THE BIRDCAGE - Contact Hypothesis [Video Essay]
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- čas přidán 20. 12. 2021
- When the schnecken beckons.
1:12 Part One: The Talent Involved
10:18 Part Two: Nichols and May
14:46 Part Three: Screenplay by Elaine May
41:17 Part Four: The Contact Hypothesis
I tweet. / broshjadley
Patreon. / moviesilove
WORKS CITED
Banaji, M., Charlesworth, T. (2019). Patterns of Implicit and Explicit Attitudes: I. Long-Term Change and Stability From 2007 to 2016. Psychological Science, Volume 30 Issue 2, 174-192.
Flores, Andrew R. “National Trends in Public Opinion on LGBT Rights in the United States.” Williams Institute. November 1, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
Harris, Mark. Mike Nichols: A Life. Penguin Books, 2021.
Harris, Will. "Random Roles - Hank Azaria". The A.V. Club. September 14, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
May, Elaine. The Birdcage: The Shooting Script. Newmarket Press, 1997.
Morris, Gary. A Brief History of Queer Cinema. web.archive.org/web/201309210...
Schmidt, Samantha. “Americans’ views flipped on gay rights. How did minds change so quickly?”. Washington Post. June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
"you're going to the cemetery with a toothbrush.. how Egyptian." is one of my all time favorite jokes and line deliveries. I had no idea Williams improvised the last part, and it just makes me love it even more.
I don't get it. What's Egyptian about that ?
@@WilliamM.WallasI think he’s referring to archeologists. How they clean everything with tiny brushes, in Egypt it was often tombs that would be exhumed.
@@colewhitfield9313I rather think it is a reference to the whole idea of the Egyptian afterlife. They were buried with riches and items important enough to use in the afterlife. A sort of continuation of life (if you were judged positively), as it may.
A toothbrush is something banal to take with you in death, it underlines the whole “Armand being a martyr”-act.
At least, that is my take on it. :)
@@jessybaeken7899 Goddamn, I like both interpretations, but you are a beautiful thinker, friend.
@@jessybaeken7899
I agree!
My favorite thing about the Albert shopping scene is that it further emphasizes that the Goldmans are everything "family values" conservatives claim that queer families aren't: not only good parents and successful business owners, but good neighbors and respected members of their community.
I'm conservative and love this movie and show all my friends including my gay conservative friends and hilariously The Goldmans are likely conservative fiscally especially as business owners and liberal socially clearly
I loved when Val said “I was the only guy in my dorm that didn’t come from a broken family”. It’s really too bad in 2023 we still have to calm conservatives down when Bert and Ernie come out, as if they came out in leather thongs and whips. They’re just an older married couple. No matter the sex, it’s all the same.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ever say: “Those gays can’t run a successful business”.
Thanks so much for this. I saw this at the theatre when it came out - I was 15 I hated the character of Val so much ... the film tells such an important ethical story about how their family love should not be shamed.
As a queer Jew who has loved this movie forever, I really find it hilarious that not only are the undertones “they can’t know they’re gay” but also “they can’t know they’re Jewish!” too.
Also a Queer Jew here, I wish I didn't find "Well, you know what they say: where there's sand..." as funny as I do. XD
@@gabe_s_videos Queer Jew here, YEP. That shit is hilarious
I loved that reveal too at the wedding. Just made it so much sweeter.
@@gabe_s_videos i dont ge the where there's sand.. he was trying to make up a saying about Jews on the spot? i laughed but i want to make sure i 'got it'
@@pandapower5902 I think (don't quote me on this, I'm just vaguely remembering what my dad told me) that it's because Jews are known for coming from sandy parts of the world like Israel and Egypt.
The part where Albert is dressed in the suit in his bedroom is such an emotional scene. It makes me imagine him as a teenager alone, with no one to understand who he is and that he has to suppress his true nature, and how this man who is loved and safe to be himself has to undo decades of work to go back to that teenager. What's more heartbreaking is Nathan Lane wasn't out at the time, so you can see him tapping into his lived experience as a gay man living in a world hostile to what he is and that evokes so much empathy as you watch his face going through a range of emotion and memories we can only guess at.
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane were doing an interview on Opera for this movie and she tried to out Nathan Lane and Robin Williams interrupted her and wouldn't let her do it, steering the conversation away. I can't imagine how much she would have damaged him and his career had she done that, all for ratings. Because of Williams, Lane got to come out at a time that was comfortable to him. Williams was such a kind and empathetic man.
Oprah is not a good person.
And all without any dialogue too! You can just hear him thinking about the conscious effort he's making to basically not be himself and how much it hurts him to not be allowed to be comfortable in his own skin. But I also love the way he says "I'm just... a guy" at the end of it, just because I love when Nathan Lane plays "macho." XD
@@gabe_s_videos He's just a remarkable actor. I love him.
He really was a great person.
Nathan Lane's quote from 1996 (the year this film was released): "I'm 40, I'm single, and I work in musical theater. You do the math." While he didn't come right out and sing it, he didn't need to keep any secrets, either. But he was 40, and definitely knew what it was like from before that time.
Also a big deal to see a father being affectionate towards his son. My FIL, a cishet man, still hugs and kisses his adult sons. It felt weird at first to see a man being openly affectionate toward his male children but once I confronted my internal shit I realized how important it is
My brother was always very demonstrative of love with his sons and they grew up with that normalized and even spread it to their friends.
The comedy of the “trying to be a man” scene for me is about how ludicrous performative masculinity is. The fact that men have to butter bread a certain way. It’s all so silly that it makes the senator’s ideology seem even more backwards.
Anyway, thoroughly enjoyed this video. Such an under-explored film!
Exercising the finesse and delicacy needed to dine civilized amongst others requires all of my will power. I am dismayed that rubber gloves still aren't a standard component of tableware
I'm glad you raise the point of performative masculinity. I grew up doing that, anything to avoid being perceived as queer, which of course I was anyway, and decades later I can tell you it twists your interactions with people forever.
"albert" is hilarious. never fails to make me laugh. first time i saw the movie was wine spurting out my nose. burned quite a bit.
get your fucking pinky down!
Do u what is just as silly? Gay men constantly overacting and putting on a lisp. My whole life i have teased my gay friends about this fact... and they never have a comeback because - they know its true 🤣🤣🤣
"Actually, it's perfect. I just never realized John Wayne walked like that."
I always thought that punchline implied that Albert's natural femininity starkly contrasted John Wayne's walk, thus allowing Armande to truly see what it looked like (AND that it looked ridiculous).
What a masterpiece of a video essay, though. Amazing work!
Moreover, it presents you with caricatures to the point of cartoonish representations of extreme masculinity and femininity in body movement. No gay man really walks that way, though people often talk about the “swish,“ and no straight man walks like John Wayne. He was as much of a cartoon of masculinity, as Nathan Lane was a cartoon of an effeminate homosexual. It’s funny to me because they’re essentially suggesting that John Wayne was in drag also:cowboy drag.
There's and old anecdote...a comedian named Rich Little was famous for his impressions and often did John Wayne to universal laughter and acclaim.
One day, the two (who hadn't met before) happen to run into each other.
All the Duke, who is very tall, sternly says when he sees the shorter funny man, is: "Little, walk!" So he nervously does the walk and waits for the reaction. The Duke grins and says, "Well, I'm glad somebody can do it, I forgot how!"
@@pbohearn We must remember how John Wayne came to walk that way. Before he started making cowboy movies, he was an ordinary young American and had either worn Oxford or gym shoes.He had never worn high heels before, and western boots have even higher heels than any other type of riding boot. The result was that John's feet hurt, and he had trouble keeping his balance. It didn't help that, off screen, his hobby was sailing, where he would be wearing boat shoes, which are even flatter than oxfords. By the time that he learned to walk naturally wearing cowboy boots, he came to be identified with that walk.
Interestingly enough, the "swish" walk associated with drag queens may have come about the same way. These men would have grown up wearing oxfords or sneakers and would probably have changed back into flat shoes when relaxing at home. As a result, they would have been slightly off balance when performing or socializing in high heeled shoes. That's just speculation, since I've never had an opportunity to spend time with a real drag queen. I've spent way too much time hiding way back in the closet.
Many of us growing up in the 90s used this film to come out to loved ones. It was that important to us.
Thank you for sharing this I was 22 when this came out had no idea about anything this movie helped
Thank heavens you had this movie. Growing up I had the Stonewall Riots, the APA delisting homosexuality as a mental illness. Then when I was coming out, The Advocate was writing about the "Gay Cancer" that was showing up in New York and San Francisco. The first time I saw this movie I was ready to chuck Val into the ocean as shark bait. I had already seen La Cage Aux Folles, so understood the time frame. Luckily the character is redeemed.
I've watched both Birdcage and La Cage Aux Folles, and there's one crucial detail in Birdcage that, in my humble opinion, makes it better than its French predecessor, and it's about Val. The Birdcage saves Val's character. In La Cage, Val is completely reprehensible and horrible to Albert (can't remember their names in the OG movie), but the worst thing is that there's no character development. The one who proudly reveals Albert as part of the family in the end is Armand. In The Birdcage, however, Val is the one who reveals Albert as his mother, thereby bringing a satisfying conclusion to his character. Plus, throughout the movie, there's a sense of desperation behind his bad treatment of both his parents that was missing from La Cage, and while it doesn't excuse his actions, you can better understand them because at the end he stands with his true mother and regrets his precious actions, whereas La Cage's Val never has that moment of acceptance that is crucial to his character. This, among other things, is what makes me vastly prefer Birdcage to La Cage Aux Folles.
I think it's useful to recognize that La Cage Aux Folle has no original movie. It was a play first, and in this medium, productions varied somewhat. Certainly most productions didn't rework the text, but many will read the characters differently.
However, I think it's true that the original text is mostly written for "follies" rather than a more modern take on gay men and cross dressing both which affords a more compassionate and complete version of the characters.
OMG yes! Its why I always prefer the Bird Cage over La Cage even though I saw La Cage first. That one scene is so touching and so rewarding for Albert that ultimately he raised a good kid who loved him and appreciated how very much Albert loved him.
I think that we need to recognize that The Birdcage was a growing, changing concept from the beginning. It began as a comedy skit, then fleshed out into a stage play, then into the french movie, then into a Broadway musical, finally into the movie we see in America. In each step, the characters become more sympathetic and the lessons it teaches become more real
the americans love a happy ending he puts his parents through it cos his a bigot but the american version we love everyone in the happy ending
Thank you for this wonderful analysis
The scene where Armand welcomes Val is also revolutionary because it shows how behaviour can be grossly misinterpreted out of context. For decades, gay people have been misrepresented as predatory, hyper-sexual beings. This encounter challenges the viewer’s biases and assumptions off the bat. Not only that, it changes the focus from sexuality to love (parental love, most of all).
I watched this movie at the theatre in Mexico, where I was living back at 21. People there are very conservative but R Williams had such a great reputation that it probably made people open to the topic from the get go. On top of that, the movie is so good for all the reasons you’ve explained, that people were obviously rooting for them all throughout.
I agree with this so much. There are countless times where I have watched something, like a show or movie, in group settings and whether it is a father son relationship, brother brother, friend to friend, or mentor and student the moment any amount of love or compassion is shown between male character the whole room changes. Sometimes it's just a "thats gay (non-derogatory)" or an "ayo-" but the fucking second there is an age difference it's immediately predatory to them. And there are some that squeak by, like a very young son, around five or so, and his father but even then I still feel everyone tense.
At that point it's their loss
And Val points out he's the only kid in his fraternity who's not from a broken home. I wish Val wasn't such an insufferable douche
Most Latin people were / are ok with gay people except when they are their own kids or they are trans..
Luckily that changed and half latin Americab had gay marriage before the US
Excellent point.
Gene Hackman was criminally underrated with his performance in this movie, what an incredible actor, he was hilarious in this movie, not bad for someone who is considered as a very serious actor. From French Connection to Birdcage now thats what I call range.
I need more candy!
@@cubanmotion2010 😂😂😂😂 this is a great example of a joke that I forget is in the movie, which in turn contributes to every watch feeling fresh, every single line is amazing and the movie feels amazing every time, like Mrs doubtfire
There's an episode of Mystery Theater 300 with a really bad movie with Gene Hackman in it. Joel kept on commenting that even a horrible movie, Gene Hackman is still a good actor.
Uh, excuse me; The blind monk in Young Frankenstein 1974, Lex Luthor in Superman 1978, etc... Gene Hackman has always been known for his comedic chops. Loved him in The Royal Tenenbaums.
He was the voice of God in Two of a Kind *hides in shame*
Great video! My husband introduced me to The Birdcage while I was in labor with our kiddo, 19 years ago. I hadn't seen this movie before and my husband knew it would distract me from my contractions. He was right! 🤣Since then, we drag this movie back out around kiddo's birthday and my husband and I watch it together. This movie has a special place in my heart. Thank you for all your insights.
Too funny! This movie actually made me go into labor! I read that if you watch a funny movie, it can relax you and make you go into labor. I watched it and started having contractions immediately after. Water broke the next day.
Thank you for talking about Elaine May. No one talks about Elaine May. I have a degree in theatre and I didn’t hear about her until I continued my studies on my own. She and Nichols were so important to improv and sketch comedy specifically, but also comedy writing in general.
This is a criminally under-watched video.
What a fantastic analysis of a gem of a movie.
Brilliant.
Probaly one of, if not THE best American remake of a fantastic foreign film. As a fan of La Cage Aux Folles, I was concerned that there would be this American version. I really shouldn't have had any concern about Robin Williams, because he was incredible and didn't over play it as I thought he might. Nathan Lane was incredible! The scene with him in a suit, trying to sit "like a man" was amazing. Not a single word, and he owned that scene! What amazing cast for this film and incredible performances. Everyone behind the camera, fantastic. This is one of those few movies in existence...the Perfect Film. Thanks for doing this indepth history of this film and those responsible for it.
Robin Williams gave one of the best depictions of a discerning and devoted spouse (though technically not married) ever. He showed such great love for his partner that it was almost impossible to believe they weren't a real couple. The fact that they were so devoted yet had the same silly squabbles as all long-term couples was a convincing argument that gay marriage was truly about commitment.
My Dad loved this movie, as did I, well into his 90s. We too watched it innumerable times and quoted lines to each other like a secret handshake. One of his favorite bits was imitating Nathan Lane imitating John Wayne's walk. This movie is a gift that keeps giving, and a doorway to delightful memories of my playful "fanboy" Dad. Thanks for this long homage...
"The Birdcage" is a 1990s classic. It should be recognized by the American Film Academy.
32:18 this part just broke my heart for Albert the first time I saw this scene in the 90s. Why does the world create problems for such a lovely man and hold him in judgment. He’s who he is and trying his best to be a productive member of his community.
This is just such a comfort movie. I love Albert with my everything and just...I want to hug this character so often during the run time.
I’m only 19 minutes in and I’ve been smiling like a fool the whole time. Thank you for helping me appreciate a movie that’s already dear to my heart all that much more.
Christine Baranski has so much talent across the board and is in so many more shows than you thought. She's key in Chicago too, my fav appearance for her but pretty much gold in everything she does.
fuck i should totally rewatch chicago me and my sister fucking love that film
I remember wandering through Blockbuster as a kid and seeing the cover for the birdcage and being intrigued by it but never opting to rent it (we could only pick 1-2 videos per weekend back then, and I always went for the same old fantasy stand-by of labyrinth, dark crystal, or magic island, etc) but watching it as an adult, it's such a delightful and poignant film, I wish I had seen it as a kid. It holds up, it's of its time and is still relevant now, and it does an amazing and humorous job of humanizing queer people, it's just a grand ole time and everyone should see it. This and 'To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar' are THE 90s mainstream queer movies that I have only been exposed to later in life and appreciate with my whole heart now as a queer 30 something. Mandatory viewing for the youngins, I says!
If you haven't, check Priscilla Queen of the Desert!
Also, Del Shores film...
'Sordid Lives'
To Wong Foo is an amazing movie. It not only helped to represent transvestites as real people with real feelings, instead of charactecures, it also very graciously pushed the idea of female empowerment without man bashing.
@@kathydouglas6892 bro don't call them that, that's such an outdated term
@@kathydouglas6892 Absolutely! Frankly, considering how things are now, it's a wonder it got made at all back then. Such a wonderful movie, and it does a great job of showcasing the humanity and unique circumstances of most of the main and supporting characters. I love your comment about how it celebrated femininity in various forms and didn't "man bash" as it were back then.
This is such a great video! One thing I think always gets overlooked about The Birdcage is the subject of family values. The way it’s often spoken of is as if it’s something that’s off-limits to gay people. (This then gets codified & promulgated in the gay culture, so it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.) Albert is an amazing representation of family values. He takes care of his man and his son. When he’s dressed up as a straight woman, it becomes clear that his values when it comes to his family are ironically rather conservative. (He then goes out of his way to tell Keely that he meant everything he said.) I’ve always found it beautiful how they bond over this, especially in contrast to the faux morality of the dead senator. To me, that’s what this movie is about. Family values is about your character, not your sexual orientation.
It's about valuing the family. And Albert really values his family.
Why do you think the movie uses "We Are Family" as the bookends? :-)
I really appreciate your post!
Wonderfully put. Thank you!
On that same token, you could say it's also about how family values isn't about politics either. Ultimately, both sides just want what's best for their kids, what will make them safest and happiest, even if they take different approaches in doing so.
@@gabe_s_videos No, both sides certainly do not want that. Conservatives and homophobes throw a shit fit for what will actually make their kids safe and happy if that deviates at all from their established perceptions of normalcy.
Its a crime this only has 2k views. As usual you have made some top tier film discussion
He really did.
And it's still a crime it only has 54k views. This should be over a million views.
90k. getting there
@@thekryture 147K now. It's getting there
Having had that exact moment of "Oh no..." with many beloved 90s properties that I remember as far more gay-friendly than they actually were, The Birdcage was such a relief to re-watch and find that it not only held up, but it made vastly more sense to me as a young adult who knew more about what the political situation was when the movie is set. (I grew up raised by hippies whose friends were often queer, so The Birdcage, far from being my first exposure to real gay families, was the first representation I had for a very normal part of my life. I loved it, but I maybe didn't understand how life-changing it was to my older siblings and parents.)
This movie, alongside The Family Stone, has been rewatched every other month for every year for the past.....maybe 10? 15 years?
It is the most quoted, most laughed at, most rewatched, and the most beloved piece of media in my household.
I think you calling it your comfort film really resonated with me. And I appreciate someone talking about it in such an in depth way.
Great cast! Robin Williams & Nathan Lane played so well off each other!
23:19 Honestly, in many ways, this is STILL the world we live in. As a queer woman myself, this has always made the movie all the more relatable. Even modern day, I find myself having to "play it straight" for the safety of myself and my loved ones.
I agree. I, myself, have played the "girlfriend" for many of my gay male friends just so they are safe. Not every area of America is open minded. I won't say where I live.
That is truly sad. I live in Ontario, Canada. I grew up in Toronto, but now live in Barrie, a small city about an hour north. I have been lucky that I have never had to "play it straight". Then again, my mother's parents were truly amazing people. There were at least 5 same sex couples in the church we attended, and nothing was ever said or done to make me feel these couples were My different than any opposite sex couples. Keep in mind, this was back when being gay was illegal!
This is the only movie I ever saw in theaters WITH my grandma.
I remember it vividly.
I'm not sure if it was because of the movie or the chance to see a film with my favorite person ❤
This video has been an unexpectedly amazing watch. I was not expecting to be educated and enlightened about our historical culture with acceptance! I LOVE your channel :)
This one of the movies that i saw numerous times from begining to end or fragments when I was a kid. Then I growth up I saw it again and again and every time hits different, and every time it was on the tv I saw it with my brother and mother. I am a 28yo closethed queer trans person and your video made me remember this movie again, and is sad and some of the scenes you put made me cry, but also is funny and also makes me smile. Thanks fot the essay, hope you make some others about queer cinema or films that can be read as such from the 90s and early 2000s, pretty please
Oh my god I can’t believe you’re talking about the birdcage!!! This is amazing
Actually I would have thought the Keely's homophobia was still likely in the US. That didn't seem dated to me at all. There are still pockets of Australia where that's possible.
Back in 1991 I was driving from Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Miami Beach, Florida. I was told to fill the gas tank in Kentucky and just not stop in Tennessee because there were still redneck counties where the police were still charging people for being gay even though the laws had been deemed unconstitutional.
From the first time I saw "The Birdcage" It was amazing and love it to this day.
It's almost 4am and I watched the entire video almost crying at times. Good job! Amazing analysis.
I came across this video "by accident" (there are no accidents) and Bravo 👏 you outdid yourself. Your insight into this movie was absolutely a Masterpiece. William 🙂
Dianne Wiest Bullets over Broadway and Hannah and her sisters, she’s the glue that keeps those films together. Every time I watch her in Hannah and her sister I cry with happiness and hope.
IMO Val is actually the antagonist - Matt Baume has a really good video explaining that
My best friend and I make a point to watch this every year around pride and every time we complain about how unreasonable Val is and how he's totally the villain.
I would call him the antagonist rather than the villain.
That actor is the weak link in an otherwise strong chain.
He is the Vadar or Kylo Ren of the story. The villain for most of the story until he finds his conscience and does the right thing in the end.
Yeah he’s really selfish and hurtful, at best. And at his worst he’s just a cruel POS.
I find myself relating to Armand and Val so much lately. It's an old movie now but a lot of us still need to choose carefully who we come out to. I'm currently working in the trades and "pass" as straight and cis to all my (exclusively male) coworkers, who also think I have a girlfriend. My partner is pretty gender fluid, so this isn't a complete lie, but it would probably raise some questions if I brought her to the Christmas Party and they see that she's 6 ft tall and has a moustache lol
I'm hoping this contact hypothesis works out the same for trans people, it's pretty bleak out there. We're expected to hide and censor ourselves just so people don't have to acknowledge that we exist. As this movie shows, that's a lot easier said than done
thank you for sharing that! ❤❤
What a fantastic analysis.
This film opened hearts and minds and homes. Its a pitch perfect ROMP.
Kudos to all involved, and thanks for illuminating the relationship between director and screenwriter.
By far the most complete and best analysis of The Birdcage
The late great Bob DeMora was Ann Roths associate designer on this wonderful movie...he brought his humor and wit and his fiercely out loud and proud gayness to it all in buckets. He was not easy, but he was brilliant. He designed for Bette Midler for decades, and his work ethic was staggering. Gone but not forgotten, love you Bob! Thanks for this deep and loving look at a movie that really was in the vanguard. Loved your takes on it!
I wouldn't have thought that I would want to watch a 1 hour essay on the birdcage. Yes it's a great movie and the actors are amazing but do I really want to spend an hour watching an essay on it? The trouble is, your essays are always so captivating and insightful and beautiful. I just thought I'd tell you that I think you're incredibly talented and I greatly appreciate what you were doing
Really appreciate the depth in which you explored this movie. Your approach was wonderfully constructed, made me laugh and ponder the source material. The history behind the movie/play, and the history/future of art and representation was especially poignant.
I absolutely love your take on this. Your attention to detail and the obvious time and love you took into making this really shows.
As a child of an lgbtqi+ person and also eventually discovering myself to identify as such as well I grew up watching movies like this in the 90s.
Other favorites in our home included "to wong foo," "but im a cheerleader" "Pricilla queen of the desert" you get the gist.
I always loved this one in particular, they didnt shy away from the outlandish a flamboyancy that I knew in reality, but the story was different because it could happen to any family. It wasnt a coming out story, or a "my partners dying" or even "against all odds im going to show em!"
It was a simple story of two families, trying to blend together. It was rare to see at that time a gay couple depicted on the screen actually have their shit together, and even though one was a bit of a drama diva, they where still loved and respected, supported, and valid in the feelings they had.
this was truly a movie ahead of its time and I fully support you when you say it holds up because it totally does.
The absolute stand-up-and-yell-YES!!-at-the-screen moment: When Armand/Robin Williams' son Val runs his finger along his dad's face and wipes the makeup he finds there onto the wall, to which Armand tells him: yes, I wear foundation. It took me 20 years to accept who I am. I'm not going back, or something along those lines. Such a badass scene to shut down the naysayers.
OMG.. dude.. your work on this video is like a College Semester end Thesis and Defense of project/thesis.
not even sure where to start.
your anaylsis of
the movie
the cast
the writers/directors
Analysis of charactors
to the conclusions of the topic/movie then sliding into the CONTACT Hypothesis..
such great work.. i am blown away as i understand how much work it is to research and then output a watchable video with Smart Narration !
bravo bravo brave !
God the thing with Agador’s shoes always gets to me. Like, they don’t even FIT him!
When I saw this movie in theaters, I hated the son. I still do. He insulted the people who love him by being embarrassed of them and everything they are.
Another great essay. Great exploration background and synthesis. Please keep making videos.
Glad people still talk abt the birdcage. One of my favorite childhood movies, we just had a vhs copy of it.
Armand and Albert will always be my dream parents. Thank you for this wonderful video essay.
Whelp I just stumbled onto this channel and I think I like it! I'm kind of tired of negativity and shitting on movies so hearing someone express love and appreciation for a movie is such a nice change of pace!
I'm in my 40s so growing up being gay was very much a 'bad thing' but I watched Golden Girls, Mr. Rogers, Star Trek (OG and when I was older NG) so I had these wonderful examples of why prejudice and bigotry were bad. I grew up in a very white community until I moved to the city and even then there weren't that many people of color around me, but I managed to fight back against my mother's bigotry (Oddly my father from a tiny town that didn't even have 1 spot sign in the deep south never once expressed any bigoted views).
It wasn't until my 20s that I realized I was bi-romantic and wasn't until my 30s that I realized I was TRANS! Not having access to these ideas only made it harder for me to understand myself and my feelings. So it frustrates me so much when people act like kids hearing about happy normal queer people will somehow 'make' them queer themselves. No. They were born queer, and they either learn early enough to love themselves for this, or they have it hidden from them and learn to hate themselves and feel confused by their feelings and alienated from people who keep insisting they be one way when that feels like such an alien and uncomfortable experience. It's like being forced to wear an itchy sweater every day while everyone else keeps insisting the sweater is SO comfortable! Their sweater is comfortable after all, why wouldn't yours be to?
You are right. This shit matters.
Wow, it's great you mentioned Mr Rogers - he spent 30+ years on TV telling children he liked them just the way they were. I never thought of the impact on gay children getting to hear that. The world could use a new Mr Rogers right now.
He's Back. Great Video!
calista is really good with eye acting. i noticed that about her on ally mcbeal. btw, another gem of a movie is flawless (1999), its a movie bu joel schumacher with philip seymour hoffman and robert de niro as the lead. so so underrated and good
33:33 "Well you know the old saying, 'where there is sand...'" Man. There's layers to this quip.
Nicely done! I’ve loved this movie since I watched it in the theater when it first came out. It was nice to see someone else appreciate as much as (and for all the same reasons) I do.
Seeing Hank Azaria's character Is what made me understand why I wasn't attracted to women they way my friends were.
This is a comfort movie for me and my sister too. Our mom bought it on VHS when it first came out and would watch it frequently. She was the kind of parent who would only make us go into another room if the movie was particularly violent, scary or graphic. But when it came to comedies, she didn't really do that. I guess she figured we were too young to get the adult humor in them and you know, we really were. lmao.
What a well done Movie Essay. Congrats to the content creator of this channel & video for making it. It randomly popped up on my recommendations earlier today and I watched it - and I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed your detailed analysis of this classic movie. Thanks for making it. I'll definitely share this video with my friends and family. Thanks again.
I have loved this movie for years.
Just.... WOW. This a fantastic analysis of what I have always thought of a fun farce. But you've nailed it. This film is a gem that deserves to be held up as the beacon of humanity that it is.
Fantastic work. Just... WOW.
Thanks for reminding me how much I love this movie.
As always, a great job! Your videos help me understand why I love the movies I love and communicate that with others. This one hits a little different; I didn't see this film until LAST YEAR. I worked at a Blockbuster shortly after this came out in the 90s and it was *everywhere*. I just never got around to seeing it.
It's a little weird to watch a breakdown that talks about society at the time this was released - it doesn't feel that long ago. But put in this context, SO MUCH has changed. And I am thankful that a video like this exists, because it means that society has improved somewhat. A long way to go, of course...but this helps me really understand the context of a thing as the world evolves around it.
Truly, there is a level of extra violence and sadness in shoving yourself back in the closet, compared to being in the closet in the first place.
This is fantastic. Makes me appreciate in a deeper way this movie I already loved.
Likely most well done video essay ever. Incredible work breaking down all the critical elements and giving them full context and perspective. Excellent job, thank you for creating this.
What a good video, perfectly summing up a movie I’ve never seen and extending its themes to the culture of that era while showing the aftermath of it all. Keep it up!
I watch this constantly. It's a go-to. I'm interested in an analysis of the entitlement of the child Val versus the unconditional love of Albert as a step/adoptive parent most particularly when I watch it.
I'm least interested in the foliage of this great nation 😜
So happy I found this channel to be able to watch this incredibly thoughtful piece. Excellent work!
I appreciate the larger point this essay makes to no end. As a grade schooler in the early 90's I can attest that it was a very different time in terms of how acceptable it was to be gay. There was no greater insult. *Everything* that wasn't cool or masculine enough was "Gay". Once on a multi-night school trip away from home, I was accused of being "gay" by a bully type whose accusation even came with a story of what he 'saw' me doing with another kid. The thought alone was enough to get me ostracized from the 'entire' school class, mocked endlessly, derided at every activity. The teachers even couldn't be bothered to step in and correct anyone's behavior. In an instant, I was basically some kind of sexual predator to the entire world. Don't think I've ever felt more alone in my life.
It's good to hear that today, at least in most of the US, school kids no longer have such a potent boogeyman to use against each other. The kids I know now would never think of a gay person as gross or 'wrong'. Hopefully the contact hypothesis catches up soon to the same degree for trans kids as well.
This is wonderful! Just one note -- as the titles that you flash on the screen say, this was an adaptation of the play (not the film) which was written by and starring Jean Poiret (as the Armand character known as Georges in the French play as well as the American musical). The play ran for 5 years at Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris before moving to Théâtre des Variétés (also in Paris) for another two years. Michel Serrault, who played Albin in the French movie, starred as Albin in the play for the run of the show at both theaters except for the time he took off to film the movie. It's hard to find details about the play on the web in English. When I was writing about the play for a short story a few years ago, I had to go to French Wikipedia.
This is an amazing analysis and video essay Josh. Great work. I appreciate the depth you took in explaining the background of the The Contact Hypothesis and how it help shape the cultural shift we now see today. I for one, always loved this movie for the exact same reasons as you do. Cheers to a great movie and Robin Willams! Well done!
I had this in my watch later queue for so long and I’m mad at myself for not watching it sooner. Amazing work, this is such a great video!
What a phenomenal video. You clearly invested massive amounts of energy and intellectual thought into this. Loved watching it, thank you!
We used this very theory - contact hypothesis - in Tasmania in the '80s and '90s. The then Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group (TGLRG) talked with, basically, anyone who would talk with us.
And it worked.
I've always loved this movie. It's such a comfort for me. Your take on it has made me love it even more.
This was beautiful, wonderful coverage of this movie that is dear to my heart for the same reasons as you. Thank you for this lovely video.
This is a fantastic videoessay. I've never seen this movie, but I can already tell that it's gonna be one of my favorites.
Thank you so much for the in-depth look you give this movie. It is one of my all-time favorites for many of the same reasons you give. When I recently saw Bros I couldn't help but think how forced it felt. As a 50-year-old gay male, I felt no connection to the movie and instead felt trusted into a game of bingo where every square represented a stereotype box that needed to be checked off where as the Birdcage has never done that to me. But I attribute Birdcage's success to its awesome screenplay and the talent that delivered the lines.
Thank you for taking the time to create such wonderful context about an iconic movie, this video came to me randomly and I enjoyed it from the beginning: so much that I have to watch the movie again. So many details to discover!!! very grateful!!!
Wow, you earned a subscribe for this video! A well put together, well researched script, good use of footage and being aware enough to change tone every so often so we don't get bored. I ummh'd-and-ahh'd about clicking a 50min video of an analysis of The Birdcage but I'm glad I decided to. Great job!
This is such a wonderful exploration of the Birdcage. The amount of research really brings to life the film in ways I've never thought about. I salute your efforts.
This is the first time I posted a comment after years of watching youtube. I have subscribed to only a handful of channels. You deserve my and more subscriptions. I can see and hear the hard work and passion brought to every video essay you made.
That was DEFINITELY worth an hour of my time. Awesome work. Thank you.
What an amazing video analysis of one of my favourite movies. Agree totally with Josh and thanks for putting it together for the benefit of all. Learnt a lot from this video about the stars behind the scenes and the cultural context of that time !!
This breakdown of the movie is fantastic and thorough. I’ll totally check out your other videos.
I am watching it for the 20ish time. It reminds me of that time in 96 that I lived in DC/Arlington. The fashions, politics, the sunny aura.
Thank you for this delightful, hell damn near brilliant, appreciation. Keep em coming 🙂
This is a fantastic discussion. I really enjoyed the amount of content here, but more so that you can tell you are passionate about your topics, and are also very pleasant to listen to, I might add.
The Birdcage is one of my favorite movies ever. It's about love.
Thank you SO MUCH for this! The Bird Cage has been my #1 favorite movie since it’s American debut. It is my go to movie when I just need to smile and improve my mood. I love your analysis!
Love your content. Well written, researched and analyzed. I look forward to more.
This video showed up in my recommendations. I was about to skip it after looking at its length. But then, a hunch told me to give it a chance. So I thought I’d watch a couple of minutes and decide then if I wanted to watch the rest… Here I am almost 3 hours later as I had to stop it several times to comment on it with my husband who has been listening in while working on his laptop next to me… What an excellent essay, analysis, and simply, tribute to this jewel of film, so rich, so thorough, so well crafted! I am subscribing to your channel at once! Thank you, and congratulations on a job well done!
This is amazing work and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you so much!
Excellent work, Josh. This was highly entertaining and educational. Kudos. I agree with the last comment that it's a CRIME that it only has 36K views. It's AMAZING. Thank you!
They were all great and perfectly cast. 😊
He's alive! Welcome back
I love your video essays and "Movies I Love and So Can You" series!
Beautifully said, Josh! I love how you broke the movie Down and discussed it. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. In the 80s, all my best friends were gay men who were also drag queens. Despite the AIDS epidemic, gay men have continued to be my closest friends even though I've lost a lot of them. My mom was visiting once with a friend and they wanted to watch a movie and asked me to read off what I had so I did. And I wish shocked to hear my mom say let's watch The Birdcage! I sort of held my breath all the way through it, but then they were both laughing and laughing, so I was able to relax. They both really enjoyed it!
Would love to hear you talk about 'To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'!
Amazing analysis starting from your personal ties to the movie and bringing it back to the broader societal implications
Thank you very much - I'm not sure how I have never heard of this movie before!