Review of Paris Is Burning (1991) by Joanna N — 03 Feb 2017
Work, chanté, reading, throwing shade, vogue-ing etc. It is sad how eight seasons of Rupaul's Drag Race can make you forget that everything was born in the grimy 70's New York scene and was not conceived inside sanitized TV studios in Los Angeles. The drag queen culture was given birth in the poverty stricken inner city African-American, Latino, transgender, and homosexual communities.
What is more amusing while watching this film is when you realize that this was shot during the combined 12 years of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. With the Christian Right's Moral Majority setting the direction of the entire nation, this beautiful subculture persisted and bloomed. 26 years later, heterosexuals have co-opted much of it, making what was once a niche culture mainstream.
"We as a people for the past 400 years is the greatest example of behavior modification in the history of civilization. We have had everything taken away from us and yet we have all learned to survive.".
In the age of Donald Trump, "Paris is Burning" is showing us hope will never dim if you keep fighting.
This review of Paris Is Burning (1991) was written by Joanna N on 03 Feb 2017.
Paris Is Burning has generally received very positive reviews.
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