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Amazon.co.uk Review
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. --Tom Keogh
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A documentary with a difference,
By Frances Joan "Frances Joan" (Antwerp, Belgium) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Celluloid Closet [VHS] [1996] (VHS Tape)
Remember when famous actors didn't dare play gay for fear of being typecast? This documentary shows Hollywood's flirtation with homosexuality, from early experiments with film showing two men dancing to AIDS movies and beyond. It explains how gay (and straight) movie makers portrayed homosexuality in an attempt to take it out of the closet, but also shows that gays and lesbians were mocked or even used as a instrument of horror.What surprised me was that even though homosexuality has always been more or less a taboo, many films in the last century showed gay characters, but they were often cleverly disguised to bypass the sensors. This film is for anyone interested in how Hollywood works and how we are influenced by the movies, regardless of your sexual preferences!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally! This Brilliant Film Gets a UK Release,
By Good Wolf (South West, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Celluloid Closet [DVD] [1995] (DVD)
As the title says - it's about time this fantastic film was released on DVD in the UK. I've had an American copy for years, and it's something I never get tired of watching.
The same review applies here as I posted for the Region 1 release. This is wonderful - absolutely must-see viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in the history of the depiction of gay people in cinema (or, come to that, anyone with an interest in the history of cinema full stop). It's by turns fascinating, shocking, sad, funny and uplifting. The narrative structure works well, taking us from the first silent films right through to the mid-90s (when this film was produced), with numerous talking heads giving their opinions - from film historians to Whoopi Goldberg and back again! It's full of classic clips of films you probably know, and some you almost certainly don't (and if you're like me, it'll inspire you to hunt them down and watch them). Buy it!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Authentic and gripping,
By
This review is from: The Celluloid Closet [DVD] [1995] (DVD)
This documentary takes you from the time of silent movies to 1990s Hollywood, and it really gives you an amazing insight into Hollywoods best kept secrets about the 'the love that darest not speak it's name' which basically never shuts up in this film!!!!
Great!!!! Some of the biggest names in Hollywood are talking about their views on how homosexuality was dealt with in Hollywood throughout all those decades, featured are Whoopi Goldberg, Shirley MacLaine and Tony Curtis to name just a few. The DVD also features very cool extras, including some more video footage where stars are talking about their experience of either being gay or playing gay characters. A must see for everybody who is either gay or interested in film history. Go for it!!!!
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