Tuesday Titillation:
The Queen
Move over, Elizabeth. You be rolling in your grave, now.
Yes, It's Pride Month! And this queen is 56 years-old!
This groundbreaking documentary delivering the backstage drama of a 1967 drag queen pageant is a must see, as vital and important as the day it debuted back in 1968. If you haven't seen it? Hand in your gay card now, girlfriend.The Queen is a 1968 American documentary film directed by Frank Simon and narrated by Flawless Sabrina. It depicts the experiences of a group of drag queens organizing and participating in the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest held at New York City's Town Hall. The film was screened at the International Critics' Week section of the 1968 Cannes Film Festival; however, the festival was ultimately curtailed and ended due to ongoing civil unrest in France before any awards could be given out. First released in the United States in June of 1968 to generally positive reviews, it was subsequently screened in France (November 1968), Netherlands (1969), Denmark (1969), and Finland (1969).
Clue for you: don't mess with Crystal cuz, oh yeah, she will cut a beyotch.
In the audience - Andy Warhol, George Plimpton and Terry Southern.
Was the pageant rigged? You decide.
All I know is this is one documentary worth seeing, if only for the perspective - look how far drag has come! But even back in 1967, these queens were serving up the kind of realness that can only be termed fierce.
Currently available to stream on Hoopla Digital, Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Plex. You can also rent or purchase it on Amazon Video, Vudu, and Kino Now.
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The Queen - Movie Trailer
(1968)
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3 comments:
Probably one of the best gay docu's right beside Paris is Burning in my opinion and a must view for all!!!!!!
"Don't you darling me darling." Flawless Sabrina is a stunning queen for the time and Crystal is old school drag honey. They don't make them like that anymore. This was when a queen would slap the shit out of you, cut you and ask questions later. Queens are to ginger today, although provoked.
Another tidbit...Rachel Harlow... another of the queens in the movie and who won the title went on to have an affair with Grace Kelly's handsome brother, John Kelly, after she had transitioned....it rocked the Philadelphia high society, and Grace never ever talked about it...or his "colorful gay side" She had no room to talk...she slept with half of Hollywood before becoming a princess. She was the early Melania.
It's important to know history in order to move forward.
OMG YES!
I lovelovelovelove this documentary. I watched it in college in my Women's Studies class! Then again in the LGBTQ group. Then again. And again.
Flawless Sabrina was a bitch (white man in the seventies, hello?) and yes it was rigged. They wanted the blond twink (that later transitioned) to win.
Crystal LaBeija is an ICON.
XOXO
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