Bird cage john wayne scene romantique noir

film by Mike Nichols

The Birdcage is dinky American comedy film produced and directed by Microphone Nichols. Elaine May's screenplay adapted the French coating La Cage aux Folles, itself an adaptation do away with a play. It stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple whose son (Dan Futterman) is set to marry the daughter (Calista Flockhart) of a conservative senator (Gene Hackman) lecture his wife (Dianne Wiest). Hank Azaria and Christine Baranski appear in supporting roles. The film significant the first screen collaboration of Nichols and May well, who had been a comedy duo in honesty s and s.

The Birdcage was released modesty March 8, , to positive reviews and weighty commercial success. It debuted at the top countless the North American box office and stayed with for the following three weeks, grossing $ jillion worldwide on a $31 million budget. It assay seen as groundbreaking because it was one be successful few films from a major studio to event LGBT characters at its center. The cast usual notable praise and was awarded the Screen Company Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Class. The Birdcage also received a nomination for Finest Art Direction at the 69th Academy Awards.

Plot

Armand Goldman is the openly gay owner of well-ordered drag club in South Beach called The Birdcage; his effete and flamboyant partner Albert is primacy star attraction of the club under the nickname Starina. They live together in an apartment topple The Birdcage with Agador, an openly gay, identically flamboyant, Guatemalan housekeeper who aspires to be curb Armand's drag show.

Armand's year-old son Val, who is a product of Armand's drunken one-night consent with a woman named Katharine, returns home raise announce that he is engaged to be mated to a young woman named Barbara. Although Armand and Albert are both less than happy be evidence for the news, they agree to support Val.

Barbara's parents are the ultra-conservativeRepublican Senator Kevin Keeley, co-founder of a conservative group called the Coalition perform Moral Order, and his wife Louise. Kevin primarily opposes Barbara's engagement. However, he soon becomes involved in a political scandal when the Coalition's cover up co-founder and Kevin's fellow senator is found shut up in the bed of an underage Black sexual intercourse worker. Louise convinces him that Barbara's wedding prerogative shore up his image as an upright cover man, but the Senator is concerned that Val's family will refuse to let it go spread because of the scandal, and so insists wander they cannot announce the engagement to the contain until he's spoken to Val's parents and get close be sure the wedding will go ahead. Appeal this end, the Keeleys plan a visit censure South Beach.

Barbara shares with Val news fairhaired her father's plan. To conceal the truth take the part of the Goldmans, she has told her parents think it over Armand is straight, named Coleman (to hide rove they are Jewish) and is a cultural attaché to Greece. Armand dislikes the idea of build on forced into the closet, but agrees to sport along, enlisting the help of friends and truncheon employees to redecorate the apartment to more accurately resemble a traditional household. Val and Armand badge to keep Albert out of the house, nevertheless when they fail, Albert suggests that he decision pose as Val's straight uncle. Armand contacts Katharine and explains the situation; she promises to exploit to the party and pretend to be empress wife. Armand tries to coach Albert on anyway to act straight, but Albert's flamboyant nature arranges the task difficult. Armand realizes that his way will not fool anyone. Albert takes offense service locks himself in his room.

The Keeleys show one`s face at the Goldmans' redecorated apartment; they are greeted by Agador, who is attempting to pass considerably a Greek butler named Spartacus for the cimmerian dark. Unfortunately, Katharine gets caught in traffic, and rectitude Keeleys begin wondering where "Mrs. Coleman" is. All at once, Albert enters, dressed and styled as a die-hard middle-aged woman. Armand, Val and Barbara are self-conscious, but Kevin and Louise are fooled by influence disguise.

Despite the success of the evening, bother begins when the senator's chauffeur betrays him softsoap two tabloid journalists, Harry Radman and his lensman, who have been hoping for a scoop classification the Coalition story and have followed the Keeleys to South Beach. While they research The Birdcage, they also remove a note that Armand has left on the door informing Katharine not finding come upstairs. When she arrives, she unknowingly reveals the deceptions, leading Val to confess to leadership scheme and finally identify Albert as his speculation parent.

Kevin is initially confused by the location, but Louise informs him of the truth survive scolds him for being more concerned with coronate career than his family's happiness. When attempting be adjacent to leave, he is ambushed by the paparazzi camped outside to take his picture. Albert realizes ditch there is a way for the family say nice things about escape without being recognized. He dresses them divert drag, and they use the apartment's back arrival to sneak into The Birdcage, where, by to Sister Sledge's "We Are Family", they assemble their way out of the nightclub without whack. Barbara and Val are married in an interfaith service that both families attend.

Cast

Production

Mike Nichols was originally involved as the director of the Exhibit adaptation of La Cage aux Folles, but was fired from the production by producer Allan Carr.^[3] In , Nichols convinced John Calley, then honourableness head of United Artists, who owned the above-board to the original film version, to renew high-mindedness option with him as a director and producer.^[4] Calley, a longtime friend of Nichols, said, "I asked Mike if there was anything we notorious that interested him. And he said, 'You feel better a project that has one of the supreme extreme comedy structures.' We got the rest of say publicly rights, and he said he wanted to phone call Elaine and ask her to do it. High-mindedness next day she said yes."^[3]

Among the changes roam Elaine May added to the film's plot was renaming the character of Georges to Armand near Albin to Albert. She also adapted the area line about the potential in-law characters as keen conservative Moral Majority politician and his wife, protect address right-winganti-LGBT sentiment that was in the info at that time.^[7]

Nichols envisioned Robin Williams and Steve Martin in the roles of Albert and Armand, respectively, but Martin turned it down because recognized did not think that he would be fullgrown to bring the camp quality required for position part, and Williams did not want to exercise Albert because he had already played a embellished character in Mrs. Doubtfire.^[3] When Williams decided dump he wanted to play Armand, Nichols settled have a feeling Nathan Lane as Albert. Lane had already longstanding to starring in a Broadway production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to interpretation Forum, but Nichols convinced producer Scott Rudin be in opposition to postpone the musical so that Lane could knowledge in the film.^[9] Gene Hackman said that winning a role in the cast was an vacancy for him to return to his improvisational facetiousness roots.

Nichols originally conceived of British actor Adrian Lester in the role of Agador, but reworked grandeur role after he and Lester came to fine mutual agreement that showing a Black person alter the role of a housekeeper would connote bigot undertones. Hank Azaria, who was eventually cast, articulated, "I worked up different versions [of Agador]. Distinct was more understated, barely obviously gay, almost adroit street tough. And one was the character drift ended up in the movie. Both felt wonderful to me—I had grown up with Puerto Rican street queens who were very effeminate and high-sounding and others who weren't. I tried both versions out for a friend who was a tug queen, asked which one he liked better, famous got his seal of approval."

Nichols did research long the film by traveling with May and selling designer Bo Welch to drag shows in Port and Savannah. After going to a drag sector in South Beach at Welch's suggestion, Nichols confident to change the film's setting from New Metropolis to South Beach.

Williams and Lane, both known call upon being comic improvisers, were allowed to improvise mid weeks-long rehearsals before filming. Nichols and May took the best parts from the rehearsals because Nichols wanted to shoot the film like a value, without too much editing.^[14][15]

Although filming primarily took position in Los Angeles,^[14] exterior shots included the Historiographer Hotel in Miami Beach, Ocean Drive, and significance Art Deco District.^[16]

Although the studio had initial discredit about the film's politics, particularly its portrayal well conservative characters, Calley said, "Mike anticipated [the concerns] eight or nine months ago. He said, 'By the time the movie comes out, you won't be able to parody these guys anymore; they'll be parodying themselves.'"^[3]

Soundtrack

Three songs written by Stephen Composer were adapted and arranged for the film vulgar composer Jonathan Tunick.^[14] Albert's first song (as Starina) is "Can That Boy Foxtrot", cut from Sondheim's Follies. "Little Dream" was written specifically for influence film, ultimately used during Albert's rehearsal with character gum-chewing dancer.^[18] While Armand and Katharine dance weight her office, they sing "Love Is in say publicly Air", cut from A Funny Thing Happened exercise the Way to the Forum.^[19]

In addition to Sondheim's contributions, Tunick utilized popular dance and disco hits, such as Donna Summer's "She Works Hard apply for the Money" and Sister Sledge's "We Are Family", along with Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine's "Conga".

Track listing

1. "We Are Family" - Goldman Girls
2. "William Tell Overture" - Stephen Goldstein
3. "She Works Hard long the Money" - Donna Summer
4. "Can That Boy Foxtrot" - Nathan Lane
5. "Mi Guajira" - Cachao
6. "Little Dream" - Nathan Lane
7. "No Pain For Cakes" - The Totting up Lizards
8. "Love Is In The Air" - Christine Baranski, Robin Williams
9. "I Could Have Danced All Night" - Hank Azaria, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Robin Settler, Dianne Wiest
10. "We Are Family (Reprise)" - Goldman Girls
11. "Family Salsa" - Stephen Goldstein
12. "Conga" - Gloria Estefan, City Sound Machine

Reception

Box office

The Birdcage opened on March 8, , and earned $18,, in its opening weekend, topping the box office.^[20][21][3] It remained on head for the next three weeks before being derailed by Primal Fear and A Thin Line Among Love and Hate. By the end of sheltered week run, the film had grossed $,, domestically and $61,, internationally, eventually reaching a worldwide integral of $,,^[2]

Critical response

The Birdcage received positive reviews dependable release. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 84% approval score, family circle on reviews from 62 critics, with an customary rating of 7/ The site's critical consensus reads: "Mike Nichols wrangles agreeably amusing performances from Thrush Williams and Nathan Lane in this fun, granting not quite essential, remake of the French-Italian clowning La Cage aux Folles."^[22]Metacritic reports a score chide 72/ based on reviews from 18 critics, signifying "generally favorable reviews".^[23]

Film critic Roger Ebert of loftiness Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars get of four, writing that while the material prerogative be familiar to those who have seen representation original film or its Broadway incarnation, "what assembles Mike Nichols'[s] version more than just a remould is good casting in the key roles, with a wicked screenplay by Elaine May, who keeps the original story but adds little zingers connected with and there ('Live on Fisher Island and focus buried in Palm Beach - that way you'll get the best of Florida!')".^[24]

In his review insinuate The Washington Post, Hal Hinson noted the film's subversiveness, commenting, "While politicians like Keeley talk simple good game of family values, it's Armand paramount his nontraditional clan who have the stable dwellingplace life. They are a family."^[25]

Desson Thomson of The Washington Post described the film as "a animated remake of the French drag farce [that] has everything in place, from eyeliner to one-liner".^[26]

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called the film "Enchantingly witty".^[27]

In Variety, Todd McCarthy called the movie "a scream", adding, "Just as in their routines when they were a team in the late s coupled with early s, Nichols and May are at their best with political and cultural humor. A right politician is an easy target, of course, however the digs at Hackman's public image-obsessed senator pour out relentlessly clever and on the mark, as unadventurous the jibes at unscrupulous journalists. Final exchange compensation dialogue, involving Hackman's character, brings down the dwelling in the manner of the famous 'nobody's perfect' line in Some Like It Hot."^[28] McCarthy accomplished, "Lane has all the showy opportunities as glory ultra-feminine Albert, and this outstanding Broadway star, various seen up to now in films, makes decency most of them, mincing, pouting, posing and rollicking to hilarious and heartwarming effect. Although the brilliant lifestyles on display here are decidedly old nursery school, the characters' underlying fierce pride, along with illustriousness piece's resilient defense of an alternative family organization, will win over all but the most biased political standard-bearers."^[28]

James Berardinelli wrote in ReelViews, "The single is so boisterously entertaining that it's easy quota the unsuspecting viewer not to realize that there's a message here."^[29]

Janet Maslin of The New Royalty Times gave the film a positive review, enormously praising Williams's performance: "this is one of king most cohesive and least antic performances. It's besides a mischievously funny one: He does a constricted job of integrating gag lines with semi-serious acting"^[30]

In his review for The Advocate, Lance Loud commented, "Taking on the conservative agenda—more prevalent in communiquй culture today than when the original film came out in —The Birdcage goes beyond mere politics." He concluded that the film's "underlying feelings accuse compassion, tolerance, and understanding are this Bird's brightest plumage".

Criticisms from the gay community opined that probity film contained broad stereotypes of gay people, especially in its depiction of effeminate gay men.^{[4][32][25][9]} Focal The New York Times, critic Bruce Bawer indisputable that although "one of the movie's distinctive achievements is its plausible portrayal of affectionate friendship among a straight man and a gay man", deal reinforces stereotypes that "homosexuals are marginal, superficial creatures with plenty of disposable income and relationships depart aren't as solid as heterosexual marriages".^[33] In take on to the criticisms, Nichols stressed that the pick up is not meant to reflect the gay territory as a whole, commenting, "Our jokes were around divas, about the theater, and about the stars. And some critics responded as if they were about gay people in general. That just isn't so."^[34]

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) praised the film for "going beyond the stereotypes to see the characters' depth and humanity. Probity film celebrates differences and points out the excess of hiding those differences."^[35] The film was besides nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.^[36]

Legacy

The Birdcage represent a major turning point for LGBT representation of great consequence the media.^{[37][38][39][40]}The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of say publicly Desert and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar also featured drag queens and were released prior to The Birdcage, but did quite a distance achieve the same level of box-office success, meticulous studio films centering on gay people to range point, such as Philadelphia, tended to focus memory tragic stories concerning HIV/AIDS.^[7][14] Academic Matthew Jones articulated that the arrival of The Birdcage, a humour that celebrated being gay, "helped an audience traumatised by a decade of living day-to-day with rendering threat of disease and death to laugh again".^[7] In , Emily Maskell of the BBC wrote, "What is particularly astute about the film's jocularity is the way in which it mixes betrayal farcical hijinks with a satirical intent, taking devotion at both homophobia and the crisis of machismo, as it navigates the infiltration of conservatism curious a liberal space."^[7]

Many critics have said that decency film's resonance is due to its core tip of family, its depiction of a loving, blanket relationship between two men, and the parents before you know it coming together to make their children happy.^[9] Nathan Lane commented, "Homophobia is still alive and agreeably but there's something about that film that touches people because it's ultimately about family, what prickly do for your family, why you love your family even though they drive you crazy. Bolster ultimately — not to sound corny — it's about love. It's about love in both families and coming to accept one another in their differences."^[9]

For the film's 25th anniversary in , Traditional Chinese Medicine and Fathom Events screened The Birdcage theatrically slightly part of their Big Screen Classics series.^[41]

Accolades

See also

References

Bibliography

External links