Film Review--Paris Is Burning

Jennie Livingstone’s Paris Is Burning is a documentary made in 1990 that explores the little known and unexplored culture of black drag queens and transvestites in New York City at the end of the 1980s. At the time it was created, this type of behavior was seen as subversive by the mainstream and not much was done to fully understand it.

The narrative is centered around the Ball, a celebrated event in the underground world of drag. The Ball is essentially a runway for the different participants to walk down, showing off their talent and “realness” when it comes to being femme. The one with the best outfit, look, walk, and personality that fits the category the best wins a trophy and gains a certain high status within the community. Interviews with the house mothers (a house is essentially a nonviolent streetgang where they compete in the Ball) provide an insight into the personal lives of these men as they dress as or are on their way to fully transitioning into women. The director also highlights the differences between those in the older generation and the young “children.”

Livingston received funding for her project from the National Endowment for the Arts and kept the details to a select few to avoid controversy. After it was released, it was hailed by some as groundbreaking and by others, particularly black scholars, who referred to it as a source of entertainment for white people. Regardless of the cultural criticism, it still remains relevant to this day and is one of the few films to infiltrate this subject matter.