The Celluloid Closet | BFI | British Film Institute

Based on Vito Russo's book of the same name. Explores depictions of gay men and lesbians in mainstream American feature films, during the first century of cinema. Includes clips from more than one hundred films, including `Ben Hur' (1959), `Rebel Without a Cause' (1955), `Calamity Jane' (1953), `Cabaret' (1972) and `Philadelphia' (1993). Interviewees include: Tony Curtis, Armistead Maupin, Gore Vidal, Jay Presson Allen, Richard Dyer, Arthur Laurents, Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, and John Schlesinger.

Cast & credits

Cast

narrator Lily Tomlin
on-screen participant Tony Curtis
on-screen participant Armistead Maupin
on-screen participant Susie Bright
on-screen participant Whoopi Goldberg
on-screen participant Jan Oxenberg
on-screen participant Harvey Fierstein
on-screen participant Quentin Crisp
on-screen participant Richard Dyer
on-screen participant Jay Presson Allen
on-screen participant Arthur Laurents
on-screen participant Gore Vidal
on-screen participant Farley Granger
on-screen participant Stewart Stern
on-screen participant Paul Rudnick
on-screen participant Shirley Maclaine
on-screen participant Barry Sandler
on-screen participant Mart Crowley
on-screen participant Antonio Fargas
on-screen participant Tom Hanks
on-screen participant Ron Nyswaner
on-screen participant Daniel Melnick
on-screen participant Harry Hamlin
on-screen participant John Schlesinger
on-screen participant Susan Sarandon

Credits

Direction

Directed by Robert Epstein
Directed by Jeffrey Friedman
Assistant Director Cheryl Rosenthal

Production

© Inc. Reflective Image
Production Telling Pictures
In association with Channel Four
In association with ZDF-Arte
In association with Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
In association with Hugh M. Hefner
In association with James C. Hormel
In association with Steve Tisch
Presents Home Box Office
Executive Producer Howard Rosenman
Executive Producer Bernie Brillstein
Executive Producer Brad Grey
Executive Producer (HBO) Sheila Nevins
Executive Producer (Channel 4) Caroline Spry
Executive Producer (ZDF/Arte) Anne Even
Co-executive Producer Lily Tomlin
Produced by Robert Epstein
Produced by Jeffrey Friedman
Co-producer Michael Lumpkin
Associate Producer Wendy Braitman
Associate Producer Michael Ehrenzweig
Associate Producer Caryn Mendez
Production Manager Cheryl Rosenthal
Production Office Manager Laura Nix
Production Manager (HBO) Jonathan Moss
Post-production Supervisor Steve Bloom
Post-production Supervisor Joan Saffa
Post-production Supervisor Joe Hoffman

Writing

Story Robert Epstein
Story Jeffrey Friedman
Story Sharon Wood
Original Book Vito Russo
Narration Written by Armistead Maupin

Photography

Photography Nancy Schreiber
Optical Camera Bruce Miller
Additional Camera Stephen M. Katz

Animation

Animation Producer Joe Hoffman

Editing

Post-production Editor Bill Weber
Editor Jeffrey Friedman
Editor Arnold Glassman
Associate Editor Steve Bloom

Design

Art Director Scott Chambliss
Art Director (Additional) Tom Bonauro

Make-up

Make-up Natasha
Make-up Pegi Levin
Make-up Chris Laurence
Make-up Wendy Jill York

Titles

Main Title Design Juan Gatti
Opticals/Titles Supervisor Michael Hinton

Music

Music Composer/Orchestrator/Conductor Carter Burwell
Music Editor Adam Smalley

Sound

Music Engineer Michael Farrow
Sound Recording Peggy Names
Sound Recording Lauretta Molitor
Sound Recording Robert Gravenor
Sound Recording J.T. Takagi
Sound Recording Gauthem Choudherry
Re-recording Mixer Lora Hirschberg
Supervising Sound Editor Pat Jackson
Additional Sound Editor Susan Sanford
Additional Sound Editor Sara Bolder
Additional Sound Editor Claire Freeman
Additional Sound Editor Michael Silvers

Consultant

Creative Consultant Jan Oxenberg
Consultant Allan Bérubé
Consultant Estelle Freedman
Consultant Robert Hawk
Consultant Sean O. Strub
Consultant Y. Sue Thorpe
Consultant Jack Walsh
Consultant Helen Weiss