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Paris is Burning

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by Purnima Raghunath
Paris is Burning, first released in 1991, is a film that explores the world of black and Hispanic drag queens in New York, who participate in the drag balls of Harlem. They invented the innovative dance style called ‘voguing’ which later inspired the Madonna song Vogue. Like most first films, this film too, is regarded the most personal film made by Livingston. It helped her understand her own sexuality: “It’s something I became more aware of and more happy about in course of making the film. I felt more part of some kind of gay global culture that transcends colour and class barriers. I felt part of something.”

In 1985 Livingstone first came across ‘voguers’ in New York, where she had gone to study film. She was intrigued by the dancing style, which she realised had deeper connotations. She recalls, “I’ve always been concerned with certain issues- class and gender and race and consumerism…the world seemed like an incredible whirlpool of these issues.”

Ironic, funny, poignant and intelligent, Paris is Burning makes a strong comment on the blatant paradoxes that exist in American society. The film takes the viewer into the underground world of the drag balls in Harlem, where black and Hispanic drag queens are seen aping a world which has rejected them. The drag queens talk about their dream of being able to fit into ‘normal’ society and how the balls are a means to live this dream.  In the ball they appear in costumes that define everything that they don’t have - wealth, power and acceptability - by dressing like the white upper class. The categories in the ball include high fashion evening wear, executive realness, college students, military men, and school boy and school girl. They are judged on the ‘realness’ of their appearance.
The film gives an extraordinary insight into a world which exists on the periphery of dominant society, yet yearns to be a part of it. Livingston conducted in-depth interviews with some of the most legendary self-styled drag queens, who give the film its voice. Livingston took four years to make the film, and her familiarity with her subjects is apparent in their ease during the interviews. The film is structured around these interviews, which reveal a completely new world with its own language, structure, values and codes.  For instance, most of the drag queens belong to a particular “house” which functions like a family unit. Within each house there exists a definite hierarchy which is maintained by the “the mother” or “the father” of the house, who have won trophies at balls and attempt to create their own lineage. The young members are called the “children” of the house; they are taken care of by the “father” or the “mother” of the house. One of the characters explains that since they have been banished by their own families their “houses” function like a traditional family.

Interviews are intercut with observational footage of the infamous balls. Livingston also intercuts this footage with candid shots of the “real” men and women on the streets of New York. These sequences make a compelling comment on our notions of ‘realness’. The shots of the street juxtaposed with the shots of the ball make even the real look fake or the fake look real. Livingston worked with editor Jonathan Oppenheim for this film and together, they managed to create a balance between the high tempo ball recording and the more introspective mood of the interviews.

The film succeeds in bringing out the both the inert wit of its subjects and also the tragedy of their world. Though the audience gets a sense of exclusive entry into a private world the film does not feel like a violation of the subjects’ trust on the film maker. Today, 15 years after the first release of Paris is Burning, most of its stars have passed away. However, the questions it raised 15 years about race, class, beauty and gender still remains relevant. Thought- provoking and invigorating, this award-winning film is certain to capture the minds of its audience once again when it’s re-released.
Dir: Jennie Livingstone, USA, 1990, 71 mins

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