Many in the LGBT community – and in mainstream America, too – are familiar with Harvey Milk - in large part due - to his high-profile career in politics in San Francisco and his tireless efforts fighting for gay rights.
In contrast, Vito Russo (a feisty visionary) has remained a relatively unknown activist, in spite of the fact he played an integral role in launching two well-respected organizations (GLAAD and Act Up) largely responsible for furthering the rights of gays in this country and beyond.
In addition to his hands-on spirited efforts on the liberation front, Mr. Russo was also a major player in the Arts, keen on chronicling and transforming the negative images of gays in the rich medium of film to that of more realistic “fleshed out” appealing ones.
His best-seller – “The Celluloid Closet” – was the end result.
Now, director Jeffrey Schwarz (Spine Tingler!, The William Castle Story) has crafted a spellbinding insightful documentary on Russo that ultimately ends up resonating profoundly in the gay psyche (for starters).
The reason?
Schwarz hasn't whitewashed Russo's persona (made him out to be a Saint) or even tried to exalt the LGBT Community along the way.
“Vito was a male slut,” one friend joked into camera during the course of an informative one-on-one interview.
“He loved sex. It was a form of liberation.”
There are a number of poignant moments in the film, too.
At one rally – when warring factions in the LGBT community threatened to disrupt the business-at-hand – Vito quickly put a call into his good pal Bette Midler (a contact made at the legendary Continental Baths).
The Divine Miss “M” proceeded to trot up on stage like a trooper and belt out an appropriate tune for the highlyvolatie occasion.
“You’ve got to have friends!”
Somehow, that touching moment reminded me of Rodney King’s lament after the Los Angeles riots went down.
“Can’t we get along?”
Vito was a big fan of classic films – screw-ball comedies, musicals, and high-drama.
And, he was bent on sharing the delights of celluloid with the LGBT community at large.
Each week he often invited friends and film buffs to screenings where the legends of show business paraded across the silver screen.
One friend recalled that Vito was struck by the fact that on those nights, gay patrons tended to respond spontaneously in unison to the one-liners and sight gags.
“There was such a camaraderie.”
It didn’t escape Russo’s attention that filmmakers in the golden heyday of Hollywood – right back to the silent shorts – were inclined to slip in subliminal messages about gay life in those dark ages.
For example, in one scene Cary Grant jumps up-and-down in a pink costume excitedly flapping his hands amidst a lot of screaming:
“I’m gay as a goose!”
The audience roars.
Maybe those rumors about Cary Grant and Randolph Scott are true, eh?
In another rare moment, Marlene Dietrich is spied in a man’s suit kissing a female companion.
A turn-of-the-century classic also subtly focuses on two men dancing in the background.
On the night of the premiere gala screening at the Orpheum Theatre, the host noted that Vito would be proud of the fact that the documentary screened at the historic venue.
"Vito was a big fan of Judy Garland. She performed here on stage live with her two siblings who were known as the Gumm Sisters."
“Vito” is well-crafted and vastly entertaining and slice of gay life that is thought-provoking.
Highlights include touching interviews with a posse of Russo's personal friends such as Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City), Lily Tomlin (no introduction needed!, Bruce Vilanch (articulate funnyman), and Larry Kramer (to name a few).
One quote says it all:
“We’ll get our rights when we take them. We’ll get our movies when we make them.”
His prediction is coming true (oh, I'm getting shivers up my spine as I write this) after long hard-fought battles in courthouses, on panel discussions on explosive talk TV, and in the mean streets of mainstream America.
Catch "Vito" if you can!
HBO is expected to broadcast the stirring documentary throughout August if I am not mistaken.
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