The Birdcage (1996)

The American comedy The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996) is the American remake of the French-Italian film La Cage aux Folles/Birds of a Feather) (Édouard Molinaro, 1978) which was based on actor-playwright Jean Poiret's play 'La Cage Aux Folles' (1973). Director Mike Nichols teamed up with his former partner/screenwriter Elaine May for the first time in many years and for the first time together in films to create this sophisticated, remake of the phenomenally popular French musical farce. The film stars Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest. Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart - pre-Ally McBeal, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski appear in supporting roles.


British postcard by Boomerang. Photo: UIP. Nathan Lane and Robin Williams in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996).


French collectors card in the series 'Portrait de Stars; L'encyclopédie du Cinéma' by Edito Service, 1994. Photo: the Kobal Collection. Michel Serrault as Zaza Napoli in La Cage aux Folles (Edouard Molinaro, 1978).


Vintage press photo by UIP / United Artists, no. 156/29. Photo: Lorey Sebastian. Nathan Lane as Starina in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996).

One of the highest-grossing foreign-language films

Jean Poiret's original play 'La Cage aux Folles', starring Poiret and Michel Serrault, ran for almost 1,800 performances, from 1973 to 1978, at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris.

The French-Italian film version, La Cage aux folles/Birds of a Feather (Édouard Molinaro, 1978) starring Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault, was also a considerable commercial success.

It became one of the highest-grossing foreign-language films released in the United States of all time. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for three Oscars: Best Director (Molinaro), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Costume Design. Michel Serrault won the César Award for Best Actor. The film was followed by two sequels: La Cage aux Folles II/Birds of a Feather 2 (1980), also directed by Edouard Molinaro, and La Cage aux folles 3 - 'Elles' se marient/La Cage aux Folles 3: The Wedding (1985), directed by Georges Lautner.

The 1983 Broadway musical 'La Cage aux Folles' with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein based on the play and the film, was also successful. It was directed by Arthur Laurents and the cast included Gene Barry as Georges and George Hearn as Albin. Opening on Broadway in 1983 'La Cage' broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual relationship. The original production ran for more than four years (1,761 performances), and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.

In 1996, an American film remake titled The Birdcage was released and relocated to South Beach. It was the first time Mike Nichols and Elaine May, who helped define improvisational comedy in the 1950s, worked together on a film. The stars were Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.


French lobby card by C. Darmon, Paris. Ugo Tognazzi and Claire Maurier in La Cage aux Folles/Birds of a Feather (Edouard Molinaro, 1978).


French lobby card by C. Darmon, Paris. Benny Luke as Jakob 'the maid' in La Cage aux Folles/Birds of a Feather (Edouard Molinaro, 1978).


French lobby card by C. Darmon, Paris. Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault in La Cage aux Folles/Birds of a Feather (Edouard Molinaro, 1978).

Comic chaos

Val (Dan Futterman) and Barbara (Calista Flockhart) are engaged to be married. For a long time, they have wanted to avoid their parents' meeting but now it really has to happen. However, this does not seem very simple.

Val's father, Armand Goldman (Robin Williams) owns a gay nightclub called The Birdcage in South Miami Beach. He lives upstairs in his nightclub with Albert (Nathan Lane), who has been his lover for some 20 years and is as Starina the star of the show. Albert is a basket case, threatened by encroaching age and insecurity. He functions only because Agador (Hank Azaria), the flamboyant houseboy, tranquillizes him with Pirin tablets. ("They're just aspirin with the `as' scraped off," Agador confides to Armand.)

Barbara's father (Gene Hackman) is an ultra-conservative senator from the Republican Party and co-founder of the Committee for Moral Order. The Senator and family descend upon South Beach to meet Val, his father, but not "Auntie Albert." Albert is devastated that the boy he raised like his own son is turning his back on him. Armand is upset, too, but goes along with a masquerade in which Val's mother (Christine Baranski), who had Val after a one-night stand with Armand, will pretend to be Mrs. Goldman. What ensues is comic chaos.

Three songs written by Stephen Sondheim were adapted and arranged for the film by composer Jonathan Tunick. Albert's first song (as Starina) is 'Can That Boy Foxtrot,' cut from Sondheim's 'Follies'. 'Little Dream' was written specifically for the film, and ultimately used during Albert's rehearsal with the gum-chewing dancer. While Armand and Katharine dance in her office, they sing 'Love Is in the Air', cut from 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'.

In addition to the Sondheim songs, Jonathan Tunick utilised dance-style music such as Donna Summer's 'She Works Hard for the Money' and Sister Sledge's 'We Are Family', along with Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine's 'Conga'.


French lobby card by C. Darmon, Paris. Ugo Tognazzi and Rémi Laurent in La Cage aux Folles/Birds of a Feather (Edouard Molinaro, 1978).


Vintage press photo by UIP / United Artists, no. 76/3A. Photo: Lorey Sebastian. Dan Futterman and Robin Williams in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996).


Vintage press photo by UIP / United Artists, no. 90/13A. Photo: Lorey Sebastian. Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest and Calista Flockhart in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996).

The twisted logic of screwball comedy

The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1998) received positive reviews upon its release. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times: "The Birdcage isn't about plot, anyway. It's about character, and about the twisted logic of screwball comedy, in which everybody acts the craziest just when they're trying to make the most sense. What makes Mike Nichols' version more than just a retread is good casting in the key roles, and a wicked screenplay by Elaine May, who keeps the original story but adds little zingers here and there ('Live on Fisher Island and get buried in Palm Beach - that way you'll get the best of Florida!')."

Derek Armstrong at AllMovie: "Mike Nichols' The Birdcage is a funny, slapstick, but ultimately slight farce, notable as a forerunner in the movement to make gay characters mainstream and profitable at the box office. It succeeded big time, winning a broad audience and raking in close to $125 million.

It's rare that another actor gets to upstage Robin Williams, but Nathan Lane does so wonderfully, playing an ungracefully ageing drag queen who performs at the Miami nightclub owned by Williams, his subdued life partner."

The Birdcage was nominated for, among others, an Academy Award for art direction (Bo Welch,

Cheryl Caraski) and Golden Globes for best comedy and best comedy actor (Nathan Lane). In addition, the film actually won American Comedy Awards for the funniest lead actor (Lane) and most humorous supporting actress (Dianne Wiest) and a Screen Actors Guild Award for all actors' acting.

The Birdcage grossed $18,275,828 in its opening weekend, topping the box office. It remained at No. 1 for the next three weeks. By the end of its 14-week run, the film had grossed $124,060,553 domestically and $61,200,000 internationally, eventually reaching a total of US$185,260,553 worldwide.


Vintage press photo by UIP / United Artists, no. 33/19A. Photo: Lorey Sebastian. Dan Futterman, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria and Robin Williams in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996).


Vintage press photo by UIP / United Artists, no. 165/33A. Photo: Lorey Sebastian. Nathan Lane and Robin Williams in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996).

Source: Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert.com), Derek Armstrong (AllMovie), Sandra Brennan (AllMovie), Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.