Edouard Molinaro

La Cage aux Folles

La Cage aux Folles

Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Michel Serrault)—a middle-aged gay couple who are the manager and star performer at a glitzy drag club in Saint-Tropez—agree to hide their sexual identities, along with their flamboyant personalities and home decor, when the ultraconservative parents of Renato’s son’s fiancée come for a visit. This elegant comic scenario kicks off a wild and warmhearted French farce about the importance of nonconformity and being true to oneself. A breakout art-house smash in America, Edouard Molinaro’s La Cage aux Folles inspired a major Broadway musical and the blockbuster remake The Birdcage. But with its hilarious performances and ahead-of-its-time social message, there’s nothing like the audacious, dazzling original movie.

Film Info

  • France
  • 1978
  • 96 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.66:1
  • French
  • Spine #671

Special Features

  • New, restored 2K digital film transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • New interview with director Edouard Molinaro
  • Archival footage featuring actor Michel Serrault and Jean Poiret, writer and star of the original stage production of La Cage aux Folles
  • New interview with Laurence Senelick, author of The Changing Room: Sex, Drag and Theatre
  • French and U.S. trailers
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic David Ehrenstein

    New cover by Maurice Vellekoop

Purchase Options

Special Features

  • New, restored 2K digital film transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • New interview with director Edouard Molinaro
  • Archival footage featuring actor Michel Serrault and Jean Poiret, writer and star of the original stage production of La Cage aux Folles
  • New interview with Laurence Senelick, author of The Changing Room: Sex, Drag and Theatre
  • French and U.S. trailers
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic David Ehrenstein

    New cover by Maurice Vellekoop
La Cage aux Folles
Cast
Ugo Tognazzi
Renato Baldi
Michel Serrault
Albin Mougeotte, a.k.a. Zaza Napoli
Claire Maurier
Simone Deblon
Rémi Laurent
Laurent Baldi
Carmen Scarpitta
Louise Charrier
Benny Luke
Jacob
Luisa Maneri
Andréa Charrier
Michel Galabru
Simon Charrier
Venantino Venantini
Charrier’s chauffeur
Carlo Reali
Bouncer
Guido Cerniglia
Doctor
Angelo Pellegrino
Nightclub assistant
Liana Del Balzo
Madame Charrier
Pierre Mondy
Voice of Renato Baldi
Credits
Director
Edouard Molinaro
From the play by
Jean Poiret
Adaptation and dialogue
Francis Veber
Adaptation and dialogue
Edouard Molinaro
Adaptation and dialogue
Jean Poiret
Adaptation and dialogue
Marcello Danon
Music
Ennio Morricone
Photography
Armando Nannuzzi
Edited by
Monique Isnardon
Edited by
Robert Isnardon
Tognazzi’s and Serrault’s costumes by
Ambra Danon
Sound
Mario Dallimonti
Production design
Mario Garbuglia
Produced by
Marcello Danon

Current

Loving La Cage aux Folles
Loving La Cage aux Folles
Edouard Molinaro’s 1978 La Cage aux Folles is not only an entertaining farce but also a landmark, for the way it opened many viewers’ eyes to both drag culture and same-sex relationships. To find out more about the film’s sexual politics and…
La Cage aux Folles: Folles Family Values
La Cage aux Folles: Folles Family Values

As outré as it is, the most subversive thing about this classic farce is its take on what’s normal.

By David Ehrenstein

Lee Grant’s Top 10
Lee Grant’s Top 10

The Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor and director gets personal with her selections, highlighting the work of friends, former collaborators, and filmmakers she admires.