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* {{Documentary}}: Of the history of the gay and lesbian communities in the United States, roughly 1920-70.
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''Before Stonewall'' is a 1985 film directed by Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg.
It is a documentary about gay life in 20th century America, in the years before the 1969 [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots Stonewall riots]] that are considered a landmark in the history of the gay rights movement. The film starts roughly around the 1920s, with various interviewees talking about how gays and lesbians met each other and made connections in an era where they were highly stigmatized. World War II is discussed at length, with particular focus on how the war brought women (including a lot of lesbians) out of the towns and into the cities where they got jobs and became independent, and brought men (including a lot of gays) into the armed forces. (The induction center for new recruits at Fort Snelling, GA was called the "seduction center" for the recreational activities of the officers there.)
The war proves a milestone for gay culture, as gays congregate to coastal cities. It is soon followed by the women's rights movement and the civil rights movement, each of which attract many gays and lesbians who are naturally sympathetic to other liberation movements. Anti-war protests in the 1960s are another milestone of free thinking and liberation, leading to...the Stonewall riots.
----
!!Tropes:
* BookEnds: The film starts out with the Stonewall riots, before jumping back in time to "before Stonewall", namely the 1920s or thereabouts. It then winds through the Depression and World War II and the RedScare and Vietnam, before ending with the Stonewall riots.
* {{Camp}}: DiscussedTrope, as one interview subject defines it as "the self-conscious parody of heterosexual behaviors and attitudes."
* CastFullOfGay: DiscussedTrope. One man mentions a silent-era film production of ''Salome'' that, according to him, had an almost completely gay cast.
* DiegeticSwitch: A lesbian song called "The Girl That I Marry" by Lisa Ben plays over photos of World War II-era pictures of lesbians. The scene cuts to Lisa Ben performing her song.
* GayCowboy: DiscussedTrope, as an interview subject says that all those cowboys back in the Wild West must have been gay. This is accompanied by a remarkable song called "The Lavender Cowboy" about a hairless, smooth-chested cowboy, and an even more remarkable 1923 [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] short called ''The Soilers'' which features an actual gay cowboy primping and skipping around in the middle of a massive brawl.
* {{Gaydar}}: DiscussedTrope. One man says that wearing a red tie was a signal, and then says that wearing a handkerchief that matched your tie was an even bigger signal.
* TheKenBurnsEffect: Not used for all stills but for quite a few of them. There's a zoom-out from a picture of two cowboys holding hands and a pan up a photo of a man in drag.
* {{Narrator}}: Narrated by author, lesbian, and feminist Rita Mae Brown.
* RoundTableShot: The scene with the reunion of the regulars and staff of the Black Cat (a famous gay bar) ends with a RoundTableShot of all the partygoers as they sing a somewhat revised version of "God Save the King" that might be titled "God Save Us Queens".
* StockFootage: A lot, naturally, being a documentary about 20th century historical events. There's footage of gay rights protests, gay parties, and films with gay themes, both overt (''Film/DifferentFromTheOthers'') and hidden (''Film/ThisIsTheArmy'', in which Alan Hale has to put on a dress and join an all-male chorus line.)
* TalkingHeads: Many, with some LGBT writers talking about the history of the community while a larger number discuss their own experiences from the 1920s on.
* TitleDrop: The narrator refers to the time "before Stonewall" when the gay community grew and evolved.
* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: Discussed at length. One guy who joined the armed forces during the war talks about the burgeoning San Francisco gay scene, and how gay bars would pop up for a while, serve massive crowds, and then disappear. Later another San Francisco gay bar, the Black Cat, becomes a LocalHangout for the gay community.
It is a documentary about gay life in 20th century America, in the years before the 1969 [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots Stonewall riots]] that are considered a landmark in the history of the gay rights movement. The film starts roughly around the 1920s, with various interviewees talking about how gays and lesbians met each other and made connections in an era where they were highly stigmatized. World War II is discussed at length, with particular focus on how the war brought women (including a lot of lesbians) out of the towns and into the cities where they got jobs and became independent, and brought men (including a lot of gays) into the armed forces. (The induction center for new recruits at Fort Snelling, GA was called the "seduction center" for the recreational activities of the officers there.)
The war proves a milestone for gay culture, as gays congregate to coastal cities. It is soon followed by the women's rights movement and the civil rights movement, each of which attract many gays and lesbians who are naturally sympathetic to other liberation movements. Anti-war protests in the 1960s are another milestone of free thinking and liberation, leading to...the Stonewall riots.
----
!!Tropes:
* BookEnds: The film starts out with the Stonewall riots, before jumping back in time to "before Stonewall", namely the 1920s or thereabouts. It then winds through the Depression and World War II and the RedScare and Vietnam, before ending with the Stonewall riots.
* {{Camp}}: DiscussedTrope, as one interview subject defines it as "the self-conscious parody of heterosexual behaviors and attitudes."
* CastFullOfGay: DiscussedTrope. One man mentions a silent-era film production of ''Salome'' that, according to him, had an almost completely gay cast.
* DiegeticSwitch: A lesbian song called "The Girl That I Marry" by Lisa Ben plays over photos of World War II-era pictures of lesbians. The scene cuts to Lisa Ben performing her song.
* GayCowboy: DiscussedTrope, as an interview subject says that all those cowboys back in the Wild West must have been gay. This is accompanied by a remarkable song called "The Lavender Cowboy" about a hairless, smooth-chested cowboy, and an even more remarkable 1923 [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] short called ''The Soilers'' which features an actual gay cowboy primping and skipping around in the middle of a massive brawl.
* {{Gaydar}}: DiscussedTrope. One man says that wearing a red tie was a signal, and then says that wearing a handkerchief that matched your tie was an even bigger signal.
* TheKenBurnsEffect: Not used for all stills but for quite a few of them. There's a zoom-out from a picture of two cowboys holding hands and a pan up a photo of a man in drag.
* {{Narrator}}: Narrated by author, lesbian, and feminist Rita Mae Brown.
* RoundTableShot: The scene with the reunion of the regulars and staff of the Black Cat (a famous gay bar) ends with a RoundTableShot of all the partygoers as they sing a somewhat revised version of "God Save the King" that might be titled "God Save Us Queens".
* StockFootage: A lot, naturally, being a documentary about 20th century historical events. There's footage of gay rights protests, gay parties, and films with gay themes, both overt (''Film/DifferentFromTheOthers'') and hidden (''Film/ThisIsTheArmy'', in which Alan Hale has to put on a dress and join an all-male chorus line.)
* TalkingHeads: Many, with some LGBT writers talking about the history of the community while a larger number discuss their own experiences from the 1920s on.
* TitleDrop: The narrator refers to the time "before Stonewall" when the gay community grew and evolved.
* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: Discussed at length. One guy who joined the armed forces during the war talks about the burgeoning San Francisco gay scene, and how gay bars would pop up for a while, serve massive crowds, and then disappear. Later another San Francisco gay bar, the Black Cat, becomes a LocalHangout for the gay community.
