Library Journal
Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives; 30th-Anniversary Edition. color. 132+ min. Peter Adair, Mariposa Film Group & Milliarium Zero, 800-603-1104; www.wordisoutmovie.com. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781933920184. $29.95; acad. libs. $195. Public performance. GENDER STUDIES
Claiming to be the first feature-length film about gays and lesbians by a gay filmmaker, this 1978 documentary offers interviews with 26 people who talk about their lives. Probably most well known among them is Mattachine Society founder Harry Hay, also the subject of the recent excellent The Temperamentals. It is a tribute to director Adair’s talents that the film’s stark and bare style still mesmerizes as these 26 lives unfold before our eyes. The flawless editing weaves the stories into a single fabric. Younger viewers, especially those who identify as GLBT, may be shocked at the tales of forced marriages, police harassment and beatings, electric shock therapy, and societal exclusion. Older viewers will be reminded of the blatant discrimination of a time not so long ago, some of which still exists. Extras include updates on the participants. A timeless film; highly recommended. [See Video News Briefs, LJ 6/1/10.]—Gerald A. Notaro, Univ. of South Florida Lib., St. Petersburg
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