La Cage Aux Folles/Birdcage (1978)

Editor's Note LA CAGE AUX FOLLES: The film title is the name of a nightclub run by a pair of homosexuals, one of whom has a son who wants to marry the daughter of a high official. His parents--gay nightclub owner Renato and effeminate transvestite Zaza--must meet his pompous and conservative in-laws. For the sake of their son, the gay couple decide not only to act straight, but to pose as husband and wife! On the night of the party however, insanity reigns when "mom" and "dad" fail to adhere to the "straight" and narrow. This French art house smash was remade in the U.S. as THE BIRDCAGE. Academy Award Nominations: Best Director, Best (Adapted) Screenplay, Best Costume Design. THE BIRDCAGE: In Mike Nichols's hilarious remake of the 1978 French comedy LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, Robin Williams stars as Armand Goldman, a gay cabaret owner who lives in Miami's South Beach with his partner, Albert (Nathan Lane), the club's star performer. Armand and Albert must try in vain to pass as a typical couple when the prospective in-laws of Armand's son, Val (Dan Futterman), come for dinner. While accepting their alternative lifestyle personally, Val demands that they tone it down for his girlfriend's (Calista Flockhart) parents--who happen to be a political couple running on a family values platform. Lane's hilarious attempts to "play it straight" and Hank Azaria's brilliantly flamboyant houseboy, Agador, are the highlights of the film, which also features a beautifully understated Williams as the more "normal" of the pair. Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest are delightfully square as the future in-laws.

	Robin Williams
	Michel Serrault
	Nathan Lane
	Calista Flockhart
	Gene Hackman
	Dianne Wiest
	Ugo Tognazzi
	Dan Futterman
	Hank Azaria
	Ennio Morricone - Composer
	Edouard Molinaro - Director
	Mike Nichols - Director