Cage aux folles, La (1978)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Edouard Molinaro

Writers:

Jean Poiret (play)
Francis Veber (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Two gay men living in St. Tropez have their lives turned upside down when the son of one of the men announces he is getting married...

Plot Keywords:

Wig | Father Son Relationship | Hat | Saint Tropez | Engagement

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins

Cast

Ugo Tognazzi	...	Renato Baldi
Michel Serrault	...	Albin Mougeotte / 'Zaza Napoli'
Claire Maurier	...	Simone Deblon
Rémi Laurent	...	Laurent Baldi
Carmen Scarpitta	...	Louise Charrier
Benny Luke	...	Jacob
Luisa Maneri	...	Andrea Charrier
Michel Galabru	...	Simon Charrier
Venantino Venantini	...	Le chauffeur de Charrier
Carlo Reali	...	The bouncer
Guido Cerniglia	...	The doctor
Angelo Pellegrino
Nicola D'Eramo
Vinicio Dimanti		(as Vinicio Diamanti)
Liana Del Balzo	...	Mme Charrier

Also Known As:

Birds of a Feather
Vizietto, Il (Italy)

Runtime:

USA:110 min | Germany:87 min | Argentina:98 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:16 (re-rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Dear Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Da Ma Produzione

Trivia:

It ran for well over a year at the Paris Theater, an art house in New York City, as well as theaters throughout the country, in both urban and rural areas

Quotes:

Albin Mougeotte: He's being taken from us, and we won't have any others.
Renato Baldi: Unless there's a miracle.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

Breakthrough gay film

I have fond memories of this film. It played in Boston in 1979--back then I was a closeted high school kid. It played for over a year at a theatre in Boston and I was curious to see why. I somehow got in (the film was R rated and I looked about 14) and loved it! It was funny, uplifting, gay positive and made me realize there is nothing wrong with being gay. Seeing it again over 20 years later it's not as funny or uplifting as it once was but I still enjoyed it.

The plot is old hat and the movie is directed by the numbers but the script has some very funny lines and all the performances are great. Particularly funny are Michel Serrault (as the more feminine gay man) and Michel Galabru (as the minister of moral order). The final dinner party sequence is absolutely hysterical!

Some people have said this film has stereotyped gay characters and that Serrault's constant screaming is annoying. I disagree--I found nothing offensive about the characters (there are gay men like Serrault--I've met them!) and his screaming is actually very fine. A very funny French farce--well worth seeing. Ignore the R rating--it only has that because of the subject matter (which was pretty risky for 1978). If it were rerated today it would easily get a PG-13.

Skip the two sequels and the Americanized remake "The Birdcage" in which they use the exact same script as the original--with all the same jokes and some bad new ones added in.