. . " one of the most
humane, yet one of
the saddest movies
you will see . .
A really good film.
Really, really good". . . .
'Paris Is Burning' is a 1990 documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the poor, African American and Latino gay and transgendered community involved in it. Many consider Paris Is Burning to be an invaluable documentary of the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls. The award-winning documentary ignited audiences and critics across the country and all over the world with record-breaking box office performances.
'Paris Is Burning' does for voguing what David LaChappelle’s ‘Rize’ did for krumping: provides a fascinating portrait of a complex, materially disadvantaged subculture structured around intensely competitive aesthetic displays later plundered for a Madonna video. The predominantly black gay ball scene of late-’80s New York is the focus, with ‘upcoming legendary children’ from numerous ‘houses’, or gang-families, competing in dozens of ball categories. The House of Ninja pioneered the voguing that so appealed to Madge, but more categories were based on looks than moves, from student chic to formal eveningwear. Others – military, business executive, label-heavy high fashion – speak to the sincerely conformist aspirationalism that marked this scene as much as the decade’s mainstream pop culture. Rather than being alienated from ‘the great white way of living or looking’ that has made their lives so painful, these ‘children’ long for it: ‘I would like to be a spoiled, rich white girl,’ one smiles. It’s an attitude with aesthetic repercussions: as a house mother observes, it’s ‘not about what you can create, but what you can acquire’.
'Paris Is Burning' says so many things: it's a thoughtful exploration of race, class, materialism in our culture, about gender roles, about rich and poor people, about the media and what it celebrates, about fame and adulation. An unblinking behind-the-scenes story of fashion-obsessed New Yorkers who created drag balls, and turned these raucous celebrations into a powerful expression of fierce personal pride. This world-within-a-world is instantly familiar, filled with ambitions, desires, and yearnings that reflect America itself. 'Paris Is Burning' is an intimate portrait of one urban community, a world in which the allure of high fashion, status, and wealth becomes an affirmation of love, acceptance, and joy. 'Paris is Burning' isn't about men wearing women's clothing, it's about a group of people who are routinely marginalized and put down by society at large, and what they do to get a sense of community in their lives.
In the beginning of the film a young man comments that he was told that he has two strikes against him: he is black and male. But in addition to that, he has a third strike: he's gay. "You're going to have to be stronger than you ever imagined," he was told."
The whole notion that people scrabble for a bare existence 99% of their time so they can shine for 1% sounds cute or depressing or trite, depending on your current level of treacle versus cynicism... But once you see people honest to God living that way, that patronizing distance is gone. 'Paris is Burning' is one of the most humane, and one of the saddest, movies you will ever see. A really good film. Really, really good.
humane, yet one of
the saddest movies
you will see . .
A really good film.
Really, really good". . . .
'Paris Is Burning' is a 1990 documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the poor, African American and Latino gay and transgendered community involved in it. Many consider Paris Is Burning to be an invaluable documentary of the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls. The award-winning documentary ignited audiences and critics across the country and all over the world with record-breaking box office performances.
'Paris Is Burning' does for voguing what David LaChappelle’s ‘Rize’ did for krumping: provides a fascinating portrait of a complex, materially disadvantaged subculture structured around intensely competitive aesthetic displays later plundered for a Madonna video. The predominantly black gay ball scene of late-’80s New York is the focus, with ‘upcoming legendary children’ from numerous ‘houses’, or gang-families, competing in dozens of ball categories. The House of Ninja pioneered the voguing that so appealed to Madge, but more categories were based on looks than moves, from student chic to formal eveningwear. Others – military, business executive, label-heavy high fashion – speak to the sincerely conformist aspirationalism that marked this scene as much as the decade’s mainstream pop culture. Rather than being alienated from ‘the great white way of living or looking’ that has made their lives so painful, these ‘children’ long for it: ‘I would like to be a spoiled, rich white girl,’ one smiles. It’s an attitude with aesthetic repercussions: as a house mother observes, it’s ‘not about what you can create, but what you can acquire’.
'Paris Is Burning' says so many things: it's a thoughtful exploration of race, class, materialism in our culture, about gender roles, about rich and poor people, about the media and what it celebrates, about fame and adulation. An unblinking behind-the-scenes story of fashion-obsessed New Yorkers who created drag balls, and turned these raucous celebrations into a powerful expression of fierce personal pride. This world-within-a-world is instantly familiar, filled with ambitions, desires, and yearnings that reflect America itself. 'Paris Is Burning' is an intimate portrait of one urban community, a world in which the allure of high fashion, status, and wealth becomes an affirmation of love, acceptance, and joy. 'Paris is Burning' isn't about men wearing women's clothing, it's about a group of people who are routinely marginalized and put down by society at large, and what they do to get a sense of community in their lives.In the beginning of the film a young man comments that he was told that he has two strikes against him: he is black and male. But in addition to that, he has a third strike: he's gay. "You're going to have to be stronger than you ever imagined," he was told."
The whole notion that people scrabble for a bare existence 99% of their time so they can shine for 1% sounds cute or depressing or trite, depending on your current level of treacle versus cynicism... But once you see people honest to God living that way, that patronizing distance is gone. 'Paris is Burning' is one of the most humane, and one of the saddest, movies you will ever see. A really good film. Really, really good.
Academy Award Note: Outrage ensued when 'Paris Is Burning' failed to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature that year. The contorversy was fueled when prominent film critic Roger Ebert suspected a conspiracy on the part of Hollywood to protect big studio interests, suggesting that the Academy wishes the documentary makers would drop dead and go away and not take time away from the glamorous promotion of features. "This is getting embarrassing." he said. This escalting controversy led to a revamp of the Academy's stogy nomination process.
FILM INFORMATION: 'Paris Is Burning'
Web: Cast, Bios and Additional Details at IMDb
Director: Jennie Livingston
Writer: Jennie Livingston
Cast, Crew & Credits: Full Cast, Crew & credits
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Awards: 12 Wins & 1 Nomination
Runtime: 71 min
Spoken Language: English
Subtitled in: none
FILM CLIP: 'Paris Is Burning'
DOWNLOAD & EXTRACT FILM FILES: 'Pairs is Burning'
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