i feel like we really don’t need a million pride flags. it gives hogwarts houses and sweatshop temu accessories. it gives sense of identity through consumerism. it gives those pic art avatars fuckk whatever they’re called from 2019. and most importantly its unchic
My memory of The Birdcage (1996) is always that it's more dated and more difficult to watch than it actually is. You hear "drag-themed comedy from the 90s based on a musical from the 80s based on a play from the 70s" and you brace yourself just a little, right? But the film has a strong gay perspective, so the fruity fag jokes mostly come off as warmly affectionate. There is a surprising amount of poignancy in Robin Williams' portrayal of Armand, grudgingly agreeing to his beloved son's request that he go back into the closet for an evening ("do me a favor and don't talk to me for a while"). The drag club's staff attempting to redecorate the apartment with stuff straight people might like (a taxidermy moose head, an enormous crucifix, and Playboy magazine) is extremely funny. Albert's histrionics are a point of tension because he does often come off as a stereotypically pathetic/comic figure, but towards the end of the movie he makes it very clear that he's aware of how people see him, and asserts that trying to copy a stoic masculinity he doesn't possess for the sake of social approval would be more pathetic. In the 1983 musical adaptation, they give "Albert" (Albin) the only good song in the whole show, "I Am What I Am", which Gloria Gaynor covered to the delight of gays everywhere. Apparently Nathan Lane wasn't (publicly) out yet in 1996, which is amazing because it means that at one point in this movie you're watching a gay man playing a straight man playing a gay man playing a straight man, in a movie about how it's important to be yourself, an absurdity that does seem to encapsulate the state of gay America in the 90s.
I'm seeing a couple of posts circulating about the gay 90s and this movie. The above is a very good summary, and I think it's worth adding a few other points.
This movie got made because Robin Williams said yes to it (and it's important that Gene Hackman did as well). Williams in the 90s was a mega-star of a type that's not present in the current media environment (maybe Tom Cruise, but I personally think that's echo from his salad days). Even his flops made money on the back end in the video rental market, which also doesn't exist anymore (streaming is different). Hackman was on the other side of his A-list career but still Hollywood nobility if not full royalty.
Playing gay was considered career suicide in the 90s. There had been a number of actors who put lie to that belief stretching back decades, but this was Williams and Hackman (yes, being on screen next to a gay character was enough to get you blacklisted) saying "screw that" and doing it anyway.
Being gay and out was career suicide in the 90s.
Nathan Lane had a really nice gig going for himself. The Lion King put him into the Disney rep company with people like Williams, Bette Midler, and Whoopie Goldberg (check their IMBD list from the 90s--they were making bank at Disney).
Lane didn't come out until several years later (nice summary: https://deadline.com/2024/06/nathan-lane-robin-williams-advice-coming-out-birdcage-1235975010/).
I don't want to imply that this was a Sorkinized moment where everything changed because of one thing, but this was a very important movie that caused real movement in the needle on queer acceptance.
It also proved that there was a market for films with gay characters, which had the knock-on effect of gay filmmakers being able to find distributors of their gay-themed films. Which meant that more people than ever (queer and non-queer) got to see representation on-screen.
The Birdcage (1996) actually has an insane production story. There's loads of crazy details about both the history of the play and original movie as well as the production of the 1996 american version.
There's a great story about Williams covering for Lane in a Oprah interview.
Lane, who wasn't a well known face because he was known for his work on the Lion King, was working on another production and The Birdcage team asked for the play to be postponed so Lane could perform in the movie. Which helped convince a very hesitant Lane.
It was kinda Mike Nichols' comeback film after he made Day of the Dolphin in 1973. If you're not familiar with this spectacular flop: a man accidentally teaches a dolphin to kill the american president.
A co-author of the original French farce had the life goal of becoming a clown.
If you're curious about any of this I highly recommend Matt Baume's video which I almost always watch whenever I rewatch the Birdcage. Or more recently there was a Kill James Bond podcast episode of the movie which I found to have very interesting insight into the movie making/queerness overlap which happened.
I would like to ask you a question: Can you donate or not? If you can and you don't, you have a very hard heart. You're really not nice. 1 hope anyone can help, I hope he helps
would like to ask you a question: Can you donate or not? If you can and you don't, you have a very hard heart. You're really not nice. I hope anyone can help, I hope he helps.
would like to ask you a question: Can you donate or not? If you can and you don't, you have a very hard heart. You're really not nice. I hope anyone can help, I hope he helps.
Do you have kids?🫂 Do you have a family? 🫂, please.💔 My children suffer so badly,Hunger, cold and sickness, you are a compassionate person who loves goodness🙏🥹. Please do not break my heart and my My kids.
Do you have kids?🫂 Do you have a family? 🫂, please.💔 My children suffer so badly,Hunger, cold and sickness, you are a compassionate person who loves goodness🙏🥹. Please do not break my heart and my My kids.
Guys, we need almost 400 euros to reach 4.500 euros, we are very close, please donate as soon as possible, you are the only hope for these children. Please donate and don't ignore
My name is Mahmoud. I live in Gaza with my family, and we are going through a very difficult financial situation. I tried to create a donation link for my family, but I couldn't find someone to help organize and manage the campaign 🥺💔So my friend Ahmed decided to support me by sharing his own family’s donation link, and we agreed to split the donations between our two families.
Right now, we have almost no food, and the cost of living has become unbearable due to the siege, soaring prices, and the closure of all crossings.Everything has doubled in price in an unimaginable way 🥲🥺
We might be forced to flee to southern Gaza after the announcement of a full invasion of Gaza City 💔
The bombing and destruction never stop — not for a single moment. There is no longer any real life in Gaza. We are just struggling to survive, trying to secure the bare minimum: water and food.
Winter is coming, and we have no winter clothing after our home was destroyed and we were displaced multiple times 😭🥲Please, we urgently need financial help to buy food and store some in case the situation worsens.
This is our donation link.
Please remember: donations are shared between two families. So, for the sake of God, help us, my friend. Save our children, my younger siblings, my parents, and even my older siblings — we are all homeless and hungry 🥺🥲💔
My Story: From the Hell of War to the Search for Safety My name is Ahmed, a 20-year-old young man from Gaza. Since the war began, my life ha
it's actually so crazy how much the simpsons would fucking suck if it didn't have any of the simpsons characters. just a bunch of shots of empty houses and streets for half an hour while nothing happens. that would be so badddd lol
yeah that tends to happen when you remove characters from media. without characters its all just background. i guess movies set in scenic locations would still land as kinda nature docs but even then
Its a good thing every multiplayer game gets to have kernel level access to your computer with their anticheat program or else somebody might shoot you in a way that wasnt quite fair. Hooray
Its insane how many people are legitimately outwoked by northernlion for the pure reason that when hes asked to name athletes sometimes he names a woman
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