La Cage aux Folles (1978)

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. They try to conceal their lifestyle and their ownership ... See full summary »

Director:

Édouard Molinaro

Writers:

Jean Poiret (play), Francis Veber (screenplay)

Stars:

Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Claire Maurier

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ugo Tognazzi	...	Renato Baldi
Michel Serrault	...	Albin Mougeotte dit Zaza Napoli
Claire Maurier	...	Simone Deblon
Rémi Laurent	...	Laurent Baldi
Carmen Scarpitta	...	Louise Charrier
Benny Luke	...	Jacob
Luisa Maneri	...	Andréa Charrier
Michel Galabru	...	Simon Charrier
Venantino Venantini	...	Le chauffeur de Charrier
Carlo Reali	...	Le videur
Guido Cerniglia	...	Le médecin
Angelo Pellegrino	...	Un assistant de la boîte de nuit
Nicola D'Eramo
Vinicio Diamanti
Liana Del Balzo	...	Mme Charrier

Storyline

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. They try to conceal their lifestyle and their ownership of the drag club downstairs when the fiancée and her parents come for dinner.

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Plot Keywords:

fairy | transvestite | transvestism | homophobia | quarrel | 

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Taglines:

The comedy that comes out of the closet!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Birds of a Feather

Filming Locations:

Villa Giovanelli, Roma, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,709, 1 April 1979, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$20,424,259

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,400,826

Company Credits

Production Co:

Da Ma Produzione, Les Productions Artistes Associés

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 91 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original French play ran for 1800 performances, from 1973 to 1978, at the Theatre du Palais-Royal in Paris. In New York, the movie ran for well over a year at the 68th Street Playhouse Cinema, as well as in cinemas throughout the country, in both urban and rural areas.

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Quotes

Simon Charrier: Your son, Mr. Baldi... how many mothers does he have?

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Alternate Versions

The version originally dubbed into German and released here obviously runs a couple of minutes shorter than the international. Some additional scenes have been dubbed by different German actors more than 20 years later for the DVD release.

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Classics from the Vault: Changing Attitudes Toward Homosexuality (2011)

User Reviews

One of the best comedies (not only foreign films) ever made

I say that exept in a few cases, the original never disapoints. This is a prime example of that. The perfect French comedy about a gay couple, who have a son (It's one of theirs) who is getting married. Since the son's in laws are stuck up rich people, they have to hide they're gayness for one night. Great (anf hilarious) entertainment may have been later re-done, but it can never be mathced. One of the best foreign (and comedic) films ever made. A+