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The Queen

  • 19681968
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Jack Doroshow in The Queen (1968)
Official Remastered Trailer
Play trailer1:44
1 Video
15 Photos
  • Documentary

The behind the scenes of a national drag queen contest in New York City, including the rehearsals leading up to the contest, the conversations in the dressing room and the jealousies that em... Read allThe behind the scenes of a national drag queen contest in New York City, including the rehearsals leading up to the contest, the conversations in the dressing room and the jealousies that emerge before and after the competition.The behind the scenes of a national drag queen contest in New York City, including the rehearsals leading up to the contest, the conversations in the dressing room and the jealousies that emerge before and after the competition.

IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Frank Simon
  • Stars
    • Jack Doroshow
    • International Chrysis
    • Jim Dine
Top credits
  • Director
    • Frank Simon
  • Stars
    • Jack Doroshow
    • International Chrysis
    • Jim Dine
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Queen
    Trailer 1:44
    The Queen

    Photos15

    The Queen (1968)
    The Queen (1968)
    The Queen (1968)
    The Queen (1968)
    The Queen (1968)
    The Queen (1968)
    Crystal LaBeija in The Queen (1968)
    Crystal LaBeija in The Queen (1968)
    Jack Doroshow in The Queen (1968)
    The Queen (1968)
    The Queen (1968)
    Jack Doroshow in The Queen (1968)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jack Doroshow
    • Self - Flawless Sabrinaas Self - Flawless Sabrina
    International Chrysis
    • Self - Danceras Self - Dancer
    Jim Dine
    • Self - Jury Memberas Self - Jury Member
    Emorè Du Bois
    • Self - Contestantas Self - Contestant
    Bruce Jay Friedman
    • Self - Jury Memberas Self - Jury Member
    Bernard Giquel
    • Self - Intervieweras Self - Interviewer
    Rachel Harlow
    • Self - Harlowas Self - Harlow
    • (as Richard Finnochio)
    Jill Krementz
    • Selfas Self
    Marlow La Fantastique
    • Self - Contestantas Self - Contestant
    Jerry Leiber
    Jerry Leiber
    • Self - Jury Memberas Self - Jury Member
    Mary Ellen Mark
    Mary Ellen Mark
    • Selfas Self
    Mario Montez
    • Selfas Self
    Jackie Morrell
    • Self - Contestantas Self - Contestant
    George Plimpton
    George Plimpton
    • Selfas Self
    Larry Rivers
    • Selfas Self
    Edie Sedgwick
    Edie Sedgwick
    • Selfas Self
    Terry Southern
    • Selfas Self
    Joe Venuti
    • Self - Organizeras Self - Organizer
    • Director
      • Frank Simon
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant, a nationwide contest for drag queens held in New York City, is presented, including the behind the scenes logistics by both the organizers, led by Jack Doroshow who performs under the drag persona "Flawless Sabrina" and who also acts as the pageant Mistress of Ceremonies, and the twenty-eight contestants. From the organizers' perspective, the logistics chiefly surround trying to find space, not only to accommodate everyone, but one that is safe as the act of drag is still considered criminal in certain states. Their collective story does not end with the announcement of the pageant winner. Beyond the pageant itself, the contestants speak candidly about certain issues in relation to being involved in the world of drag: what it takes to prepare oneself for show as a drag queen; their homosexual orientation, most identifying as gay; their non-drag life especially during this time of conscription; and why most would not even consider gender reassignment surgery despite their attraction to dressing up as glamorous women. —Huggo
    • transgender interest
    • drag queen
    • independent film
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Documentary
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jack Doroshow, who portrays Flawless Sabrina, made a personal appearance some years ago at a screening of this movie which took place at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. In addition to the film, there was some soundless film footage presented of an after party which took place immediately after the contest, that footage which may have come from the personal collection of Flawless Sabrina. This footage shows that the NYPD "raided" the after party presumably because men dressing as women in those days was still illegal. Arrogantly and with no seemingly plausible reason, the police officers walked through the party requiring numerous attendees to show their identification, such harassing actions which could have arguably led up to the Stonewall rebellion of 1969.
    • Quotes

      Self - Flawless Sabrina: I go up to this queen and I say, "What's your name?" The queen says, "Monique." And you say, "That's marvelous, darling, but what was your name before?" And the queen will look at you straight in the eye and say, "There was no before."

    • Connections
      Featured in God Save the Queens (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
      (1949) (uncredited)

      Music by Jule Styne

      Lyrics by Leo Robin

      Performed by Mario Montez

    User reviews10

    Review
    Top review
    Gender-bender contenders
    I've seen references to this film which incorrectly identify it as 'The Queens', plural, apparently referring to the participants as a bunch of "queens". The film's correct title is 'The Queen', singular, and I do mean singular. This is not a drag ball, in the style of 'Paris Is Burning' and other such affairs: this is a drag beauty pageant, with contestants vying in the knowledge that only one can be crowned: hence that title.

    'The Queen' was bankrolled(?) by the late Lewis M Allen, elsewhere a Wall Street financier and Broadway producer, but you wouldn't know it from watching this movie. This is a no-budget documentary, and the cheapness and shoddiness of the production values make the subject matter look even cheaper and shoddier than necessary. I'm frankly surprised that this movie got made at ALL in the 1960s, and even more surprised that it received a general (not underground) release in 1968. Credit for the film's distribution -- spasmodic as it was -- goes to Grove Press, a publishing house notorious for issuing high-quality editions of 'Fanny Hill', 'Harriet Marwood, Governess' and other erotica of the past.

    Beauty pageants in general don't much interest me, as I tend to find them demeaning ... and that goes regardless of the contenders' genders. In this movie, the sequence (sequins?) which I found most bizarre didn't involve cross-dressing at all. This was when one of the contestants, still in male attire, speaks to the interviewer in an epicene voice which falls precisely between the male and female registers. Then, suddenly, he bursts into song ... still in that same twilight register. Even more oddly, the song he's singing is 'Honey Bun', from 'South Pacific'. This is ostensibly a song performed by a macho sailor bragging about his curvaceous girlfriend, but -- as staged in 'South Pacific' -- it's actually a song written for a woman in male drag, singing about a man in female drag. I wonder if the singer in this movie intended those layers of gender-bending.

    Any transvestites in the audience for this movie will probably glean some comfort from the fact that the cross-dressers shown here are (mostly) very ordinary-looking men -- overweight, balding -- with no special entree to feminine beauty nor daintiness. Any big hairy bloke who wants to look pretty has as good a chance as most of the males in this film.

    For those of us not into beauty pageants, drag or otherwise, this film's major significance is historical. Among the people we see here is Richard Finnochio, now forgotten but once deeply notorious. Finnochio was the proprietor of a San Francisco nightclub which openly advertised drag acts, but which also booked stand-up comedians who were too edgy or raw to be able to get bookings elsewhere. Lenny Bruce honed his early act at Finocchio's.

    Also seen here is an effeminate Latino boy named Mario Montez. I had assumed that this was a stage name, playing on MARIA Montez, a 'camp' actress who has a large gay following. I was wrong; according to the very minimal press kit for 'The Queen', that was his real name. Nice to know that something in this movie is genuine. (UPDATE: I was wrong twice; after posting this review, I received reliable information that Mario Montez was born Rene Rivera, and he did indeed name himself for Maria Motez.)

    Towards the end of the film, there is some slight genuine suspense as we wait to see which of these would-be's will be crowned the queen. I shan't offer a rating for 'The Queen': it certainly does deserve one, but I'm probably not qualified to rate it objectively. Maybe this film broke some ground in 1968, but it has long since been eclipsed by far more outrageous sexual fare. Possibly that's a good thing. To anyone who thinks I disrespect the subject matter or the people depicted in this film: please note that I managed to get through this entire review without resorting to cheap wisecracks like "What a drag!"
    helpful•6
    14
    • F Gwynplaine MacIntyre
    • May 22, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 1968 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La reina
    • Filming locations
      • Town Hall - 123 West 43rd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Evergreen Film
      • MDH
      • Si Litvinoff Film Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $47,818
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,173
      • Jun 30, 2019
    • Gross worldwide
      • $47,818
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

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