Robert Epstein Movies
From the beginning of his career, multi-award-winning writer/director/producer Robert Epstein sought to explore issues of homosexuality onscreen, often though not always in a documentary context. He entered production at the age of 19, upon answering a newspaper ad looking for a director to contribute to the nonfiction film Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives. The finished product created a patchwork testimonial of gay life designed to shatter common stereotypes and marked an impressive debut. But it was a follow-up effort, 1983's hugely successful The Times of Harvey Milk, that put Epstein on the map as one of the chief voices of LGBT cinema. This reverent ode to the titular gay city supervisor and assassination victim won an Academy Award for Best Documentary and a plethora of other honors and screened at festivals and in mainstream theaters. A follow-up, 1995's The Celluloid Closet, emerged under the directorial aegis of Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, and took almost nine years to finance, produce, and release; begun in 1986, it ultimately saw the light of day and snagged a theatrical release thanks to the brass at HBO, Channel Four, and ZDF-Arte. As narrated by Lily Tomlin, this star-studded film offered one of the first serious, in-depth explorations of Hollywood's onscreen treatment of homosexuality. Epstein moved into fiction film by scripting and producing 2010's Howl, a dramatization of the 1957 obscenity trial surrounding beat poet Allen Ginsberg. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 2010
The 1957 obscenity trial surrounding one of the Beat Generation's most acclaimed poets, Allen Ginsberg, is set to go in front of cameras with James Franco in the lead for Werc Werk Works and Telling Pictures. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman handle the directing duties on their own script, with Gus Van Sant executive producing. Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, and Jeff Daniels lead up the supporting cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Franco
They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and in this look at one of the most polarizing religious and sexual debates in America, filmmaker Robert Cary attempts to reconcile homosexuality with Christianity. Mark (Chad Allen) is a young gay man who has fallen into a dangerous cycle of hard drugs and risky sex. Recognizing that his sibling may not have the strength to pull himself back from the edge, Mark's brother checks him into the Genesis House Christian retreat in New Mexico -- a place far removed from the temptations of the big city. Genesis House is run by a deeply spiritual, middle-aged couple named Gayle (Judith Light) and Ted (Stephen Lang). After losing a battle with sin back when she was young, Gayle has dedicated her entire life to rescuing young homosexuals from their own inner demons. In order to help Mark through the process, Gayle assigns Scott (Robert Gant) -- one of the program's advanced "fifth phasers" -- as the newcomer's mentor. When Gayle notices that Mark and Scott's relationship is intensifying, she sees the development as a threat and fights back in order to prevent her carefully controlled world from falling apart. The spectre of damnation looming constantly over their shoulders, Mark and Scott are finally forced to confront the truth about their own true natures. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chad Allen, Robert Gant, (more)
Academy-award winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman direct this harrowing, lyrical look at the persecution of homosexuals during the Third Reich. German historian and member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Klaus Muller interviews the dozen or so surviving victims, now frail and wizened, who recount their experiences. Jewish resistance fighter Gad Beck recalls how he posed as a Hitler Youth in an ultimately vain attempt at saving his lover. One man was freed from a sentence at Dachau only to be interned again a Buchenwald. Another recalls hearing, in the distance, a "singing forest" -- the sound of gays bound and tortured by Nazis in a local grove. Epstein and Friedman fashion a layered narrative consisting not only of interviews but also archival footage depicting background life in Weimar Germany. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rupert Everett
Based on Vito Russo's groundbreaking 1981 work of film history, The Celluloid Closet gathers clips from dozens of mainstream Hollywood films to illustrate how the movies have dealt explicitly -- and more importantly, implicitly -- with gay and lesbian themes. Layered between the clips are interviews with filmmakers whose works have touched on that subject. The popular films of the Golden Age could only hint at homosexuality and often portrayed gays as simpering characters, objects of scorn or merriment, or insidious villains. With the strictures of the old Production Code loosening, bolder presentations were possible, but often over the objections of studio executives who feared a public backlash against a film that dealt with a long taboo subject. Among the films discussed are Philadelphia, The Children's Hour, Making Love, Rope, and Spartacus. Gore Vidal, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, and director John Schlesinger are among the film's strongest interview subjects. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- 1992
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This documentary came about because the filmmakers were curious about life in a part of the United States that seemed completely alien to them from their perspective as gay men living in San Francisco. Thus, at the end of the Gulf War, they took a trip to the American South and asked anyone who would let them point a microphone at them such questions as: "What are your hopes for the future?" "Are You happy?" For the most part, the individuals questioned reveal such insular, even ignorant perspectives, that it gave even hardened reviewers a bit of a chill. One of the odder individuals they found along the way was a man who had created his own personal Graceland to please his wife, a rabid Elvis fan. No effort was made to create a coherent theme, as the documentary is basically a record of the men's trip. However, they do make an effort to investigate gay life in the South, and these investigations were reportedly the highlights of the film. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1989
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This film, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1989. Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt helps put faces on the names on the quilt of those who have died from AIDS. The quilt at that time covered 14 acres. The lives of five people who suffered and fought this disease are celebrated. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1986
The impact of the AIDS epidemic on gay men is presented in a unique and thoughtful manner in this video. Award-winning filmmakers Robert Epstein and Peter Adair based their documentary on the long-running Theater Rhinoceros show and added their own personal narration to produce a powerful film on the subject. Presented with humor and drama, the actors and producers behind the San Francisco show tenderly touch on a broad range of emotions and human experiences. ~ Cara Saposnik, All Movie Guide
A documentary portrait of San Francisco's first openly gay politician, city supervisor Harvey Milk, The Times of Harvey Milk might not have been made but for the tragic circumstances of Milk's death. On November 27, 1978, Dan White, a former city supervisor who was desperate to regain his post, entered City Hall with a gun and murdered both San Francisco's mayor, George Moscone, and Milk. At the trial, White's lawyer skillfully turned the jury's attention away from his client's public anti-gay statements to focus on White's spotless record and his extremely agitated mental state on the day of the murders. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to a relatively brief jail term, sparking a demonstration and riot by gay supporters of the murdered men. The film considers Milk's accomplishments and his exceptional popularity; this is not an objective look at a man, but a celebration of a martyr. Winner of an Academy award for Best Documentary Feature, The Times of Harvey Milk was released while White was serving his sentence; he was paroled in 1984 and committed suicide the next year. Epstein's other major efforts included the documentaries Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989) (about the AIDS epidemic) and The Celluloid Closet (1995), about images of gay men and women in Hollywood films. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Twenty-six homosexual men and lesbian women give in-depth interviews to the filmmakers, revealing aspects about gay life which shatter widespread stereotypes. This 1977 documentary also examines the issues of racial minorities within the gay community. Among those interviewed are several factory workers, a truck driver, and a veterinarian. Many of the interviewees had been married with children, often losing visiting rights when their homosexuality was revealed. Several had been in the military. One highlight of the film is the interview with a New-Mexican lesbian couple who live cheerfully in extremely primitive conditions. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
