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Before Stonewall

Play trailer Poster for Before Stonewall 1984 1h 27m Documentary History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
The riots that followed the arrests at New York City's Stonewall Inn in 1969 are widely considered to be a major development in the history of gay and lesbian rights in America. This documentary investigates national cultural perceptions of homosexuality before the event, looking back on previous decades, particularly in regard to conflicts with police and censorship. In addition to interviews with activists and scholars, the film includes the reflections of renowned writer Allen Ginsberg.

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Before Stonewall

Critics Reviews

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Andrew Pulver Guardian 05/28/2020
3/5
It may sound kind of worthy, but in fact it's an utterly fascinating slice of social history. Go to Full Review Leah Pickett Chicago Reader 07/05/2019
Join[s] Paris Is Burning (1990) and How to Survive a Plague (2012) in the top tier of documentaries concerning LGBTQ+ history and culture. Go to Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times 06/26/2019
"Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community..." remains a vital, well-told, if slightly rough-around-the-edges chronicle of LGBTQ history from the early 20th century to 1969's birth of the modern gay rights movement. Go to Full Review Patricia A. Gozemba Gay Community News (Boston) 08/24/2022
This inspirational film can make all of us enormously proud of our heritage. Go to Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 10/15/2020
They excavate the well-hidden pockets of gay life that existed a century ago or more... Go to Full Review David-Elijah Nahmod Bay Area Reporter 05/28/2020
Co-directors Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg do an impressive job of finding people who recall those bygone years with great clarity. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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PridePosterStudios 09/20/2023 Brilliant archive of the pre-Stonewall queer community. See more Michael 07/28/2019 I love the history , how people would meet as opposed to now , We use all Social Media , We Almost dont have to go Out to meet New People See more paul a 06/26/2019 a great recap of underground gay life leading up to the stonewall uprising. See more Eve A 06/25/2019 truthful, interesting, fantastic unseen footage. Great research and beautifully presented. The . filmmakers have much to be proud of. See more A Eisenstein 06/23/2019 Incredibly important film! I've seen it long ago, multiple times, and it has not lost its relevance - probably more important than ever - and it will continue to be an important document for each new generation to come. It's historically important, a document of many voices no longer with us, and wildly entertaining. See more 04/28/2014 I saw After Stonewall before seeing Before Stonewall. I don't think it particularly matters. Having this film created in the 80s allows us to get the words of many early activists who are unfortunately no longer with us. It paints what is thankfully becoming more of a sad period in history that has now passed. See more Read all reviews
Before Stonewall

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Cast & Crew

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Greta Schiller

Director

Rita Mae Brown

Narrator

Allen Ginsberg

Actor

Harry Hay

Actor

Frank Kameny

Actor

Audre Lorde

Actor

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Before Stonewall

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Movie Info

Synopsis The riots that followed the arrests at New York City's Stonewall Inn in 1969 are widely considered to be a major development in the history of gay and lesbian rights in America. This documentary investigates national cultural perceptions of homosexuality before the event, looking back on previous decades, particularly in regard to conflicts with police and censorship. In addition to interviews with activists and scholars, the film includes the reflections of renowned writer Allen Ginsberg.
Director
Greta Schiller
Producer
Robert Rosenberg, John Scagliotti, Greta Schiller
Production Co
Before Stonewall, Inc., Alternative Media Information Center, Center for the Study of Filmed History
Genre
Documentary, History, Drama
Original Language
English
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 21, 2019
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.4K
Runtime
1h 27m
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