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The Celluloid Closet

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The Celluloid Closet is the title of a 1995 documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The film is based on the 1981 book of the same name written by Vito Russo -- and on previous lecture-with-film-clip presentations 1972-82 given by Russo -- who researched the history of how motion pictures, especially Hollywood films had portrayed gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters. It was given a limited release in select theatres in 1996.

The documentary interviews various men and women connected to the Hollywood industry to comment on various film clips and their own personal experiences with the treatment of LGBT characters in film. From the sissy characters, to the censorship of the Hollywood Production Code, the coded gay characters and cruel stereotypes to the progress made in the early 1990s.

Vito Russo wanted his book to be transformed into a documentary film and helped out on the project until he died in 1990. Some critics of the documentary noted that it was less political than the book and ended on a more positive note. However, Russo had wanted the documentary to be entertaining and to reflect the positive changes that had occurred in the 1990s.

Contents

DVD

In 2001, the DVD edition of the documentary includes a crew audio commentary, a second audio commentary with the late Russo, an interview Russo gave in 1990, a link to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and some deleted interviews put together into a second documentary.

Impact

Russo was one of the first people to persuade gay and straight people to examine the role that popular culture plays in shaping our attitudes about sexual orientation and gender identity. It started a genre of research that examines how movies, television shows, comic books, and video and computer games depict LGBT people.

The Gay and Lesbian Activist Alliance Against Defamation has since given awards (the Vito Russo Award) to openly gay or lesbian people within the Hollywood industry that advance the cause of fighting homophobia.

Credits

The following people appear in the documentary.

Films Discussed and Shown

See also

References

 

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