Wordiezett So much average

Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Steineded How sad is this?

Animenter There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

The Movie Diorama Documentaries that singlehandedly convey one person's life are far easier than to tackle an entire culture, so director Livingstone had a challenge ahead to portray New York's ballroom community. A minority culture powered by African-Americans, Latinos, gays and transgenders where they "walk" in a variety of categories for trophies. Against the controversy she received for being a white lesbian female, Livingston intelligently crafted a documentary that manages to be both historically significant and personably poignant. To portray a relatively underground subculture, using each key participant to tackle inherent issues that surround LGBT individuals, whilst presenting developed backstories of each competitor and remaining informative throughout, is nothing short of genius. The AIDS crisis, gender equality, the class and wealth system of American at the time, drag acts and the progression of fashion. A plethora of sensitive subjects where we view the perspective of possibly America's most prominent minority group. It was emotionally impactful and saddening to hear that these young performers yearn for fame and wealth, because it's something they've never experienced and believe it to be a privilege among "real" culture (a category within the balls where performers must act straight). The differing attitudes between younger performers like Venus Xtravaganza and the more experienced like Dorian Corey was refreshing to see. The whole documentary was incredibly powerful and insightful. It's unfortunate that it feels overstuffed, where the narrative cohesion needs more focus. The first half represents a history lesson in comparison to the second half that progresses towards the performers themselves. The short 78 minute runtime is mostly to blame, as Livingstone attempts to pack as many subjects in as possible. However, this documentary gifts us with a rare view into a subculture that never becomes sentimental or emotionally manipulative, and I truly appreciate that.

makalov_82 There is so much hope and dreams in this role movie that it's impossible not be touched by Venus, Pepper, Dorian and all the other's that appear are in the most raw ways of living, you don't see lies here, you see only the real feeling of humanity, much, much hope and dreams, specially in the young, a certain sad truth of what life really is in the old ones, is simply amazing, not only for telling the story of the drag scene but for telling the story of real people with hopes and fears.10/10 Hope you're shining like you wanted Venus, RIP To all the others members that died after the movie i can only say that they would be happy to know they're legends, legends for all eternity, thanks to this work.

dsprcBz Being a fan of the RuPaul Drag Race show and all the references to Paris Is Burning, a movie I've heard of since high school but never saw until now. Every phrase I thought came from RPDR were actually from this movie 2 decades ago. From shady and fierce to the drag queen art of "reading", this movie seems like the inspiration for RuPaul's show.The film is about the ballroom circuit for the mostly black/latino gay community. The participants walk the ballroom floor in different categories, in a show referred to as "balls". Trophies are given to those who have the most "realness". Some competitions include the now famous "Voguing" - a dance which was popularized by iconic singer Madonna."Paris Is Burning" seems a bit dated now that being "gay" has gradually been accepted as a natural occurrence, but at the time of filming AIDS and homosexuals were synonymous and gays stigmatized. The titles before each sequence "BALLS", "REALNESS", "HOUSES", etc., were probably the inspiration for Ken Burns' documentaries. "Paris" flows seamlessly depicting the story of how for one night someone can live a fantasy and the struggle to deal back to reality. Filmed in New York City at the end of the 1980's, it's a great insight to an urban community that most of the "straight" world never new existed.

authorblfowler After growing up in the gritty streets of Detroit, MI, and having friends who traveled to New York balls, I fell into the lifestyle of being a House member. I joined the House of Theieves. We adapted the same rules as most houses, but we were professional crooks that would boost and commit credit card fraud to obtain the fabulous jewels and clothes we desired. I even learned how to profess the making of checks and driver's license and cash them in over seventeen states, until a jealous queen called the Secret Service on me and I went to Federal prison. But, I learned a lot from these queens in this movie and I highly recommend you watch it yourself. You can even read about how I grew up in the houses here in Detroit and the criminal activity we indulged in. My book, Identity Schemes is available on sale at Amazon dot com or at Identity Schemes dot com. But trust me, It is a lot better than Paris is Burning, because its a 2005 make.