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
Synopsis
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's documentary chronicles the way movies have portrayed homosexuals for the past 100 years and how these images, both positive and negative, have helped shape America's attitudes toward gays. Among the topics examined via interviews and film clips are the various gay stereotypes that recur onscreen, gay subtexts in such macho films as SPARTACUS and BEN-HUR, and how negative images of homosexuality created emotional conflict within the gay moviegoer. But the film also shows how the times have greatly changed, bringing more--and more realistic--gay characters to the silver screen. Interviewees include Susan Sarandon, Tony Curtis, Shirley MacLaine and Tom Hanks, among others. The film is based on the 1981 book by Vito Russo.
