Twenty years ago we saw the first flip phone, Deep Blue became the first computer to beat a Grand Master at Chess, and the ‘Macarena’ was finally ending it’s reign of terror on the Billboard Charts and children’s birthday parties. It was also a trying time for the LGBT community and arguably the last major gasp of conservative actions to stifle the community in it’s march towards progress. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was two years old, and the Defense of Marriage Act was in it’s infancy. As homosexuality was becoming less taboo culturally, we were seeing an institutional shift in another direction which was discouraging but not altogether surprising when we look at polling of ideological allegiances from the time. It was a time when hiding who you were was more than just a defense mechanism but a necessity in many circles. A time where the LGBT lifestyle was still as alive as ever, but as frowned upon in more reserved groups than ever. In 1996 a film arrived that, on the surface, was just a comedy with a less conventional setting, but had a deeper message about the things we do to fit in, while at the same time celebrating the importance of being true to yourself.
By the time The Birdcage hit theaters the director, Mike Nichols, was a veteran of the industry. Known for hits like The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Catch-22 he was a darling among filmmakers and unique talent whose unconventional take on American life was respected and revered. At the same time Robin Williams was at his peak as an actor having already given awards worthy turns in dramatic roles like The Fisher King and Dead Poets Society, while also becoming a house-hold name in children’s comedy with Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Jumanji. Nathan Lane had already made his name on Broadway with a Tony nominated turn in Guys and Dolls and his first break into Hollywood with his unforgettable voice-acting role as Timon in the Lion King. With a host of other talented actors and actresses they brought us a film that was memorable and warm and truly human in its portrayal of the times.
The Birdcage is based on the 1970’s French play and film La Cage Aux Folles and features a nearly identical story line of a Gay couple that own a night club with a drag theme, who find out that their very young son is marrying a girl with extremely conservative parents. It’s a perfect 90’s version of a Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner situation and laughs are sure to ensue. However, it’s not all frivolity in the case of this remake in that the patriarch of the ultra-conservative family is a prominent Republican Senator named Kevin Keeley, played exceptionally by Gene Hackman, who is a leader of the Coalition for Moral Order which is sort of like a Godfather to the modern Tea Party. Add to the twist his co-founder of the Coalition was just found dead with an underage Black prostitute and you’ve got a politician in very hot water eager to keep his image clean.
With such high stakes Armand (Robin Williams) is convinced by his son (Dan Futterman) to pretend to be straight and find a way to keep Armand’s life partner Albert (Nathan Lane) out of the house just for a night so they can convince these bastions of family values that their union is sacred long enough to receive their blessing. The film intelligently walks through many different topical issues in the form of wonderfully written dialogue between the characters on both sides which makes it a very prescient film that allows it to stand the test of time. The dialogue is so witty and sharp that you have to wonder if Tarantino and Woody Allen wrote it together over coffee in Miami. It is also important to mention that the Director of Photography on this film was a young Emmanuel Lubeszki, who we all know is coming off his thirdOscar win in a row for Cinematography, a first for the awards. The Birdcage also had the highest grossing opening weekend of a film with an openly gay lead character up to that point. This incredibly important for our theme of the Day of Silence when you consider that one of the leads in the film is an openly gay actor who at the time had not come out yet.
Personally, I was 8 years old when this film first screened and I ate up every minute of it. Did I understand the political statements, or have a real experience in the LGBT community? Of course not, I was only 8 years old. Did I recognize the beautiful love between Armand and Albert, the fear in the children’s eyes that their love is seen as taboo as well, and the difficulty of choosing to fit in or be who you are? Absolutely. I was lucky enough that I grew up with many family friends in the LGBT community so that when I saw this film, I wasn’t watching something taboo, I was just watching a love story about two people. Often times bigotry is created out of isolation. If you’ve never known someone who isn’t like you, it’s incredibly easy to dislike someone or their values. Maybe if I had not grown up with LGBT, black, female, muslim friends or any number of group that we section off in society, then it might have been easier for me to see these differences, but fortunately I just saw people as they are.
The importance of the Day of the Silence is to foster a community where silence doesn’t need to be a defense to shield who you are. In the film we have characters who have to put on a performance just to fit in with a traditional narrative, all because they love their family and want them to be happy. In the end, we all have to recognize who we truly are and not just accept that, but to celebrate it. In closing, I think it’s said best by Robin Williams’ character when he explains why he can’t get on board with this initial idea to create a false family to appease the epitome of the nuclear family:
“Yes, I wear foundation. Yes, I live with a man. Yes, I'm a middle- aged fag. But I know who I am, Val. It took me twenty years to get here, and I'm not gonna let some idiot senator destroy that.”
If there is anything that we can learn from this film, it’s that silence should never have to be an option. We are lucky that 20 years later silence has become more taboo than being yourself when it comes to the LGBT community, but we still have a long way to go. Sometimes it takes a cultural moment like a film to push people along. I’m just lucky that I found this film as young as I did, so that I could see the beauty in avoiding silence and revering clamor when you know what is right is right.