The Celluloid Closet

I really enjoyed the movie The Celluloid Closet that we watched in class on Wednesday. I had never really thought about how gay people had been portrayed in movies over the years. I have studied how women and different races are shown in the media in some of my previous classes, however this video opened a whole knew perspective for me. It was really sad to see how badly gay people were and still are usually presented in the film industry. It scares me how much control movies have over their viewers. In the United States today, people learn things from television and movies rather than their elders passing on information. When gays are portrayed in such a negative and stereotypical way, it teaches viewers that gays are really like this and never explains how gay people and culture really are. I really liked all the interviews that the film contained as well as the many clips it featured. The video clips helped to hold my attention and it gave me a first hand look at what the film was talking about. I wish we could have finished watching the film in class because it captured my interest so intensely. I hope that the film industry will continue to change and improve that way they portray every kind of person including the gay population.