HBO documentary 'Vito' honors late gay-rights activist and onetime Lodi resident

[King_David]

Filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz got some especially gratifying feedback at a recent San Francisco screening of "Vito," his documentary about late gay-rights activist and onetime Lodi resident Vito Russo.


Vito Russo became a noted gay-rights activist and writer; his book 'The Celluloid Closet,' a history of gays in film, was made into a documentary.

"There was a 17-year-old kid in the audience. He had just come out and his mother brought him to this gay film festival. And he said to me, 'I had no idea who Vito Russo was, and tonight I think I have a new hero,' " Schwarz recalls, adding, "That's why we made the movie in a nutshell … to reinvigorate his memory and to introduce the next generation to Vito and to tell his story and the story of the gay and lesbian civil-rights movement."

The film, which will be presented on HBO Monday night, covers Russo's public life and portrays his close-knit Bergen County family



http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/163320956_Documentary_on_HBO__Vito__honors_late_gay-rights_activist_and_onetime_Lodi_resident_Vito_Russo.html

[mitchtv]

1. It was bitter sweet to me

I was a contemporary of Vito , and lived through those years also. The movie is the best.

[William769]

2. I watched the documentary this afternoon.

Brought back a lot of memories Good one's & bad one's).

Sad to say though the so called activists of today don't even come close to Vito or what happened in that era.

[JackBeck]

3. Gosh, I'm having a really difficult time with your post.

If you think "so called activists of today don't even come close to Vito or what happened in that era", what suggestions do you have to improve LGBT activism to match the way that Vito successfuly agitated? Is your comment an indictment of Local Pride organizations, State organizations, Federal organizations, or all of the above?

What are they all doing wrong to warrant such a blanket statement from you?

From your extensive and vast experience of volunteering and lobbying in your own state, what should our community do to achieve more comprehensive accomplishments?