The Celluloid Closet

Name: The Celluloid Closet
Genre: Documentary, History
Released: 1996-03-15
Duration: 1 h 42 min
Rating: 7.2
Cast: Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis, Susan Sarandon, Gore Vidal, Whoopi Goldberg

1996·Movie·R·102 min·★ 7.2(116)

DocumentaryHistoryMore English titles

Exuberant, eye-opening movie that serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Film contains fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s.

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Where to watch The Celluloid Closet in United States

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Click a service to open The Celluloid Closet there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is The Celluloid Closet streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	The Roku Channel, Tubi TV	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel	—
United Kingdom	MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Canada	—	Apple TV Store, CosmoGo
Germany	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
France	MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel	Orange VOD, Sooner
Spain	Filmin, MUBI Amazon Channel	—
Brazil	MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel	—

About The Celluloid Closet

The Celluloid Closet is a 1996 English-language documentary and history film directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The cast is led by Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis, Susan Sarandon. It has a runtime of 1h 42m. Viewers rate it 7.2/10 across 100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on The Roku Channel, Tubi TV.

The Celluloid Closet was produced by ZDF, ARTE, and Brillstein-Grey Entertainment and made in France and Germany. It was released on March 15, 1996, and carries a R certification. At the box office it grossed around $1 million worldwide.

Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Writers: Sharon Wood, Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Release date: March 15, 1996
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: France, Germany
Box office: $1 million
Production: ZDF, ARTE, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment

#media#hollywood#lgbt

The Celluloid Closet cast & crew

The Celluloid Closet was directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and written by Sharon Wood, Rob Epstein, and Jeffrey Friedman.

The cast features Lily Tomlin as Narrator (voice), Tony Curtis as Self, Susan Sarandon as Self, Gore Vidal as Self, Whoopi Goldberg as Self, and Antonio Fargas as Self.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Carter Burwell, cinematography is by Nancy Schreiber, and it was produced by Brad Grey and Bernie Brillstein.

Is The Celluloid Closet worth watching?

The Celluloid Closet holds an audience score of 7.2/10 from 116 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed documentary films.

At 1h 42m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy documentary and history, The Celluloid Closet is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The Celluloid Closet

In United States, you can stream The Celluloid Closet on The Roku Channel and Tubi TV, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.