This is an excellent documentary, narrated by Lily Tomlin, on queer subtext and gays in American cinema from the 1930s to the 1990s, loosely based on Vito Russo's groundbreaking book (1981, revised edition 1987) of the same name. In it, a wide range of thoughtfully-chosen film clips is paired with director, producer and actor interviews (such as Gore Vidal, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Armistead Maupin, Tony Curtis, and Whoopi Goldberg). Beyond containing lots of wonderful behind-the-scenes factoids, major issues to queer filmmaking such as coded language, censorship/ratings, the Hayes Codes, and straight/gay actors playing gay are addressed. The only thing one could wish for is a revised/extended film that would include the important gay films made after 1993 or so.
Review of The Celluloid Closet
