Paris Is Burning [VHS]
by Jennie Livingston
![Paris Is Burning [VHS]](/images/Paris-Is-Burning-VHS-6304326289-L.jpg)
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Andr? Christian, Avis Pendavis, Carmen and Brooke, Pepper LaBeija, Willi NinjaDirector: Jennie Livingston
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Color, NTSC, Original recording reissued
Running Time: 78 minutes
Release Date: 1997-02-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Fox Lorber
Studio: Fox Lorber
VHS Movie Reviews of Paris Is Burning [VHS]
Movie Review: an unexamined life is not worth living
Summary: 5 Stars
--Socrates
Paris Is Burning was far better than I expected it to be; I couldn't take my eyes off the screen! This is an excellent portrait of the minority (mostly black and Hispanic) drag queen community as it existed in New York City in the late 1980s. Watching this film you will discover how these people related to each other in all sorts of ways and how they handled their relationships not only amongst themselves but with their families and the straight, white world in general that wasn't exactly too accepting of them then and still has a ways to go toward true acceptance in our times.
The footage of the "balls" these gay drag queens hold is fantastic. A ball is easily explained--the minority drag queens gather in a social hall and essentially take turns walking down the middle of the social hall as if they were rich and famous models walking down the runway. They get to be and feel the way they REALLY feel inside; and their peers cheer them on as they walk the walk. They get ratings by judges and prizes are often awarded. Of course, things get more complicated; not everybody is in love with everybody else. We learn how these gay men including the drag queens take each other on with wisecracks about their appearances; and the footage of them voguing shows us great dancing as well as a competition to determine who's the better man.
There's also the concept of "houses;" these are the gay male/drag queen equivalent of street gangs. There is a leader of the house (or, group) called the "mother;" and the house has its rules as to how someone can become a member--perhaps, for example, they have to walk down that runway at a ball and snag a prize to become a house member. We also learn what it means to "mop;" and the footage with Dorian Corey reminiscing about the way things used to be when he was younger is fascinating.
These men don't have it easy; one of them says that being black, male and gay gives them three strikes against them before life even starts! It's sad but that's the way things went; I would like to think things have improved somewhat with the election of an African-American president but I'm sure the members of this community still experience unfair prejudice. The film has lots of commentary from many members of the gay male and drag queen community who give us a good amount of insight as to how they cope with the social stress they must face and I liked that a great deal.
The DVD comes with outtakes; and there's an optional running commentary as well.
Paris Is Burning is an outstanding motion picture for anyone who wants to know what really went on in the minority drag queen/gay male community not so long ago. This film is quite well done and it deserves more recognition that it gets.
Summary of Paris Is Burning [VHS]
Paris Is Burning closes with two neon-lit boys holding each other on the streets of Harlem. One looks into the camera and asks, "So this is New York City and what the gay lifestyle is all about--right?" This documentary takes an honest, humorous, and surprisingly poignant peek into one of America's overlooked subcultures: the world of the urban drag queen. It's a parallel dimension of bizarre beauty, where "houses" vie like gangs for turf and reputation ... only instead of street-fighting, they vogue their way down makeshift catwalks in competitive "balls." The only rule of the ballroom: be real.In surprisingly candid interviews, you discover the grace, strength, and humor it takes to be gay, black, and poor in a straight, rich, white world. You'll meet young transsexual "cover girls," street hustlers saving up for the big operation, and aging drag divas reminiscing about the bygone days of sequins, feathers, and Marilyn Monroe.
Made in the late 1980s, this fashion-conscious film shows its age less than you'd expect. It's still a great watch for anyone interested in the whole range of humanity, or anyone who's ever been an outsider, desperately wanting something the world hides out of reach. --Grant Balfour
Fascinating, discomfiting, and poignant (sometimes all at once), Paris Is Burning documents New York City's recherch? "ball" circuit, where members of the black and Latino gay, transvestite, and transsexual communities compete to see who can wear the most outlandish outfits and dance, pose, and generally show off to most outrageous effect. These are folks who live with a double whammy of discrimination, as they are minorities both sexually and racially. But while their tales of rejection by both society and their own families are woeful and bitter, the participants come alive when they hit the "runway" (actually the floor of some old gymnasium) to strut their stuff, liberated from the pressure of blending in with the mainstream. "Whatever you want to be, you be," says one, whether it's a school kid, a country club polo player, a high-rent executive, a character from television's Dynasty (which for some represents the dernier cri in elegance and wealth). anything goes. Along the way, we meet characters with names like Pepper Labeija, Venus Xtravaganza, and Willi Ninja; we also learn about "reading" (i.e., dissing your competitors), "shading" (a more subtle, non-verbal version of the same thing), and "voguing" (later adopted by Madonna, it combines the poses and haughty looks of your average supermodel). Critics at the time of the film's original 1990 release tended to focus on the sadness and not-so-quiet desperation of these people's efforts to transcend their circumstances and become one-night legends, but overall, Paris Is Burning comes across as simply a damn good time. --Sam Graham
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