LA CAGE AUX FOLLES ... THE FOREIGN REVIEW

Promotional Lines: At LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, the outrageous is commonplace, and nothing is ever what it seems. At LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, one man's tragedy is another man's comedy, and the answer to the question of sex is the riddle of love. At LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, illusions are born, and illusions are shattered all in the name of romance.

The story begins looking at the lives two wealthy gay men, Albin (Michel Serrautt ) and Renato (Uso Tognazzi) who have been a couple and in business together for 20 years. Their family includes Albin's 20 year old son, Laurent, who has been away at college, and their maid/butler, Jacob. In the resort town, San Tropei, they live in a spacious, upscale apartment in a building that they own, which is also where their transvestite night club, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is located as well.

It is a popular dinner nightclub that offers unique entertainment to upscale guests. Men dressed up as women offer elaborate dancing floor shows, and individual acts as well. The star of the show is Albin, whose female stage presence is Zaza Napoli, who sings on stage.

The story begins during an evening show at LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. A depressed Albin won't come out of bed because he is feeling that Renato has lost interest in him, that he is getting old, loosing his bloom! He feels like a monster, someone unacceptable. This is a common theme of Albin's, that often manifests itself at inopportune times.

When Albin finally goes on stage, after some prodding from the doctor, and a persuasive move made by Renato, Laurent, Renato's son, a result from a two hour, one time rendezvous with a seductive woman, comes to see his father. He tells his father that he plans to be married. His bride-to-be, Andrea (Luisa Maneri), is the daughter of a stern political party officer, Simon Charrier (Michel Galabro) of the Moral Order Party, the political party of the President who currently was in power.

When the sitting President, a member of the Moral Order Party, is found dead in the arms of a young black minor girl, Simon Charrier agrees to the marriage, thinking that Laurent's father was the Cultural diplomat from Italy, a yarn told by Andrea who was too afraid to tell the truth. A white traditional wedding would take the heat off of Simon Charrier, who was currently a laughing stock, hounded by the press.

They want to come to Larent's home and have dinner. Uh Oh! The home decorum can be redone quickly, with objectionable objects taken to the cellar. Lauren wants Albin to leave for the night. When this crushes Albin's feelings, because he was the one who mothered Lauren through his whole life, that idea was rejected by Renato. The more difficult question is now whether or not Albin, Renato, and Jacob can act straight, dress straight, and draft Laurent's birth mother to create a family that is acceptable to the straight-laced, traditional Charrier family for one night? Can they pull off this charade, or will their well-meaning charade slowly disintegrate?

This Italian-French co-production is a comedy classic because of its terrific screenplay, wonderful, gifted direction and a fabulous, talented cast.

This hilarious screenplay was written by Marcelo Danan and by the director Edgouard Molinaro, based on the play by Jean Poiret. In a hysterically funny, yet in a poignant, sensitive way, the screenplay explores the nature of homosexuality. Is it a learned behavior that can be unlearned with practice? Can a homosexual man, like Albin hide the way he is by dressing / acting like a socially acceptable straight man?

Michel Serrautt is extremely convincing in his portrayal of the excitable Albin Mougeotte, a gay man who is going through a period of doubting his worth, a sort of mid-life crisis, but who finds some peace by the end of the film. Albin is the center of the story, and Michel carries the role out to perfection, much to the audience's delight.

Italian actor, Uso Tognazzi is also superb in his portrayal of Renato Baldi, a man with plenty of problems, being caught in the middle, between the wishes of his son, Laurent, and the feelings of his life partner, Albin. Laurent wants Albin to leave for the night of this dinner.

The combination of Uso Tognazzi and Michel Serrautt really makes the storyline believable, as they react so beautifully off each other's acting.

There are several favorite scenes.

In one sequence of scenes, Renato is trying to give Albin lessons in the dining area of a local bar on how to eat toast in a manly way and walk like John Wayne.

In another scene, Albin tries to please Laurent by dressing in a conservative suit, right before this important dinner, trying his best to look acceptably straight.

The infamous dinner party sequence where things start to go wrong, teases the audience, who is hoping that they can somehow pull off this masquerade. Will the Charriers catch on to the clues at hand?

This film is rated R, a comedy for those 17 and up, because of the subject content. No sexual intimacy scenes, just a few potty words.

If you enjoyed LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, you may like LA CAGE AUX FOLLES 2, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES 3: LA ELLES SE MARIENT, LE DERRIERE and the 1996 American version, THE BIRD CAGE.

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