User Reviews

I have a great deal of admiration for this engaging effort to explain the roots of the modern gay rights movement, produced on a shoe-string by a director with an admirable sense of style, pacing, and resourcefulness. Though filtered through a distinctly British class-consciousness, it does a highly respectable job of catching the main trends in gay America from my not-quite-misspent youth.

Furthermore, it is candidly presented as a subjective, fictional account, mooting complaints like "the bus is too old," "no New York apartment is that big" and "the Stonewall bar never looked that clean."

Nonetheless, one small detail and one large item are egregiously wrong. The detail is the rather elementary fact that the Stonewall was never licensed; it was a "private" mob-run club. It was raided not because all cops are homophobes but because, in the absence of official licensing, gay bars were, in every sense, illegal. The scenes where Stonewall employees display great care about the liquor laws are ridiculous, since the bar operated outside the law.

The larger item is the failure to capture the sense of exhilaration that swept throught the country in 1969. This was the year men walked on the moon, the year of Woodstock, the year an X-rated gay-themed film ("Midnight Cowboy") won the "Best Picture" Oscar, and (biggest miracle of all to us New Yorkers) the year the Mets, long "lovable losers," won the World Series. Anything was possible, and gay people joined the party with enthusiasm.

The major value of the film Stonewall is to remind all of us just what gay people dealt with before a big rebellion took place in the last week of June in 1969. The film is based on a novel by historian Martin Duberman and the director Nigel Finch died before his testament of the Stonewall Rebellion could be seen and appreciated.

A couple of love stories are involved here. Country boy Frederick Weller arrives from Kansas and he's hoping that New York City will be more accepting of him. Or at least he'll find a community of sorts. That part of the story hasn't ever changed. He's caught between young closeted gay lawyer Brendan Corbalis and professional drag queen Guillermo Diaz.

The second love story is between the owner of the Stonewall Inn and a drag queen played by Bruce MacVittie and Duane Boutte. MacVittie has lived all his life with all the insane rules placed on same sex contact by society and its criminal code against sodomy. Boutte is ready to rebel, but MacVittie counsels go slow it's the way of things in this world. Still he's having just about enough of it.

Weller is a rebellious sort, he gets caught in a bar raid the first night he's in New York. Apparently the concept of freedom in America doesn't extend to those who love of the same sex. He finds the Mattachine Society with their button down ways and it ain't for him. But in a way they do fire his revolutionary ardor.

The Mattachine Society comes in for quite a beating in Stonewall. They were a radical concept in their idea when the mere idea of protesting these laws was radical. In a scene laced with humor and irony Weller is with a group with accompanying press who challenges the law against serving liquor to known homosexuals. Yes there indeed was such a law. The only place that enforces the ordinance is a gay bar because they're afraid of police entrapment.

Of course the end of the film is the riot at the Stonewall Inn which sparked a movement. The unbelievable but true twist on events is the cops including the NYPD's crack tactical police unit equipped for riots retreating into a newly emptied Stonewall Inn for their own safety is truly a sight to behold.

This is a fine film which captures the spirit of that night when it wasn't button down businessmen and lawyers, but rebels in high heels who changed America and the world.

1969, small town boy Matty Dean arrives in New York City, he instantly befriends drag Queen La Miranda. Matty joins a group of people who are looking to make a positive change.

It's amazing to think that such attitudes actually existed at the time, things really have changed so much.

An interesting mix, most of it is clearly made up, but there are definitely some actual events tied in, it's worth reading into the history of Stonewall, its importance, and what it means.

It's still a very good watch almost two decades on, it s a vibrant looking film, which tells a truly important and interesting story. There is some violence, but it mainly comes at the end, in a show down with The Police.

'For the sheer, irresistible, god damn glamour of it all.' The dialogue is priceless from start to finish, there are some fabulous one liners throughout, most of them come from La Miranda.

The music is as big a character as Matty and La Miranda, it's terrific, it first the film so well. The Glory Glory Hallelujah scene on the bus was tremendous.

The acting is quite something, Guillermo Diaz delivers a first rate performance as La Miranda, so sincere, Frederick Weller is great as the fresh faced Matty Dean also, so well cast.

Very good film.

8/10.

We are set in the year 1969 where Homosexuality is illegal and dressing in drag is likely to get you arrested, if not beaten!

Everybody has their own Stonewall story... Everyone that lived through it will have a fantastic memory to tell anybody that will listen. Well this film is La Miranda's story. La Miranda is a fictional drag queen and this film is all about how her and her friends got through the Stonewall days.

I learned a lot from this film. I never realised how tough it was for gay people living in America at that time. I never once thought about what those people did to make life so much easier for us now. As a gay man myself, I felt touched by this film and the reality of what really did happen back then.

Stonewall is a brutal film that delivers a very strong message in a very straight forward, no crap, right to the point kind of way. The characters in the film are all adorable in their own way and you can really feel what they are feeling.

You will find yourself staring at the screen in amazement at how strong these people really are. Every person in this film gives an outstanding performance... I can not fault any of the actors. There are no big names in this film either and that is what makes it even more special.

No big star actors being in this movie means that you can get really close to the characters and you can relate to them, rather than picture them in another role and another movie. It is also a very private movie, it wasn't a huge box office smash hit like Titanic or Star Wars. It's the kind of movie that nobody has really heard of but is always hooked on it once they finally see it.

Anybody that knows about Stonewall will know that the people that lived through that riot were fighting for people like myself, my boyfriend and all gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, drag queens and everyone alike. They sacraficed everything they could to pave the way for us to live with the freedom we deserve. They deserve to be respected in every way possible and this film does just that. It portrays them for what they really are.... HEROS!

I really loved this film and I seriously recommend everybody sees it... you will learn something and you will be moved!

I love this movie! The mixture of fact & fiction works very well. The music of the girl group The Shangri-Las immersed into the storyline is also an asset. These characters are so appealing & they feel like friends, so you just can't wait to see what happens next. The acting of Guillermo Diaz as La Miranda is so natural & relaxed it makes him so likable. Sexy Fred Weller as Maddy Dean is adorable. His character's faults make him all the more appealing. I get choked up every time I see him sing & play the guitar, with the others on the bus coming back from their rally, not exactly defeated, but far from being winners either. Mizz Moxie & Helen Wheels add just the right touch of campy, comic relief. Duane Boutte as Bostonia is excellent & insightful. His interaction with his homophobic homosexual lover, the Italian/American Vinny & owner of The Stonewall Inn, is passionate & sparks fly between them when they are confronting each other concerning their relationship issues circa 1969. The only character I'm not too crazy about is Brandan Corbalis as Ethan. I found him pretentious & condescending. Aside from his nice butt in the shower (if in fact that was his butt) there's nothing appealing about him really. The riot scene is fast & somewhat clumsy, yet it's electrifying & very exciting to view. All gay people should watch this film & get a feel for what happened on that hot summer night in '69. It gives you a sense of your history & what others before you endured. (The premature death of icon Judy Garland adds a bittersweet footnote to the precedings).

It's a well-meant effort with a lot of heart behind it but far less by way of acting, writing and directing prowess. The leads are competent but flat and the direction is pretty standard issue (with the exception of the riot, which is quite badly staged and directed). The period pop songs, lip synched by the drag queens, grow tiresome after a while. I found the Duberman book powerful, passionate and engrossing as any novel - maybe someday someone will feel inspired to do a film adaptation right. All in all, this movie's a heroic effort but not a success.

Stonewall (1995) -

Frederick Weller had a mighty fine backside in and out of those jeans as Matty and that may have been one of the reasons I liked this film, even though I wouldn't exactly call it high budget.

Okay, so it wasn't brilliant in many respects and I seem to be one of the only people that doesn't really appreciate the whole drag thing, so I didn't connect with the other leading characters as such, although, as a gay man, I obviously understood a lot of their feelings of being an outsider and their persecution, to a much lesser extent.

The musical interludes reminded me of 'The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert' (1994) which was a drag film that I loved, so I did enjoy that element to this film.

I also felt that there were similarities to the film 'Tangerine' (2015), which I hated for its crass brashness, but this one balanced that a lot better.

It was a story about being different and about being victimised for it, whilst also very sadly being based on real events. There have been many films made about the way minorities have been treated throughout time and many made since this one's release, so watching it in 2023 it didn't stand out as anything new, but I could see its relevance as a leader for those others that followed.

It also intertwined a cute romance, which helped to drive the story along, whilst also maintaining a political edge, in a similar, but milder, way to 'The Normal Heart' (2014).

I did feel that it was a shame that the producers made it look like it was the LGBTQ+ community that started the riot, as from my recollection that wasn't the case and it was more about the police brutality. Even in a film about us, we seem to show ourselves up, because it didn't come across as the community having had enough, but just getting agro one day instead.

Other than that I felt that the film was a victim of its time, because the graphic content of violence and sex would have been far more prominent if this was made later, so I'm interested to see the 2015 version, because I really did like the potential that this one had and what it was trying to achieve.

711.11/1000.

Frederick Weller is the perfect embodiment of the frustrated gay male who is ready for a change, and a revolution to boot. He arrives in NYC, somewhat naive, and is befriended by a drag queen who introduces him to the city and its many characters. He is discouraged almost immediately but it starts a feeling in him that makes him uneasy about the way things are. At the time bars were getting raided constantly and there were other ridiculous laws, too, none of which sit well with him. He befriends another man who enlightens him about rallies, a peaceful march to Philadelphia, and takes him to Fire Island. But its all still bad, since he knows he's being treated badly because of who he is.

Climax of the movie is the riot at the end, which wasn't much of one as far as I'm concerned, but the police finally found they were being stood up to, and they didn't like it.

All the actors are excellent, especially Weller, who's inexplicably not a major star, and Guillermo Diaz as La Miranda, a not-as-tough-as-she-pretends-to-be drag queen. Its La Miranda's version of things, and when she says 'we're American as apple pie' as the last line of the movie, you can't help but believe her.

Kudos to all involved. 9/10.

A young gay man from the sticks comes to New York City in 1969 hoping for a better life, but finds the homosexual lifestyle just as stifled in the big city under police pressure, corruption and harassment. The legendary gay riots near the Stonewall Inn take up just five minutes of the film's running-time, the final five minutes. This low-budget, brightly-colored film is more interested in the lives that would soon be affected by the riots than in the aftermath of the violence--and so we get stock characters like the naive blond cowboy, the underworld group controlling the club, the straight-seeming activists for a Homosexual Alliance, and lots and lots of drag queens. Director Nigel Finch seems to make a concerted effort to equate homosexuality with drag behavior, and drag behavior with (ultimately) prostitution. Perhaps this was true of the times, but Finch's presentation (though not campy) has cartoonish leanings and nostalgic overtures that don't express anything more than what most people already realize: the cops were corrupt, the gays were not saints, and they clashed. There's a good movie to be made about Stonewall, but this one just scratches the surface. There are some sweet moments (a sing-along on a bus, a dance between a drag queen and a gay conservative), but just as many scenes where the tone intended hasn't a hope in hell of coming through. ** from ****

this is one of the great low-budget "queer cinema" triumphs of the 90s'....

contrary to the above commenter, i do think the details are right... and yes, the cops were homophobic.. they used arcane, outdated laws to close gay bars.. have u read the book "stonewall"? they make it very clear that lots of bars - gay and str8 - were "illegal".. only the gay ones were shut down..

i was very impressed by the right-on details in the production design..

The night they raided the NYC underground bar Stonewall was the night gay pride exploded into the mainstream. This film tells the story of that night through a group of characters who each shine with their own unique story. There's La Miranda and Matty Dean, the central fictional figures of this film, and their struggle to find love, respect and honour in 1969 against numerous odds. But there are many other important stories told in this beautiful film. Dazzling, bright, strong and rousing are just four words but they settle easily into any sentence describing Stonewall - the movie. Its one of the most colourful and well designed films I've seen - so lush and grand in its set design and the musical numbers blaze. This delicious film is an aching, sweet transport into another time and place and provides a jaunty historical summation of the pride and intensity the name Stonewall still retains in the twentieth century history of the gay experience. Its a love story, a political tale, a drag odyssey and a wonderful expression of the powerful bonds that dark times promote and cement. Most of all, its a film to share with people you care about and want to grow through life with - so march to see it now.

"Stonewall" is a fictional but very inspired and moving account of events leading up to and culminating in the famous gay riots in NYC. Don't be fooled by the packaging...this is in no way a fluffy work in the vein of "Can't Stop the Music." It is deeply moving, very nearly tragic as it depicts the complex stressful lives of several characters. Fred Weller is marvelous as the genuine and untried hick Matty Dean who can't accept the comforts of compromise when he knows most of his compatriots are unjustly suffering. Guillermo Diaz as the drag queen La Miranda, who resembles Connie Francis when made-up, is outstanding as Matty's insecure mentor and eventual mate. Hopefully, the rampant police brutality against LGBT persons will be alleviated after the events depicted. I have heard several horrifying stories from a few who were arrested and their subsequent brutal treatment in jails. This film is so well-acted and paced that it should be seen by anyone, gay or straight, who has any interest in basic human rights issues. It will certainly make you think, and doubtless leave a lasting impression and perhaps not a little enlightenment.

..but--sadly--we're still dealing with the same issues of hatred, bigotry and inequality more than 35 years after Stonewall.

If more people from the so-called Christian right would/could see this movie (among others) with an open mind, maybe they would see that gays are not their enemies, or threats to their children, husbands, wives and marriages.

Too bad that won't happen.

BUT--maybe if Obama or Hillery become President in 2008...well, then, maybe those who are afraid of homos (and women and blacks) will finally come around and welcome us into this world.

End of comment.

While Stonewall hits upon some facts about the Stonewall Riots, it is pretty much based upon fiction. Much of this movie is apocryphal. For example, the who idea that the Stonewall Riots were somehow influenced by Judy Garland's death was suggested by the homophobic police-- as a bigoted joke.

New research shows that the Stonewall Riots were started by what most people would classify as sissies from nearby bars after hearing that police were beating up Stonewall patrons. There weren't very many drag queens allowed in the Stonewall.

The police who conducted the bust were not from the precinct that was in charge of the area; but a separate group dealing with morals violation. In fact, once barricaded inside the bar, they called for help, but the Sixth Precint wouldn't help, having already been paid off by the mob who owned the bar.