The Celluloid Closet

The Celluloid Closet is the title of a documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. It is based on the book of the same name written by Vito Russo who researched the history of how motion pictures, especially Hollywood films had portrayed gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters. It was given a limited release in select theatres in 1995.

Related Topics:
Documentary - Film - Rob Epstein - Jeffrey Friedman - Vito Russo - Hollywood - Gay - Lesbian - Bisexual - Transgender - 1995

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The documentary interviews various men and women connected to the Hollywood industry to comment on various film clips and their own personal experiences with the treatment of LGBT characters in film. From the sissy characters, to the censorship of the Hollywood Production Code, the coded gay characters and cruel sterotypes to the progress made in the early 1990s.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Sissy - Censorship - Production Code - 1990s

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Vito Russo wanted his book to be transformed into a documentary film and helped out on the project until he died in 1990. Some critics of the documentary noted that it was less political than the book and ended on a more positive note. However, Russo had wanted the documentary to be entertaining and to reflect the positive changes that had occurred in the 1990s.

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