316:, Lucy Massie Phenix, and Veronica Selver. An initial investment of $ 30,000 was raised from people who believed in the idea and wanted to see the film made, and assistants were hired and production began. The original number of interviewees was only eight people, but when the trial film was screened to test audiences, the response and interest generated indicated that a much larger and more diverse cross-section of interviewees was desirable. Several more years were then spent in filming the rest of the interviews, and intercutting them with each other to create the final product.
342:"When audiences saw the film, thousands wrote to the Mariposa Film Group's post office box number listed in the end credits to express how much the film meant to them — and many of them related how viewing the film saved their lives." "People who were alone and hopeless in Idaho, Utah and Kansas for the first time saw realistic and positive images of gay people on screen," said production assistant Janet Cole.
308:, finished in 1977, was on its surface a very simple idea answering the simple question, "Who Are We?" For the film, I, and the five other principle people I worked with spent a year doing research interviews on videotape of 250 lesbians and gay men all across the country. In the end, twenty-two were chosen to tell their stories in the film.
328:
startled audiences across the country when it appeared in movie theaters and on PBS television. It was the first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers, and had a large and pioneering impact when it was released. The film became an icon of the emerging gay
299:
In the 1970s when the modern gay movement was just beginning, our biggest problem was invisibility. Who homosexuals were was largely determined by straight people. It was bad enough that the public image of gay men and lesbians was defined largely by stereotypes — after all, I want other people to
300:
have an accurate picture of who I am. But these stereotypes created by outsiders largely defined our perceptions of who we thought we were. What a state of affairs. One's reference for "What was Gay?" was a few nasty images, and, if you were lucky, your immediate circle of queer friends.
407:
was one of the first gay-focused nonfiction books sympathetic to gays published in the U.S. The book reached many people who were unable to view the film, and remained a popular gay nonfiction text for many years, helping many gays and lesbians realize that they were not alone.
249:. The interviewees range in age from 18 to 77, in locations from San Francisco to New Mexico to Boston, in types from a bee-hived housewife to student to conservative businessman to sultry drag queen, and in race from Caucasian to Hispanic, African-American, and Asian. Writer
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The book also helped members of the heterosexual community to relate to the normalcy of homosexual lives, and to also understand gay persons' struggles, pain, marginalization, ostracism, professional concerns, and frustrating need for secrecy when in a climate of
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In 1978, a book containing transcripts of the interviews was published, under the same title. The book also details how the film and book were created by the successful collective.
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had a remarkable impact, coming at a time when images of homosexuals as everyday people, as opposed to psychopaths or eccentrics, were rare."
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The DVD edition of the documentary, featuring the restored and remastered digital print of the original film, was released in June 2010 by
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For the 30th anniversary, a restored and remastered 133-minute version of the film, which had no viable print remaining, was produced by
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The directors of the film, collectively known as the
Mariposa Film Group, were Peter Adair, Nancy Adair, Andrew Brown,
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The interviews from the film were transcribed into a book of the same title, which was published in
October 1978.
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447:. As special features, the DVD includes exclusive updates on the cast and the filmmakers plus an homage to
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conceived and produced the film, and was one of the directors. The film premiered in
November 1977 at the
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men and women. It was directed by six people collectively known as the
Mariposa Film Group.
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rights movement of the 1970s." "The silence of gay people on the screen has been broken,"
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took five years, over 200 interviews, and six co-directors to make. Documentary filmmaker
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Both the restoration and the DVD release were funded by gay activist and philanthropist
371:, the film holds a score of 100% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.
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in San
Francisco and went into limited national release in 1978. It also aired on many
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549:"'Iron Man,' 'Super Fly' and 'Carrie' are inducted into the National Film Registry"
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470:. On the DVD's special features, Bohnett speaks briefly about the film's impact.
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intercuts interviews with 26 people, who speak about their experiences as
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In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States
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In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States
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as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
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as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
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In 2011, a book examining the film's impact was published, titled
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581:"Peter Adair, 53, Director, Dies; Made Films With Gay Themes."
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349:, David Dunlop wrote in 1996: "Understated though it was,
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came up with the idea for the film. According to Adair:
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is a 1977 documentary film featuring interviews with 26
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The AIDS Show: Artists
Involved with Death and Survival
1007:(segment "Isaiah's Rap"; 2002, with Jeffrey Friedman)
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620:Gays/Justice: A Study of Ethics, Society, and Law
276:The interviewees describe their experiences of
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624:Columbia University Press, 1988. pp. 280–283.
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649:"Word Is Out: Stories of Some Of Our Lives"
1112:United States National Film Registry films
1082:Non-fiction books about same-sex sexuality
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954:Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives
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405:Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives
326:Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives
197:Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives
440:at the Castro Theater in San Francisco.
436:, and premiered on 26 June 2008, at the
1117:American LGBT-related documentary films
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424:Restoration of the film and DVD release
978:Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
930:Where Are We? Our Trip Through America
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1036:Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
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500:"Coming Out, Looking in, Summing up"
1122:English-language documentary films
741:30th Anniversary Commemorative DVD
273:are among the people interviewed.
14:
547:Ulaby, Neda (December 14, 2022).
451:, the originator and producer of
358:Word Is Out: A Queer Film Classic
772:"DVD Savant Review: Word is Out"
434:UCLA Film and Television Archive
747:. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
714:. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
1:
1072:Films directed by Rob Epstein
1047:(2019, with Jeffrey Friedman)
1039:(2019, with Jeffrey Friedman)
1031:(2018, with Jeffrey Friedman)
1023:(2013, with Jeffrey Friedman)
1015:(2010, with Jeffrey Friedman)
1001:(2000, with Jeffrey Friedman)
993:(1995, with Jeffrey Friedman)
1102:1970s English-language films
862:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
269:, and avant-garde filmmaker
936:An Evening with Eddie Gomez
339:, a national gay magazine.
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498:Kehr, Dave (28 May 2010).
480:List of LGBT-related films
33:Theatrical release poster
26:
923:The Times of Harvey Milk
517:Parker, William (1985).
468:David Bohnett Foundation
16:1977 film by Peter Adair
1077:1977 LGBT-related films
438:Frameline Film Festival
180:(2008 restored version)
1092:1977 documentary films
1087:1978 non-fiction books
790:store.oscilloscope.net
685:Delacorte Press, 1978.
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376:National Film Registry
261:, civil rights leader
224:National Film Registry
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1107:1970s American films
990:The Celluloid Closet
1097:Books of interviews
872:– informational PDF
397:in book form (1978)
380:Library of Congress
228:Library of Congress
42:Mariposa Film Group
850:TCM Movie Database
818:– Official website
745:WordIsOutMovie.com
702:2013-05-21 at the
637:. 29 January 2018.
504:The New York Times
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216:stations in 1978.
151:November 1977
116:Lucy Massie Phenix
98:Lucy Massie Phenix
80:Lucy Massie Phenix
56:Lucy Massie Phenix
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617:Mohr, Richard D.
579:Dunlop, David W.
365:review aggregator
360:by Greg Youmans.
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144:Release date
126:Trish Nugent
112:Andrew Brown
94:Andrew Brown
74:Andrew Brown
50:Andrew Brown
971:Peter Adair
959:Peter Adair
908:Rob Epstein
869:Word Is Out
823:Word Is Out
813:Word Is Out
739:Word Is Out
725:Word Is Out
712:Outfest.org
606:Word Is Out
453:Word Is Out
449:Peter Adair
395:Word Is Out
351:Word Is Out
314:Rob Epstein
306:Word Is Out
293:Peter Adair
289:Word Is Out
257:, inventor
251:Elsa Gidlow
239:Word Is Out
206:Peter Adair
177:133 minutes
171:124 minutes
114:Rob Epstein
110:Peter Adair
108:Nancy Adair
96:Rob Epstein
92:Peter Adair
90:Nancy Adair
77:Rob Epstein
71:Peter Adair
67:Peter Adair
63:Produced by
53:Rob Epstein
48:Nancy Adair
45:Peter Adair
39:Directed by
22:Word Is Out
1067:1977 films
1061:Categories
486:References
466:, via his
418:illegality
414:homophobia
331:Vito Russo
324:"In 1978,
284:Production
278:coming out
265:, actress
174:(original)
906:Works by
459:in 1996.
263:Harry Hay
105:Edited by
1028:End Game
1020:Lovelace
828:AllMovie
700:Archived
664:June 14,
474:See also
432:and the
367:website
267:Pat Bond
247:lesbians
186:Language
123:Music by
859:at the
848:at the
708:Outfest
430:Outfest
378:by the
345:In the
243:gay men
226:by the
189:English
155:1977-11
153: (
938:(2005)
932:(1989)
926:(1984)
635:"Book"
527:
320:Impact
1012:Howl
915:Solo
839:IMDb
666:2023
562:2022
525:ISBN
457:AIDS
416:and
386:Book
245:and
837:at
826:at
728:DVD
554:NPR
363:On
214:PBS
202:gay
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
