The story is about a gay couple, renalto baldi ugo. Serraults highpitched nervous yelps punctuate the films comedy. Two of europes most virile male stars, michel serrault and ugo tognazzi, portray two very flamboyant, aging gay gentlemen. The birdcage dvd english version based on the 1979 french film. The film, based on a play by jean poiret, was a wildly successful venture, ultimately earning over forty million, spawning two. While the premise may seem somewhat precious, its execution is nearly flawless.
They try to conceal their lifestyle and their ownership. Orignal french version of the bird cage this french movie made me love the drag culture when i was only a kid. One of the most successful comedies of all time, this best foreign film award winner inspired the birdcage and stars michel serrault and ugo tognazz. The comedy that comes out of the closet two gay men living in st.
The screenings mark the 40th anniversary of the american release in 1979, as well as noting lgbtq pride month, and the 50th anniversary of the stonewall riots. Download the drop a hint site key to send a hint to a friend with a personal gift suggestion. The wall street journal,this wildly hilarious independent film journal french farce is. Tropez nightclub where the chief attraction is a drag act performed by his lover, serrault. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup.
Theres some really funny scenes here, but theres also a. Tropez have their lives turned upside down when the son of one of the men announces he is getting married. Birdcage shows growth in older audiences power the new. Local drag club star albin michel serrault marketing in st. However, he was unable to secure the rights to the film and was forced to settle for the rights to the original play only. Zaza michel serrault thinks that he is no longer attractive to renato ugo tognazzi, and to make him jealous sets out to the local caf in magnificent dragwhere she is promptly picked up by a spy who is fleeing from enemy agents. Renato ugo tognazzi and albin michel serrault are happy that their son, laurent remi laurent, is getting married. Tropez, his transvestite lover, and how the owner reacts after his son returns home one day and announces hes going to marry. One of the most successful comedies of all time, this best foreign film award winner inspired the birdcage and stars michel serrault and ugo tognazzi as two partners torn between crossdressing and chaos. I love the american version, the bird cage too with robin williams and nathan lane but i dont see it in the watch now section. And although the source material is about 20 years old, its still funny as hell. My first viewing was back in 1979, when i was a closeted senior in college, and it was the first film that i had ever seen that treated the subject of homosexuality with sympathy. They try to conceal their lifestyle and their ownership of the drag club downstairs when the fiancee and her parents come for dinner. To ensure that the marriage goes off without a hitch, albin uses his skills as a drag performer to play mom for a meeting with the inlaws.
Staring michel serrault, ugo tognazzi, claire maurier and luisa maneri. The movie has original scenes that were explored in a different manner from the 90s version. Print instantly, or sync to our free pc, web and mobile apps. It is cowritten and directed by edouard molinaro and stars ugo tognazzi and michel serrault. In this version robin williams plays the gay owner of a florida nightclub who learns his straight son dan futterman is coming home and is engaged to be married. Download this subtitles from our download location, see more details bellow. The original french play ran for 1800 performances, from 1973 to 1978, at the theatre du palais royal in paris. Like the play upon which it is based, the film tells the story of a gay. When the french italian film adaptation of jean poirets play became a big box office hit in the late 70s, it was a conventional farce with a typically gallic twist, the old sonof. Jerry herman, a tony awardwinning composer whose contributions to the broadway stage included such enduring classics as hello, dolly. This material still shows its age as it did even in the 1979 french language version but it has been tarted up with giddy ingenuity. Albin michel serrault decides to leave renato ugo tognazzi for good. But with its hilarious performances and aheadofitstime social message, theres nothing like the audacious, dazzling original movie.
But it can get away with this because of the way it is pitched as a farce, unlike, say, outrageous. Its about the gay owner of a scandalous nightclub in st. Charming and frothy, the movie proves to be about as tame as any oldfashioned bedroom farce, which of course went a long way toward allowing it to be embraced by americans who generally steered. It is directed by edouard molinaro and stars michel serrault as albin stage name zaza, the female impersonator star of a gay nightclub revue, and ugo tognazzi as renato, his partner of over 20 years. See the article in its original context from may, 1979, page 0. One of the most successful foreign films ever shown in the u. In new york, the movie ran for well over a year at the 68th street playhouse.
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