Product Details

• Actors: Stephen Spinella, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cherry Jones, Edward Norton, Leland Gantt
• Directors: Jeff Dupre
• Writers: Michelle Ferrari
• Producers: Jeff Dupre, Andrew Tobias, Eliza Byard, Kevin Jennings, Michael Huffington
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Allumination
• VHS Release Date: October 6, 1998
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1578482003
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,651 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

Director Jeff Dupre's solid documentary on the gay community is one part history lesson (profiles of obscure gay and lesbian historical figures) and one part smart reporting (a young lesbian attempts to form a Gay-Straight Alliance club in Salt Lake City). The film, written by Michelle Ferrari, is a dialogue between the past and the present, and an emotionally textured treatise on alienation and marginalization which is intelligent and, thankfully, entertaining. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BEST documentaries to parallel historical events!, October 24, 2002

By 

Mr. Wynn (State of Confusion) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Past - The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Rights in America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was absolutely amazed at the filmmaker for their genius in telling some of stories of the most important lesbian and gay historical figures with that of current issues. A truly rich documentary without overloading you with too many facts.

The documentary follows the struggle of Kelli Peterson, the teenager that challenged her high school to register her Gay Straight Alliance. The film does a wonderful job in comparing her current struggle with those of the past in lesbian and gay history.

One of the most powerful segments in the film is about hte gay man who was behind Martin Luther King's civil rights demonstrations.

This is a very important film for all persons to see. Perfect for the classroom and for any other situation that will inspire people to be active and become activists!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful combination of history and activism., April 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Out of the Past - The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Rights in America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film draws from the personal experience of Kelli Peterson's attempt in 1996 to start a high school social club, and the obstacles she and her allies faced as a result. The film is worth seeing for her experience alone. But it is more than your average documentary. By interweaving vignettes of other gay people's lives and activism, (from Sarah Orne Jewitt to Barbara Gittings), the directors offer the viewer a complex look into what it means to be identified by society based on who you love.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, passionate, honest, and full of hope, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Out of the Past - The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Rights in America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This documentary weaves the past into the future and gives us all a better and more complete picture of gay and lesbian life in America. This video should be mandatory in schools across the country which have consistently excluded gay and lesbian people from their history books. This video inspires and motivates, like few films do.