Open Secrets (2004)
• May 24th, 2004 • 0h 52min
Documentary
Overview
This provocative documentary uncovers a lost chapter in Canadian military history: how the Armed Forces dealt with homosexual behaviour among soldiers, during and after World War II. More than 60 years later, a group of five veterans, barely adults when they enlisted, break the silence to talk about how homosexual behaviour "was even more unmentionable than cancer." Yet amidst the brutality of war, instances of sexual awakening among soldiers and officers were occuring. Initially, the Army overlooked it, but as the war advanced, they began to crack down: military tribunals, threats of imprisonment, discharge and public exposure. After the war, officers accused of homosexuality were discharged. Back home in Canada, reputations and careers were ruined. For the young men who had served their country with valour, this final chapter was often too much to bear. Based on the book Courting Homosexuals in the Military by Paul Jackson.
Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!
Trailer
Similar Movies
Strike a Pose
Released on: 2016-06-29
Documentary
In 1990, seven young male dancers joined Madonna on her most controversial world tour. Their journey...
Pompeii: The New Revelations
Released on: 2020-02-15
Documentary, History
Archaeologist Raksha Dave and historian Dan Snow return to Pompeii to gain special access to a varie...
Imagine… Pet Shop Boys: Then and Now
Released on: 2024-04-16
Documentary, Music
Featuring exclusive access to their recent tour and their new album, this documentary reveals the fa...
As If They Were Angels
Released on: 2018-10-06
Documentary
The little known story of one of the worst non-combat disasters in the history of the US Navy, …AS I...
Hitler's Supergun
Released on: 2015-11-22
Documentary
Historians and engineers investigate how Allied forces conspired to destroy Hitler's "supergun".
Brothers of the Night
Released on: 2016-02-18
Documentary, Drama
Soft boys by day, kings by night. The film follows a group of young Bulgarian Roma who come to Vienn...
An Intimate History of Occupation
Released on: 2011-06-07
Documentary, History, TV Movie
June 14, 1940. The German Army marches into Paris. France is an occupied country. Through exclusive ...
Edward II of England: The Unhappy King
Released on: 2019-11-15
Documentary, History, TV Movie
His opponents accused him of being homosexual. The male favorites he gathered around him during his ...
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She
Released on: 2005-04-30
Documentary
Examines the diversity of human sexual and gender variance around the globe, with commentary by scie...
Wilmington on Fire
Released on: 2015-11-14
Documentary, History
A historical and present day look at the Wilmington Massacre of 1898 and how the descendants of the ...
The Day They Dropped The Bomb
Released on: 2015-07-29
Documentary, History, War
On August 6 1945, one plane dropped one bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. In an instant, the c...
Apolo
Released on: 2025-10-02
Documentary, Drama
After naturally conceiving a child during the COVID-19 pandemic, trans-centered couple Isis and Lour...
Always Amber
Released on: 2020-03-02
Documentary
Amber belongs to a queer generation which no longer wants society to dictate their identity. The tee...
Tarnation
Released on: 2003-10-19
Documentary, Drama
Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture o...
Improper Conduct
Released on: 1984-03-21
Documentary, History
The story of the persecution of homosexuals and intellectuals in Cuba under Fidel Castro's dictators...
High Heels Revolution!
Released on: 2016-09-17
Documentary
From a young age, Natsuki knew she was a girl despite her sex assigned at birth. Against the backdro...
Spitfire Sisters
Released on: 2010-10-18
Documentary
'Spitfire Sisters' tells the story of the remarkable ladies who flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary...