THE CELLULOID CLOSET
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.5 Alternative Scale: ***1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996
U.S. Release Date: 4/5/96 (limited)
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: R (Mature themes, sexual situations, nudity,
profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Narrated by Lily Tomlin, and featuring Tony Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, Gore Vidal, Armistead Maupin, Tom Hanks, Harvey Fierstein, Susan Sarandon, Harry Hamlin, and others Directors: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman Screenplay: Armistead Maupin based on the book by Victor Russo U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
While it is commonly assumed, and is often true, that the motion picture industry mirrors real life, there are instances when Hollywood has had a marked influence on society. No more is this more apparent than in the case of homosexuality. The thesis of Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's film, THE CELLULOID CLOSET, can be summarized by a line from the production: "Hollywood, that great maker of myths, taught straight people what to think about gay people, and gay people what to think about themselves." Unfortunately, most of those lessons have been negative.
THE CELLULOID CLOSET presents a fairly comprehensive overview of how the gay/lesbian community has been portrayed in American films. Clips from dozens of motion pictures are included -- everything from 1912's ALGIE, THE MINER to 1993's PHILADELPHIA. In between, there are such well-known titles as MOROCCO (1930), THE GAY DIVORCEE (1933), REBECCA (1940), THE MALTESE FALCOLN (1941), ROPE (1948), GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953), REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955), BEN-HUR (1959), SPARTACUS (1960), ADVISE AND CONSENT (1962), CABARET (1972), THE COLOR PURPLE (1985), TORCH SONG TRILOGY (1988), THELMA AND LOUISE (1991), and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (1991). Well-known gay and straight personalities are on hand to offer opinions and observations. These include Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Tony Curtis, and Harvey Fierstein.
In the silent era, gay characters were used for comic relief. With exaggeratedly effeminate gestures, these thinly-drawn caricatures were foils for numerous silent stars, including Charlie Chaplin, who kissed a cross-dresser in BEHIND THE SCREEN. With the arrival of the talkies, "the sissy", Hollywood's first stock gay character, arrived. This cliched image of the gay man could be found in such films as THE GAY DIVORCEE and CALL HER SAVAGE.
In the 1930s, Hollywood decided to begin censoring its own films. The result was the infamous, and largely ineffective, Hays Code. While the Code didn't eliminate the presence of gay characters in films, they became less obvious. It was also during this time that homosexuals started to appear as villains. During the 1950s, with "masculinity" on the upswing, the vitriol against being gay grew more pronounced. It's ironic that one of the biggest stars of the era was Rock Hudson, a gay man impersonating a straight man.
It wasn't until the late '60s when a few films appeared that dealt intelligently and sympathetically with homosexuality. For most of the decade, characters of "questionable sexuality" were depressed, unhappy, and suicidal -- worthy only of pity and fear. Few survived the final reel. However, with the 1968 British film, THE DETECTIVE, and 1970's THE BOYS IN THE BAND, a slow change was initiated. The attitude shift took a long time to grow roots, however, as the '70s and '80s saw many more films with gays as victimizers than as genuine characters. It was only with the advent of the '90s and movies like PHILADELPHIA, THE WEDDING BANQUET, GO FISH, and JEFFREY that the homosexual community finally had something of quality to celebrate.
THE CELLULOID CLOSET is one of the most fascinating documentaries to put Hollywood under the microscope, standing alongside the THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT series and VISIONS OF LIGHT. In about one-hundred minutes, this film convincingly defends its thesis. Along the way, it uncovers some fascinating behind-the-scenes tidbits that few in the audience will be aware of (like the motivation for scenes between Masala and Ben-Hur in BEN HUR). THE CELLULOID CLOSET is top-notch entertainment, not only because it's enjoyable, but because it argues its case with an effectiveness that would impress even a top-notch, homophobic attorney. Now, as more and more men and women emerge from the closet, it appears that Hollywood may be taking steps in that direction, as well.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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