Summary of the Cellouid Closet

The 'Celluloid Closet', movies teach us what to think about the world, the movies opening line as voiced by academy award winner and costar of 'Some Like It Hot' Tony Curtis. This statement is akin to what psychology refers to as predictive programming.  What is mentioned when we are introduced to the sissy as created by Hollywood is that Hollywood's projection of homosexuality into the mind of American audiences could be said to create the pre-conscious and unconscious framework for society's interpretation of those identifying as other than heterosexual.

However, within the various scences are unsubtle hints of how Hollywood viewed all those it considered other: the white male painted up to resemble an African slave, a young woman, possibly lesbian,  being passed about by demons, during a scene in which a young, white female virgin is assaulted by a villainous lesbian the camera is suddenly shifted towards an African mask.  It is during this time that the Catholic Church and its code of ethics is introduced into the film. It is through the background of various films introduced through the movie that we realize that white LGBTQ individuals are considered a less visible spectrum of 'otherness' due to race. However, LGBTQ individuals are still considered a spectrum of otherness that is unacceptable to all aspects of Heterosexual society no matter their color, gender or class.

What is most important within the movie as its main topic is not sexuality, but the right of those considered as 'other' to express their identities, but the right to express those identies in a public space without threat of or act of violence; as long as those possessing such identies are respectful of those possessing identies different from their own. What is evident over the film's development is that it is not a question of morality, but identity; thus, catorization and how catorization is utilized to create, maintain and perpetuate society as a whole.

However, what type of society is being perpetuated? Within the film, the type of society that is being perpetuated is that of a white, self entitled male society that despite all its protestations of superior morality,  spiritual enlightenment, and greater genetic promise is threatened by its unconcious realization that this belief in their superiority is both politically,  historically and genetically false. However, in order to prevent the unconscious/psychic injury experienced by these claims being proven false, a shield must be created in order to protect such a society from this type of injury; thus, a false reality must be created in order to do so.

The jest of this situation is that white male heterosexual society is based upon falsehood,  a falsehood that is utilized to perpetuate a ruling class society that is based upon conflict,  subjacation of others, and justification of those actions through the dehumanuzation of those subjacated by white male,  ruling class society through the creation of sociocultural,  and historical fuction based upon the philosophical reasoning found within the tenets if 'Manifest Destiny,  and 'The White Man's Burden'.