Documentary 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.
Directed by
Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein
Written by
Armistead Maupin
Tom Hanks
Self
Sharon Stone
Self
Susan Sarandon
Self
Paul Newman
Self (archive footage)
Whoopi Goldberg
Self
Shirley MacLaine
Self
James Dean
Self (archive footage)
Tony Curtis
Self
Natalie Wood
Self (archive footage)
Harry Hamlin
Self
Armistead Maupin
Self
Sal Mineo
Self (archive footage)
Lily Tomlin
Narrator (voice)
Antonio Fargas
Self
Harvey Fierstein
Self
Farley Granger
Self
Quentin Crisp
Self
Vito Russo
Susie Bright
Self
Richard Dyer
Self

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