Gender In The Birdcage

The Birdcage (1996) is an American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols. The film is based off the Franco-Italian film, La Cage aux Folles (1978), by Edouard Molinaro which stars Michel Serrault and Ugo Tognazzi. The Birdcage is about Armand Goldman who is an openly gay owner of the night club, The Birdcage, which is located in South Beach Florida during the 90s. Armand’s partner, Albert, is the star attraction of the night club. Albert stage name is “Starina,” who is the center of attention but surrounded by other flamboyant men. Both Armand and Albert live above the night club, also living with them is their Guatemalan housekeeper Agador who also has aspirations of being in the drag show with Albert. The Birdcage is a very iconic film with

This scene is iconic because the setting to the film is introduced, we meet many of the films characters, but also there are many references to sexuality, gender, as well as social class which reflect American culture at the time. During the opening scene of The Birdcage, the opening credits are being introduced over an aerial shot of the water of South Beach, Florida. The song “We are Family” is being played in the background, as this is happening the camera pans over the water leading up to the showing of the night club, The Birdcage. The zooming of the camera covers the distance from the water towards the front of the night club with great speed. The song is a showing of nondiegetic sound which the film uses to set the tone for the movie. The song is also ironic due to the nature of the film dealing with homosexual families and marriage. The pace of the camera lens is very rapid as it chases over the water towards the club front like a scene in a spy movie. The setting is on South Beach, Florida night life with the South Beach

American culture is based on gender, race, sexuality, family, and social class which is all present in the film, The Birdcage. At this time in history, gay and homosexual relationships were not the norm and often looked down upon. The film, The Birdcage, is one of the first mainstream movies which becomes a great piece for pop culture which stands behind marriage equality and suggest that children from gay parents are not different from those of heterosexual families. The opening scene shows a lot of evidence behind this due to all of the visual cues from the first few minutes of the film. The first thing we notice is due to the opening credits present on the scene; the credits are shown in yellow with sparkles throughout them. This shows the early flamboyance that would be present in the film. The next scene shows members of drag on the stage of the club; many which are minorities. This shows not only gay men but also black gay men which is not the norm of American culture. The film relates comedy through gender as well, in which a lot of the male characters portray or act like women. Also the women within the film are not truly funny which makes the focus on the film around the male characters such as Armand, Albert, Agador and Val. Women characters are not really present within the film besides Barbara’s mother and Val’s mother. This film uses comedy through sexuality, the film makes jokes on gay