Paris Is Burning

Stars: Venus Xtravaganza, Octavia St. Laurent, Pepper Labeija. Winner of beaucoup film festival awards and racking up a noteworthy 3.8 million at the box-office, Jennie Livingston's Paris Is Burning boldly goes where John Wayne never went before: into the Harlem drag queen scene. Filmed between 1987-1989, the film cuts back and forth between the runway where Venus Xtravaganza, Octavia St. Laurent, and Pepper Labeija strut their stuff, and the "girls" themselves, who talk about life in the drag lane. Recalling his youth, Pepper still smarts at how upset his mother was over his feminine wardrobe ("She burnt up my mink coat."). Others share their hopes and dreams for the future: "I want to be a spoiled white rich girl, "or "I want to get married in a church in white." In addition to the stories, there's the show-the actual ball-where contestants go for the gold in categories like "Schoolboy & Schoolgirl," "Town & Country," "Executive Realness," and the more familiar "Butch Queen." On the floor, the "girls" try to outdo one another while the judges make sure that everyone's following the rules (one ugly disqualification erupts over a contestant wearing what might be a "woman's" coat in a "men's" category-clearly a no-no). Although we tend to link the concept of "voguing" with Madonna, viewers of Paris Is Burning will quickly see where she got the idea from. Audience: People looking for entertainment and quality. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--Aug. 23, 2005--Miramax, 76 min., R, $29.99--Making its first appearance on DVD, 1991's Paris is Burning  sports a nice-looking transfer, and DVD extras including audio commentary (by director Livingston, stars Willi Ninja and Freddie Pendavis, and editor Jonathan Oppenheim), 16 outtakes (47 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a great documentary.]