Notes on Kinsey

Hollywood has a long history of censorship.[1] Some may be aware that 'the Hollywood system' actively reinforces certain social and political values.[2] One obvious example is that most or many of Hollywood's most famous leading men are, or have been, homosexuals. Yet, the public never knows about this, at the time. Quite an illusion.

Given this context, and Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's classic work, Manufacturing Consent, here are four tiny details I noted about the film, Kinsey:

a) Director's name is Bill Condon. (Um, okay. Name-play on words has been part of both my surveillance and news events I've highlighted (see 'Gay Abbate,' more to come.)

[Edit: I also saw him being referred to as Willy Condon in a mainstream news magazine.]

b) Director Bill Condon has been working in television for 20-plus years. It's his first Hollywood film, yet he seems to have much pull and support. Kinsey is also up for an Oscar, which most people wait a lifetime to be nominated for.

c) Bill Condon 'told [reviewer Roger] Ebert, “but they [Motion Picture Association] thought it was a serious and informative film and they passed it with no cuts” - in spite of graphic sexuality and homosexual scenes (see Plugged In review, below).

d) Actor Laura Linney is cast as the wife. No significance there, but...

Last week, I happened to be watching Frasier and noticed three odd things: i) an Asian person was one of the extras (probably a first); ii) Jennifer Tilly (Bound) appears as a trashy, almost Asian-looking, mentally unstable vamp opposite the wholesome Laura Linney, while Frasier decides where his true love lies...whipped cream and all; and iii) Frasier is competing against a tree-hugging, environmental guy for Linney's affections.[3][4] The entire episode pumps your primal senses.[5] Many themes I've mentioned, either in this blog or in emails, appeared in this half-hour show; they're very specific situations and social dynamics.


More About Kinsey

'Facts about Kinsey, the film' - The Kinsey Institute

'Movie Review: Kinsey' - Plugged In Online (reviews for family viewing)

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[1] See post on political censorship: 'Learning in the Trenches,' November 10, 2004.

[2] Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies by David L. Robb. MotherJones.com interview with author Robb. About.com book review.

[3] Hollywood's closeting of queerness is one of its biggest propaganda illusions. Yet, being 'out' as a queer actor can negatively affect one's public appeal and marketability. Likewise, playing a homosexual role can set one's acting career way back, unless one is already a major celebrity. Many women have to vigorously re-establish their 'straight' image to ensure steady work. After her role in Bound, I suspect queer stigmatizing may have affected actor Jennifer Tilly's opportunities. Her appearance as a down-and-out 'sex freak' in this episode of Frasier said a lot about her absence from cinema, in general. Reviews on Bound : scene360.com, movie-review.net, and CenterStage.net.

[4] I talk about sex, sexuality, and sexual freedom, but it's more conceptual, rather than actual lived experiences. Yet, much like Seinfeld's Cosmo Kramer, and his 'kavorka' effect on women (an Orthodox Armenian nun fell for him in one episode), I did seem to bring out instinctual responses in many people, with my own unsteady drives. (I was haywire during my depression, but didn't really act on it.) Flattering, yes, but what the government has also learned is how easily Asian women are perceived as sex objects. I believe this 'Suzy Wong' stereotype will be used to cancel out more positive, empowering images of Asian women. Several thousand years of social programming should give you an idea of how respect plays out in any 'virgin vs. vamp' split. (More on this, later.)

[5] Frasier is a great show. I'm just pointing out what I perceive to be funny coincidences.