La Cage Aux Folles

I have to confess, I watched “The Birdcage” many years before I finally sat down and watched the original french film, “La Cage Aux Folles”. (And that was even after knowing about the stage musical!) In a way, I think that was actually a good thing. The story is quite similar. In fact, I found it interesting how much of the script was kept in when it was transitioned into “The Birdcage”! However, there’s something missing in the original film. I can’t quite pinpoint whether it’s due to the differences of French cinema (and perhaps reservation of addressing a “queer” storyline at all in the late 70’s, or whether it’s merely a reflection of cinematic writing of the time. The jokes just don’t land the same way, and I felt like the story kept skipping ahead towards the end. I also noted that the English subtitles didn’t quite convey the French dialogue at times. All in all though, I thoroughly enjoyed “La Cage Aux Folles” and recommend you watch it – especially if you enjoy “The Birdcage”.