The
Celluloid Closet : Homosexuality in the Movies by Vito
Russo
When Vito Russo published the first
edition of The Celluloid Closet in 1981, there was little
question that it was a groundbreaking book. Today it is still one
of the most informative and provocative books written about gay
people and popular culture. By examining the images of
homosexuality and gender variance in Hollywood films from the
1920s to the present, Russo traced a history not only of how gay
men and lesbians had been erased or demonized in movies but in all
of American culture as well. Chronicling the depictions of gay
people such as the "sissy" roles of Edward Everett
Horton and Franklin Pangborn in 1930s comedies or predatory
lesbians in 1950s dramas (see Lauren Bacall in Young Man with a
Horn and Barbara Stanwyck in Walk on the Wild Side),
Russo details how homophobic stereotypes have both reflected and
perpetrated the oppression of gay people. In the revised edition,
published a year before his death in 1990, Russo added information
on the new wave of independent and gay-produced films--The
Times of Harvey Milk, Desert Hearts, Buddies--that
emerged during the 1980s. --Michael Bronski
The
Celluloid Closet (1996)
Author
Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City) wrote Lily Tomlin's
narration for this superb documentary, based on a book by the late
Vito Russo, about Hollywood's treatment of homosexual characters
in this century. Never pointing a finger at anyone in the film
community, The Celluloid Closet presents clips from more
than 100 mainstream features (including The Children's Hour,
Advise and Consent, The Boys in the Band, and The
Hunger) that speak loudly in their respective images of gays
and lesbians. The film makes a persuasive case for patterns of
sexual mythology in Hollywood, such as presenting homosexuals
repeatedly as tragic, helpless figures redeemed only through death
or as back-street monsters cavorting in the shadows. Things
change, of course, and clips from more recent films by gay and
lesbian filmmakers suggest a more vital, diverse, autobiographical
approach. There are lots of great interviews with screenwriters
(Gore Vidal), filmmakers (John Schlesinger), actors (Tom Hanks,
Whoopi Goldberg), and others to enunciate the major themes. --Tom
Keogh
