

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.
Ratings
3.5
Cast

Lily Tomlin
Narrator (voice)

Tony Curtis
Self

Susan Sarandon
Self

Gore Vidal
Self

Whoopi Goldberg
Self

Antonio Fargas
Self

Shirley MacLaine
Self

John Schlesinger
Self

Armistead Maupin
Self

Arthur Laurents
Self

Tom Hanks
Self

Farley Granger
Self

Quentin Crisp
Self

Harry Hamlin
Self

Sharon Stone
Self

Susie Bright
Self
Mart Crowley
Self

Jay Presson Allen
Self
Richard Dyer
Self

Jan Oxenberg
Self

Paul Rudnick
Self
Barry Sandler
Self

Ron Nyswaner
Self
Daniel Melnick
Self

Stewart Stern
Self

Harvey Fierstein
Self

Paul Newman
Self (archive footage)

James Dean
Self (archive footage)

Sal Mineo
Self (archive footage)

Natalie Wood
Self (archive footage)
Crew
Director
Author
Original Music Composer
Director of Photography
Associate Producer
Executive Producer
Co-Producer
Production Design
Writer
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Post Production Supervisor
Details
Release Date
1996-01-30
Runtime
102 min
Original Language
English
Languages
German
English
Production Companies
ZDF
ARTE
Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
HBO
Telling Pictures
Channel 4 Television
Countries
France
Germany
United Kingdom
United States of America
Genres
Documentary
History