Primary is the first documentary to use light equipment in order to follow their subjects in a more intimate filmmaking style. This unconventional way of filming created a new look for documentary films where the camera’s lens was right in the middle of what ever drama was occurring. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1998.
1960-11-08 | en
7.0
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
The history of the peplum genre, known as sword-and-sandal cinema, set in Antiquity, from the silent film era to the present day.
2019-04-14 | fr
6.9
Stallone, profession héros
2019-04-26 | fr
7.0
And the Oscar Goes To...
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
2014-02-01 | en
6.8
What Is a Woman?
Matt Walsh's controversial doc challenges radical gender ideology through provocative interviews and humor.
2022-06-01 | en
7.1
Finding Forrester
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.
2000-12-21 | en
0.0
AIDS Diva: The Legend of Connie Norman
Seizing her power as she confronts her mortality, trailblazing trans activist Connie Norman evolves as an irrepressible, challenging and soulful voice for the AIDS and queer communities of early 90's Los Angeles.
2021-03-17 | en