This HBO film was inspired by Vito Russo's 1981 book "THE CELLULOID CLOSET: HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE MOVIES" showing how cinema had presented gay characters, primarily in Hollywood.
Narrated by Lily Tomlin, it starts with William Dickson's 1895 short film of two men dancing while a violinist plays and ends with PHILADELPHIA from 1993.
It includes some insightful interviewees: performers like Quenton Crisp, Tony Curtis, Shirley MacLaine, and Tom Hanks, and writers like Gore Vidal, Arthur Laurents, Jay Presson Allen and Harvey Fierstein, and academics like Richard Dyer and Susie Bright.
The emphasis on Hollywood of course skews the argument: apart from a few soundless clips the only British films mentioned are VICTIM, THE HUNGER and SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY and European cinema is represented by one soundless clip of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES!
It's remit also mostly excludes US independant cinema so John Waters' only representation is a clip of HAIRSPRAY!
Shelf or charity shop? Currently living in the plastic storage box, THE CELLULOID CLOSET is still a keeper - the balance was redressed two years later when Channel 4 (who co-financed CELLULOID CLOSET) produced A BIT OF SCARLET which looked at British cinema's representation of gay characters.
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