Informative and engaging. History of homosexuality in Hollywood. Lots of classic films are mentioned.

Best documentary movie ever made!

Five things hit me harder than a hammer to the kneecap while watching eye-opening 1996 documentary "The Celluloid Closet." (1) The movie, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, is, at its simplest, a study of homosexuality and its relation to the entertainment industry. At its most complex (and its most striking), though, is it a commentary revolving around the media's effective strategies in defining what's "normal" in terms of gender and sexuality, analyzing how the deficiency of portrayals of the LGBT community over the last century or so has essentially worsened the hopeless pangs of alienating "otherness" to have afflicted the minority group. (2) Due to the lacking of widespread representation of the gay populace, many have been faced with the difficult task of having to rearrange the stories of heterosexually dominated films to try to find something relatable within them. For some, Joan Crawford wearing a black cowboy shirt throughout "Johnny Guitar" (1954) was enough. For others, Thelma and Louise's friendship strengthening road trip was, at its center, about same-sex love. Even the sexualized depiction of bisexuality in "Basic Instinct" (1992) still meant something if only because it was something instead of nothing. "I'd rather have negative representation than no representation," talking head Harvey Fierstein frankly admits, providing the movie with one of its most crushing quotes. (3) As a young, white, heterosexual male - the most numbingly privileged demographic in the world - never have I had to worry about seeing someone like me reflected in the media. Never have I had to seek out entertainment catering to my sexuality or my culture: both are seen as such "normal" facets within our society that few find the time to question how much is left out in the process. For anyone who isn't categorically part of the majority has to thirstily search for anything that parallels their own lives even remotely, and that's an unfair, heartbreaking reality, an additionally brutal supplement within a globe that finds people more easily able to define their sense of self by ambushing someone who isn't like them as an "other" to be compared. (4) Why is the image of a man showing affection toward another man seen as the visual destruction of masculinity - really a sign that a man is weak, soft - whereas the sight of a woman passionate toward another woman is looked at as something beautiful, comforting, sexy, and, perhaps, even an extension of the warmth that is female sexuality? Why is it unacceptable for a man to be feminine, while it's enthralling, sometimes even titillating, for a woman to be masculine? Why has it taken so long for there to be accurate delineation of the LGBT community when they've always existed, when they've always been so integral to the entertainment business? Why does society so oftentimes strongly fear people simply because they are not like them? (5) In the twenty years since "The Celluloid Closet" was originally seen by mainstream audiences, things have been rapidly changing for the better, perhaps a sign that films like this one are, in fact, capable of drawing attention to the recurring crime of underrepresentation. The overarching society in which we live has a long way to go in widespread acceptance, but like all stigmas perpetuated by media and people who consume that said media, social change can spread like wildfire with enough normalization and with enough neatly packaged reminders that to ostracize another is a pointless endeavor - the celebration of all is of utmost priority, and nothing should be stopping us from running up that hill.

This is a good movie, but I find it highly annoying that they do not provide simple captions on the screen, that state the name of the movie they are talking about. That would not be hard to do--without such captions it is hard to find the movie title anywhere.

The premise of the topic of homosexuality and Hollywood was very concisely articulated through the documentary style, and utilized a chronological overview that lays the ground work coherently and engagingly, with just the right particular attention to both the various stereotypes and tropes of homosexuality, censorship, and the utilization of purposeful, yet subtle, innuendo that many filmmakers throughout the years utilized in history to work around censorship. The interviewees were a good selection of scholars, actors, and filmmakers. The Narrator, Lilly Tomlin, did a good job of narrating, expressing just the right tone and infliction for the subject matter. Despite there being a narrator, what was being said in the film did a good job of being expressed through the cinematic images being utilized, the narrator, and the interviewees such as Tony Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, and Daniel Melnick to name a few of those whom contributed. Overall it was an excellent basis for the topic, very engaging despite its traditional documentary format, and you can tell that a fair about of care and attention went into its production. Despite the fact that it might be a little dated by 2015's standards, it is still relevantly informative and fascinating, and is something that should still be watched even now if you are a cinema history buff or just plain love cinema.

The premise of the topic of homosexuality and Hollywood was very concisely articulated through the documentary style, and utilized a chronological overview that lays the ground work coherently and engagingly, with just the right particular attention to both the various stereotypes and tropes of homosexuality, censorship, and the utilization of purposeful, yet subtle, innuendo that many filmmakers throughout the years utilized in history to work around censorship. The interviewees were a good selection of scholars, actors, and filmmakers. The Narrator, Lilly Tomlin, did a good job of narrating, expressing just the right tone and infliction for the subject matter. Despite there being a narrator, what was being said in the film did a good job of being expressed through the cinematic images being utilized, the narrator, and the interviewees such as Tony Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, and Daniel Melnick to name a few of those whom contributed. Overall it was an excellent basis for the topic, very engaging despite its traditional documentary format, and you can tell that a fair about of care and attention went into its production. Despite the fact that it might be a little dated by 2015's standards, it is still relevantly informative and fascinating, and is something that should still be watched even now if you are a cinema history buff or just plain love cinema.

Pretty good, though it feels very dated by this point, both in terms of content and style (there's a pure Oscar-bait kd lang song playing over the closing credits for god's sake). The stuff about the early days is most interesting (though it could have done with more screen time), probably because since this movie has come out film and 온라인카지노추천 about LGBT people have become commonplace. Anyway, it's interesting and touching, and was likely ground-breaking at the time, though there's probably something on Youtube that covers the topic in much greater detail (and if there isn't there should be).

A thoroughly fascinating documentary.

A superb documentary following the homosexual representation in film history. Film clips and interviews with well known actors and writers highlight this fascinating historical account.

Very insightful Documentary! Highly recommended!

Really interesting historical piece.

Dinâmico, interessante e comovente; deixa claro o quanto o homossexualismo ainda é um tabu muito forte não só para Hollywood como também para a própria sociedade estadunidense (mesmo com os claros avanços dos últimos anos). Ênfase para os filmes mencionados e para as declarações de todos os envolvidos.

This is a bit dated now but very in depth it should be required in high school .

I imagine it comes as a surprise to no one that I enjoyed a documentary about depictions of homosexuality in film. It's a pretty delightful and interesting piece. I do wish they'd followed typical documentary practices like text indicating what movies clips are from to spare me the indignity of Googling "gay Buscemi." (It's "Parting Glances" by the way.)

A fantastic look into the obstacles gay and lesbian themes had to overcome in order to claim main billing in Tinsel Town.

The Celluloid Closet is an absolutely fascinating documentary about Hollywood's portrayal of gays and lesbians from the silent era through the 90's and showing the progression of such depictions in both positive and negative ways. I also felt that did a great job of showing depictions for both genders and how moviegoers and film studios felt about seeing depictions of them - turned on by women on women, repulsed by men on men. The documentary also gathered an impressive number of celebrities to be interviewed and showed well over one hundred film clips to demonstrate these depictions. As a whole, this documentary was informative, interesting, and it could also be funny when it wanted to be. It's still a very relevant documentary nearly twenty years later since much of what was talked about is still present in modern films. Perhaps being gay helped strike more of a chord with me, but this is a documentary that is worthy viewing by anyone who has even the slightest interest in the subject.

A decent historical reflection, if not somewhat self-indulgent.

This is a brilliant film on homosexuality in cinema. It's just beautiful and I loved it's presentation. I also think that some of it was not as obvious or what they thought it was, like for instance, the 1980 slasher film about a homosexual killer who found his victims in a gay bar. I think that movie is just saying that homosexuals can be serial killers too but it was about a homosexual male who preyed on other homosexual men. It wasn't saying homosexuality leads to derange hood. The guy would have been disgusting if he'd been a straight man who'd chosen to annihilate heterosexuals. I don't agree with the lifestyle, but that's a good documentary to see and it's very informative.

An excellent documentary on the various portrayals of homosexuality and homosexuals in film throughout history.

An interesting documentary (worthy of attention for its collection of films over the years alone) with some wonderful insights and background stories to some notable films from a range of high-profile interviewees. A must-see for film buffs and queer culture enthusiasts alike.