Summary
Renato and Albin are a gay couple living in St Tropez, Renato managing a notorious night
club in which Albin performs a drag act. Renato is appalled when he learns that
his son, Laurent, (the product of a one-night stand twenty years ago) reveals that he
is going to get married – to a young woman. To make matters worse, Laurent’s fiancée
is the daughter of Simon Charrier, a prudish diplomat who heads a political party of impeccable
morals. When Charrier insists on seeing his prospective son-in-law’s parents, Renato
and Albin have to make drastic changes to their lifestyle to convince him that his daughter
is marrying into a respectable family. Needless-to-say, all does not go according
to plan...
Review
When it was released in the late 1970s, La Cage aux folles was years ahead of its
time, in both its sympathetic portrayal of gay relationships and its courage in challenging
society’s assumptions about the gay lifestyle. Remarkably, it enjoyed mainstream
success on both sides of the Atlantic, being particularly popular in the United States
where it quickly developed a cult following. Today, the characters may appear
outrageously camp stereotypes, but the film's underlying premise remains true, and it
is in essence a hilariously funny film.
One of the most extraordinary things about this film is that the two leading gay characters,
Albin and Renato, are played by two of Europe's most distinguished character actors, Michel
Serrault and Ugo Tognazzi. Both actors are better known for appearing in conventional
dramas, playing straight characters in both senses of the word. Tognazzi's
philandering butch Renato is perfectly complemented by Serrault's hyper-sensitive effeminate
Albin. Both portrayals are unashamed stereotypes, but, surprisingly, ones which
neither bore nor offend the audience. The characters have the guileless innocence
and feckless lovability that you would find in a children's pantomime.
With its relentlessly funny dialogue and comic situations, the film is undoubtedly one
of the most entertaining French films of the 1970s. The ending is perhaps
somewhat drawn out and flat, but given the quality of the material which precedes this
(including some incredible characters, such as the outrageous black servant boy) such
minor blemishes are easily overlooked.
The film was based on a popular stage play by Jean Poiret (which went on to become a long-running
musical on Broadway). The film itself was followed by two sequels, both popular
films, but perhaps lacking the freshness and sparkling originality of the first film.
© James Travers 2002
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