The Celluloid Closet
Jan 30, 1996 | IMDB 7.2
102 min Watch NowDocumentary, History
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.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Facing Fear
The Case Against 8
Full Tilt Boogie
The Brothers Warner
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
Limited Partnership
After Stonewall
A Jihad for Love
The Cat's Meow
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
The Times of Harvey Milk
Party Monster: The Shockumentary
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Before Stonewall
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
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The Ring Thing
The Purple Sea
Laerte-se
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SIMILAR MOVIES
Facing Fear
IMDB 5.9 | Jul , 2013
The worlds of a former neo-Nazi and the gay victim of his senseless hate crime attack collide by chance 25 years after the incident that dramatically shaped both of their lives. They proceed to embark on a journey of forgiveness that challenges both to grapple with their beliefs and fears, eventually leading to an improbable collaboration...and friendship.The Case Against 8
IMDB 7 | Jun , 2014
A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.Full Tilt Boogie
IMDB 6.5 | Jul , 1998
A documentary about the production of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and the people who made it.The Brothers Warner
IMDB 6.6 | Oct , 2008
An intimate portrait and saga of four film pioneers--Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack who rose from immigrant poverty through personal tragedies persevering to create a major studio with a social conscience.Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
IMDB 7.6 | Nov , 1992
A film about the noted American linguist/political dissident and his warning about corporate media's role in modern propaganda.Limited Partnership
IMDB 5.8 | Jun , 2014
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP is the love story between Filipino-American Richard Adams and Australian Tony Sullivan, who, in 1975, became one of the first same-sex couples in the world to be legally married. After applying for a green card for Tony based on their marriage, the couple received a denial letter from the Immigration and Naturalization Service stating, 'You have failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots.' Outraged at this letter, and to prevent Tony's impending deportation, the couple sued the U.S. government, filing the first federal lawsuit seeking equal treatment for a same-sex marriage in U.S. history. This tenacious story of love, marriage and immigration equality is as precedent setting as it is little known... until now.After Stonewall
IMDB 5.5 | Jun , 1999
This sequel to "Before Stonewall" documents the history of gay and lesbian life from the riots at Stonewall in 1969 to the present. Narrated by Melissa Etheridge, the film explains the work, struggles, victories, and defeats the gay community has weathered to become a vibrant and integral part of North American society.A Jihad for Love
IMDB 5.2 | Sep , 2007
A documentary on gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims across the Muslim and Western worlds.The Cat's Meow
IMDB 5.8 | Oct , 2001
Semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924.Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
IMDB 7.6 | Jan , 1999
Paying homage to two of Hollywood's central icons, the film creates an unparalleled portrait of two very different personalities amidst the demise of the studio system.The Times of Harvey Milk
IMDB 7.3 | Oct , 1984
Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.Party Monster: The Shockumentary
IMDB 6.3 | Jun , 1998
Tells the story of the rise and fall of Michael Alig, a kid from Middle America who aspired to take the place of Andy Warhol. Michael quickly rose to become the biggest party promoter in New York and King of the so-called Club Kids. But after spiraling into drug addiction, Michael brutally murdered his roommate Angel Melendez.Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
IMDB 7.2 | Oct , 2014
A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.Before Stonewall
IMDB 6.7 | Sep , 1984
New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded by many as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. This documentary uses extensive archival film, movie clips and personal recollections to construct an audiovisual history of the gay community before the Stonewall riots.Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool
IMDB 5.9 | Jun , 2005
Friends, family, co-stars and admirers of actor Steve McQueen talk about his life and his movie career.That's Entertainment!
IMDB 7.3 | Jun , 1974
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.The Ring Thing
IMDB 4 | Jun , 2017
When Sarah accidentally proposes to her girlfriend in Provincetown, the mixup turns their loving relationship into a minefield of marital exploration.The Purple Sea
IMDB 6.7 | Oct , 2009
Nothing - not her father, not the church - can stop unruly Angela from being with her childhood best friend turned great love, Sara. Based on a true story, Viola di Mare, presents a uniquely engaging portrait of family, community and gender roles in a 19th century Italian village.Laerte-se
IMDB 7.2 | May , 2017
In this film, Laerte conjugates the body in the feminine, and scrutinizes concepts and prejudices. Not in search of an identity, but in search of un-identities. Laerte creates and sends creatures to face reality in the fictional world of comic strips as a vanguard of the self. And, on the streets, the one who becomes the fiction of a real character. Laerte, of all the bodies, and of none, complicates all binaries. In following Laerte, this documentary chooses to clothe the nudity beyond the skin we inhabit.The Dream Machine
IMDB 4.4 | Jan , 1986
A 16mm anthology of experimental super 8 films by Derek Jarman, Michael Kostiff, Cerith Wyn Evans and John Maybury, with framing footage by Tim Burke of Brion Gysin using a dream machine. Jarman's contribution is a version of his 1977 Art and the Pose (aka Arty the Pose), refilmed at 3fps, with a musical soundtrack. Jarman planned The Dream Machine as a commemoration of William Burroughs and Gysin's 1982 visit to the UK, and received initial funding from the Arts Council in 1983, then rethought the project as a portmanteau film featuring Gysin alone. The production remained in limbo until 1986, when James Mackay obtained completion funding from the British Film Institute. (Since this film was released on VHS accompanied by Jarman's Broken English: Three Songs by Marianne Faithfull, T.G.: Psychic Rally in Heaven and Pirate Tape under the umbrella title The Dream Machine, synopses of this film have often muddled up its details with those of the earlier films. )