ARE THEY LAUGHING WITH US, OR ARE THEY LAUGHING AT US?
Remember, “Some Like it Hot” was based on a cross-dressing French farce!
Renato Baldi (played by Ugo Tognazzi) is the owner of a drag nightclub, La Cage aux Folles. Albin Mougeotte (a.k.a. Zaza Napoli) (played by Michel Serrault) is Renato’s longtime partner and the club’s star performer. Laurent (Remi Laurent) is Renato’s son from a brief heterosexual fling, now engaged to a woman from a conservative family. To avoid scandal, Laurent begs his father to play it straight and hide his relationship with Albin.
Chaos should ensue as Renato and Albin attempt to “de-gay” their home, with Albin even trying to pass as Laurent’s mother. Unfortunately, what may have seemed like a scream fifty years ago now comes across as a little jaded today. Are they laughing with us, or are they laughing at us?
La Cage aux Folles was groundbreaking as one of the first international hit comedies centered on a gay couple. Its success led to two sequels (La Cage aux Folles II in 1980, La Cage aux Folles III: The Wedding in 1985) and inspired the Broadway musical (1983) and Hollywood remake (The Birdcage, 1996).
Surprise Best Director nomination for Eduard Molinaro.
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