HBO is now showing a very powerful and moving documentary about Vito Russo who wrote “The Celluloid Closet”, a bestseller about gays in the movies. The film starts off on the light side showing a young boy growing up naturally, loved by his parents and brother, knowing he was gay in a time it wasn’t safe or easy being gay. The film sees him loving life in New York, being an activist for gay rights and when he becomes a best selling writer he started traveling around the world and continued on the lecture circuit. You will rejoice when he finds love and, even if you are a stone, you will have compassion for the twists and turns in his life.
Seeing this movie you will see the history of a movement, of a generation, of people who faced up to AIDS, fought it, fought the government and got results. It will present a New York, a generation, many of you may not be familiar with.
Whether you are gay, straight, male, female, Christian, Atheist, black, white, old or young, I defy you not to become awash in tears the last 45 minutes in the life of this man who gave his all for others and, yet, feel hope for mankind that such a person lived among us.
SEE “VITO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF VITO RUSSO”–IT IS A MUST SEE FOR ALL–IT WILL BE REPEATED ON HBO AND IS AVAILABLE ON DVD.
