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Before Stonewall

Starring: Allen Ginsberg, Barbara Gittings Director: John Scagliotti, Greta Schiller

3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

List Price:	CDN$ 39.99
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	71% buy the item featured on this page: Before Stonewall 3.5 out of 5 stars (2) CDN$ 31.99
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Product Details

Actors: Allen Ginsberg, Barbara Gittings
Directors: John Scagliotti, Greta Schiller
Format: NTSC
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Studio: First Run Features
DVD Release Date: May 18 2004

Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

ASIN: B0001US7TU
Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #10,565 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)
Popular in these categories:
#2 in DVD > Documentary > Gay & Lesbian
#2 in DVD > Gay & Lesbian > Documentary
#27 in DVD > Documentary > Politics

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Before Stonewall is a documentary about evolution, namely the evolution of gay culture in the U.S. from the early 1920s to the Stonewall riot of 1969. Embellished with archival footage and photography from five decades, the film most prominently features the gay underground of the '20s and '30s, the rise of gay service in the military and workforce during WWII, the persecution of gays as "subversives" and "sexual perverts" in the state department by Senator McCarthy, the growth of the first grassroots political organizations for gay men and lesbians in the '50s, and of course, the civil rights movement. Commentary is provided by the gay men and lesbians who came of age in the years leading up to Stonewall.

Overall, Before Stonewall does an admirable job of illustrating the rise of American gay culture and pinpointing the various social and political issues that were most instrumental. Perhaps the film's only weakness lies in the vast ground it tries to cover in such a short amount of time, leaving certain themes without much in-depth coverage. However, as a snapshot of the years leading up to Stonewall, it succeeds remarkably well. --Katy Ankenman

On the DVD

Two poems by Allen Ginsberg
Never before seen footage and interviews

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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews

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3.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Inside History's Closet, Jul 6 2004

By	J. Michael Click (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Originally produced for PBS television, the Emmy-winning "Before Stonewall" is a must-see documentary for anyone researching Gay American history. What makes this film so invaluable is its success in recreating - through photographs, film clips, and later-day interviews - a period in time that was carefully and deliberately NOT recorded as it was happening due to the pervasive institution of "the closet", and the very real dangers that faced those brave enough to crack open the door and step out into the light. As one courageous lesbian pioneer remembers, just being accused of being a gay woman was grounds for involuntary commitment to a mental institution during her youth. Small wonder, then, that there is such a paucity of material documenting the gay movement pre-Stonewall, especially during the years from 1900-1950, before the earliest Gay and Lesbian social and political institutions in the United States were founded.

The cornerstone of this remarkable film is the handful of interviews conducted with some elderly activists from the years before the Stonewall riots began on June 27, 1969. With humor, dignity, and matter-of-fact courage, these men and women tell personal stories about their experiences in the armed forces, in the halls of government, in society, and in their home lives during the years in which America at large experienced the roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the Second World War, the beginning of the Baby Boom era, and the radical Sixties. Their recollections are not only fascinating and brilliantly told; they are of critical importance in understanding the true heritage and history of today's American gay community. The DVD edition offers some fascinating extra material, including some expanded interviews, and footage of poet Allen Ginsberg reading two of his early compositions. Very highly recommended in terms of both quality and content.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Goodwill can only do so much., April 18 2001

By	darragh o'donoghue (dublin, ireland) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Before Stonewall (VHS Tape)

'Before Stonewall' was not just a celebratory film documenting the underground gay resistance to [...] America before the historic moment of Stonewall in 1969. As the frightening utterances of then-President Reagan reveal, this was very much an urgent political gesture, a protest against 80s conservative retrenchment.

This is an illuminating and endearing documentary, full of wonderful anecdotes (e.g. Eisenhower's failure to sack the lesbian element of the WAC because it was all lesbian!), a moving reunion of elderly patrons of a notorious gay bar, and an inspiringly un-bitter outlook. The talking-heads-with-stills formalt becomes monotonous, and self-congratulation sometimes creeps in.

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