Paris is Burning is a stunning mosaic of urban, queer life. The impact of the documentary is as salient now as it was in 1990.
Under the guise of homelessness, violence, racism, addiction, homophobia, transphobia, the AIDS crisis, poverty and general mistreatment; Jennie Livingstone’s documentary presents an authentic and joyous depiction of Black and Latino queer subcultures that became a touchstone for the way queer people congregate, act, and speak to this very day. Surrogate queer families might not exist without ‘houses’. People wouldn’t use the term ‘slay’ (or various other words in queer vernacular) without ballroom culture. We wouldn’t have ‘voguing’ without Paris Dupree.
Through a cinéma vérité documentation style, Livingstone’s intersectional infusing of interview and observational direction brings power, courage, and style to underrepresented communities. In a place where these individuals felt without a home, a voice, or a sense of safety, the ballroom was a place to fulfil every hope and dream that society outside would not afford these people. Adversity was overcome with dance. Fear was replaced by laughter. Abandonment was substituted by community.
Beginning in New York in 1987, the film opens with an establishing shot of the city at night. While mostly dark, faint light from people’s apartments brings flickering life to the frame. A billboard of the Statue of Liberty alongside a highway stands tall as commuters drive by. A neon light in the street proclaims, “White Supremacist Church Begins National Con…” In a time of mass consumerism, conservatism, Reaganism, and a boom in mass media – Lady Liberty was not lighting her torch for all.
People are dancing in the street. Things are lively, but the ground is dirty. A voiceover narrates how being “Black, a male, and gay” is a triple strike against your existence. To survive, “You are going to have to be stronger than you ever imagined.” Lights on Pepper LaBeija, head of the house of LaBeija, the camera following her as she proudly enters a prominent Harlem ball.
Known now as “The last remaining queen of the Harlem drag balls”, Peppa’s entrance sets the tone for the rest of the documentary – a mood of joy and pride as a group of queer performers feel euphoric as they cheer on their fearless ‘mother’. The feeling inside that room is where things move from a flicker of light to a burning flame. This is where Paris burns. This is where their New York comes to life.
The documentary proceeds to sweep through the mid-to-late 1980s. It chronicles how ball competitions are structured, the origins of voguing, interviews with various artists, and a multi-layered exploration of how the dance presented in the film symbolises a cross-section of issues surrounding race, gender, sexuality, class, and identity. To the contestants, “It’s like crossing into the looking glass”— a Wonderland where everything feels right, and all the world’s problems melt away.
Voguing is more than a performance; it is survival. It is an expression of what the media idolises in a ‘rich, white world’. Imitating runways and magazines are a way for Black and Latino Americans to feel a sense of reclamation toward a mainstream that often disregards their opportunities to succeed. Paris Dupree (who inspired the film’s title) helped invent vogue – not Madonna who brought it to the mainstream through pop which had a dual effect of disconnecting the Ballroom scene from their foundational community by having a white woman as the face of the dance, while also providing opportunities for vogue performers to be appreciated by a wider audience.
Other prominent drag performers, such as Dorian Corey, Venus Xtravaganza, Octavia St. Laurent, Carmen Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja, Angie Xtravaganza, and Sol Pendavis Williams, describe their experiences living such a life. In ballroom culture, they are seen as either ‘children’ or ‘mothers’ in the various houses. The houses themselves are shelters for predominantly Black and Latino LGTBQ+ individuals – a way to find family when their own have shunned them. When they win trophies, they earn a status deemed ‘legendary’. These structures are all documented with authenticity.
Paris is Burning would be remiss if it did not balance joy and hardship. Venus, a multiracial trans woman, supported herself by working as a sex worker. She tragically died during filming in 1988, strangled to death by a client. She had hopes and dreams of a better life outside New York – she wanted a car, a husband, and gender affirming surgery. Her death is a cruel reminder of how hard it is to survive in this world. Many of the people in the film subsequently died of AIDS or other health complications – Livingstone’s observational style is a powerful way to immortalise people who could have lived on with the proper attention, respect, and health care.
Livingstone spent six years realising the final product whilst facing a fair share of criticism – some claimed it was an appropriation of an African American, Latino, queer subculture by a privileged, white filmmaker. Despite Livingstone being Jewish, gender-nonconforming, and queer. Regardless, Paris is Burning is a profoundly influential documentary. Its diversity and structure give the film space to explore the community voices with raw and authentic detail.
One of the final lines during the credits summarises the manifesto of Paris is Burning, “This is New York City, and this is what the gay life is about”. Two young men stand radiating confidence. They are happy to be who they are, hands around each other’s backs – never fearing what injustice could be around the next block or street. In today’s climate, the queer community needs a bit of their courage. Whether it be the 1980s or the 2020s, it is such a rare and beautiful thing to see queer life, particularly such young queer life, being fearless and so full of love in such a public setting.
Paris is Burning is a pivotal and must-see piece of seminal Queer cinema. In recent media, such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, FX’s Pose, or what is considered the film’s spiritual sequel, How Do I Look, they all wouldn’t be as successful as they are without the bedrock of Livingstone’s work. Gay boys proud and homeless in the street, trans women dancing in solidarity, sex workers trying to make their way in life; a world is opened in 75 minutes. Dorian Corey says, “You don’t have to bend the whole world; you just have to enjoy it.”
Director: Jennie Livingston
Featuring: Brooke Xtravaganza, André Christian, Paris Duprée
Producer: Jennie Livingston
Cinematography: Paul Gibson
Editing: Jonathan Oppenheim
