La Cage aux Folles (1978)

The manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and his star attraction, are a gay couple. Madness ensues when his straight son brings home a fiancée and her ultra-conservative parents to meet them.

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 | homosexuality | transvestism | situation comedy | 

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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

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

Renato Baldi: I raise a child for 20 years, my son, one day a girl comes along and takes him away from me. Bitch! Yeah, bitch! She's a bitch!
Laurent Baldi: Dad.
Renato Baldi: Sorry.
Renato Baldi: [Stands up] Listen to me carefully, son. If you marry this girl, you're not coming back here. I'm not giving you money anymore, and I'll never see you again. Your choice.
Laurent Baldi: [Comes closer and offers his hand] Goodbye Dad.
Renato Baldi: [Taken aback, starts to shake hand, then changes his mind] Huh, come here you little idiot! There, let's celebrate this disaster!

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Alternate Versions

Showtime presented both subtitled and dubbed versions many years ago. The dubbed version had scenes that weren't in the subtitled version.

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: Changing Attitude Toward Homosexuality in Movies (1982)

User Reviews

Brilliant Comedy

"La cage aux folles" is a brilliant comedy. It is the film upon which "Bird Cage" with Robin Williams is featured. One should not miss this classic expose of trans sexual entertainment. The novelty of such sexual innuendos was rare in 1978 when this picture was released. If is followed by an equally funny comedy, "La cage aux folles II", another film to be added to the must see category. One does not even require the translations across the bottom of the screen. One can simply enjoy the artistic perfection of pure cinematic comedy as presented visually. The French subtitles are well adapted. The scenery is clever. The cast is perfect. Don't miss this great comedic success.

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 May 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Birds of a Feather

Filming Locations:

Villa Giovanelli, Roma, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

FRF7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,709, 1 April 1979

Gross USA:

$20,424,259

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,424,259

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