The digitally remastered 1991 drag-scene documentary "Paris Is Burning" (⋆⋆⋆, rated R) shows how far society has come — and how far there's still left to go.
This look at "voguing" — called such because participants struck poses both emulating and ridiculing the high-fashion models in Vogue magazine — was considered provocative at the time and drew calls for a boycott from conservative Christians.
Now the practice is so commonplace that there's even a TV series about it, "Pose." But not everything has changed. In interviews, many of the subjects talk about their biggest wish: to be accepted by mainstream society as who they are and be able to live a "normal" life like everyone else.
The film could use a little more analysis — especially when seen three decades in retrospect — but one has to remember that then-29-year-old director Jennie Livingston was making her very first film — she hadn't even made a short film before that — and, under those circumstances, this was truly remarkable. (Showing at the Lagoon.)
Jeff Strickler is the assistant features editor for the Star Tribune. He has spent most of his career working for the Variety section, including reviewing movies and covering religion. Now he leads a team of a reporters who cover entertainment and lifestyle issues.
jeff.strickler@startribune.com612-673-7392
