“La Cage aux Folles” (1978) / Z-View
La Cage aux Folles (1978)
Director: Édouard Molinaro
Screenplay: Francis Veber, Édouard Molinaro, Marcello Danon, Jean Poiret; adapted from the play La Cage aux Folles by Jean Poiret
Stars: Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Claire Maurier, Rémi Laurent, Benny Luke, Carmen Scarpitta, Luisa Maneri and Michel Galabru.
Tagline: The comedy that comes out of the closet!
The Plot…
Renato Baldi and Albin Mougeotte are a gay couple. They’ve been together for twenty years and share ownership of La Cage aux Folles, an extremely popular gay night club. Renato manages the club. Albin is the star attraction where he performs in drag as Zaza Napoli.
Renato and Albin’s life is turned upside down when Laurent, Renato’s son (from a brief hetersexual fling), comes home to announce his engagement. Laurent wants to marry Andrea. Andrea’s father is a leader in the Union for Moral Order, a super conservative political party.
Because Andrea was afraid that her parents wouldn’t approve of her marriage to Laurent if they knew he was raised by gay parents, she lied. She told her parents that Laurent’s father was a political attache and his mother was a housewife.
Andrea’s parents are coming to dinner to meet Laurent’s parents — a nice middle-aged heterosexual couple. Renalto and Albin are going to do their best to not disappoint. Andrea’s parents will have dinner with – Renalto and Zaza.
Raise the curtain, the show is about to start!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
La Cage aux Folles was nominated for three 1979 Academy Awards…
- Nominated for Best Costume Design – Piero Tosi, Ambra Danon
- Nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Francis Veber, Édouard Molinaro, Marcello Danon, Jean Poiret
- Nominated for Best Director – Édouard Molinaro
When La Cage aux Folles was released in the United States it became the all-time highest grossing foreign film.
La Cage aux Folles opened on Broadway in August 1983. It went on to win the 1984 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Book and Score.
La Cage aux Folles was remade as The Birdcage in 1996. Mike Nichols directed Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Dianne Weist in this Americanized version.
La Cage aux Folles (1978) rates 3 of 5 stars.
