Paris Is Burning

Name: Paris Is Burning
Genre: Documentary
Released: August 1, 1991
Duration: 71 min
Rating: 82
Cast: André Christian, Brooke Xtravaganza, Dorian Corey, Freddie Pendavis, Junior Labeija

1991

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 21 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Ratings

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6.7

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6.7	Your Score
6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Paris Is Burning

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Movie Details & Credits

Cinepix / Famous Players Distribution (C/FP) | Release Date: August 1, 1991 | R

Starring: André Christian, Brooke Xtravaganza, Dorian Corey, Freddie Pendavis, Junior Labeija, Kim Pendavis, Paris Duprée, Pepper LaBeija, Sandy Ninja, Willi Ninja

Summary: A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.

Director: Jennie Livingston

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: R

Runtime: 71 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Owen Gleiberman

Paris Is Burning is the most passionately empathetic piece of documentary filmmaking I’ve seen since Streetwise, the brilliant portrait of homeless teens in Seattle, and The Decline of Western Civilization Part II, Penelope Spheeris’ sly and galvanizing heavy-metal collage. Read full review

Katie Walsh

Wildly entertaining, deeply humanitarian and fundamentally educational film. Read full review

Hal Hinson

Paris Is Burning, Jennie Livingston's brilliantly entertaining documentary look into the New York subculture of drag queens and transsexuals, is a rapturous, desperate ode to self-invention. Read full review

Jeff Menell

Paris Is Burning is a strong film about a segment of our society that is determined to survive. It's not just a film about gays, it's about fighting prejudice and trying to achieve a dream, something we all do now and then. [09 Aug 1991]

Desson Thomson

Touching and funny eye-opener of a documentary. Read full review

Roger Ebert

What I saw was a successful attempt by the outsiders to dramatize how success and status in the world often depend on props you can buy, or steal, almost anywhere - assuming you have the style to know how to use them. Read full review

Neil Smith

A poignant, heartfelt tribute to a vibrant New York subculture and its flamboyant acolytes, captured on grainy celluloid, shortly before it got appropriated and streamlined by the mainstream. Read full review

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User Reviews

Rcavey92212

Jul 29, 2020

I wasn't sure what to expect when seeing it. There's been so much build up after watching Drag Race and Pose. I hate to say Viewing it now it was a touch disappointing. Don't get me wrong I loved the exploration of the Ballroom culture and gay people of color. But after seeig so much itI wasn't sure what to expect when seeing it. There's been so much build up after watching Drag Race and Pose. I hate to say Viewing it now it was a touch disappointing. Don't get me wrong I loved the exploration of the Ballroom culture and gay people of color. But after seeig so much it feels a little shorted. It's definitely an intriguing look at the time period and how these people lived their lives and what happened to them. It's a documentary and is effective as a "slice of life". At the time when it was released and even now it shows a side to our story that's criminally underseen and under represented and for that it was and continues to be such a huge success.

6/10… Expand

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