“The Birdcage”: An Underrated Comedy Masterpiece Turns 25
25 years ago today, an all-star American remake of a highly esteemed queer European comedy premiered in theaters. The film featured an astonishing array of talent both on- and off-screen and was greeted with warm reviews and blockbuster box office receipts. Revisiting it a quarter century after its release highlights that despite its pedigree and success, its role in the history of film comedy and queer representation is still enormously under-appreciated.
A Brief History of The Birdcage
The Birdcage was an American remake of the landmark 1978 Franco-Italian queer comedy La Cages Aux Folles. The remake centers on Armand Goldman (Robin Williams), the middle aged, Jewish, and gay owner of a Miami Beach drag club. He lives above the club with his longtime partner Albert (Nathan Lane), who is the club’s headliner. Armand’s 20-year-old son Val (Dan Futterman), who was conceived during his youthful experimentation with heterosexuality, comes back for a visit and announces that he’s getting married to a woman named Barbara (Calista Flockhart).
Barbara is the daughter of ultra-conservative Senator Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman). Keeley is the co-founder of the Coalition for Moral Order and repeatedly derides conservative icons like Bob Dole and Billy Graham as being “too liberal.” When Eli Jackson…
