LA CAGE AUX FOLLES / Edouard Molinaro (1978)
August 31st, 2007 by Scott Marks
La Cage aux folles
(1978)
Directed by: Edouard Molinaro
Written by: Jean Poiret, Francis Veber
Genres: Comedy, Gay
Cast: Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Claire Maurier, Rémi Laurent, Carmen Scarpitta, Benny Luke, Luisa Maneri, Michel Galabru, Venantino Venantini, Carlo Reali, Guido Cerniglia, Angelo Pellegrino
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Running Time: 100 min.
A gay night club owner and his cross-dressing lover are forced to play it straight when one of their sons brings his future in-laws home for a visit. Forced, hideously photographed and poorly directed farce that by some means managed to crack the mainstream. Perhaps it was because the film basically reiterated as many socially acceptable stereotypes as possible. Michel Serrault’s fey yelping is insufferable. Worth looking at if only to see the great strides that have been made in gay cinema over the years since this was released.
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BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS / Russ Meyer (1970)
August 30th, 2007 by Scott Marks
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
Directed by: Russ Meyer
Written by: Roger Ebert
Genres: Satire
Cast: Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Edy Williams, Erica Gavin, Phyllis Davis, Harrison Page, Duncan McLeod, James Inglehart, Charles Napier, Henry Rowland, Princess Livingston
Aspect Ratio: 
Running Time: 109 min.
This big budget, X-rated, major studio production sent many a bluenosed (and red-faced) executive at 2oth Century Fox off the deep end. Perhaps it’s because the director was the inimitable Russ Meyer, better known as King Leer or the Sergei Eisenstein of soft core porn. Long before he became the corporate spokesman for American film criticism, Roger Ebert wrote, and continues to take a lot of heat for, this audacious, absolutely hilarious social satire. (Any man who coined the phrase, “May you suck the black sperm of death” is a genius in my book!) One of the most critically maligned and misunderstood masterpieces of the 1970’s. Strap this one on! Makes a great double-feature with with the equally undervalued Showgirls (Fully Exposed Edition)
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