Thursday, Jul. 09, 2009
he said / she said
A Timeline of Drag Cinema
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Dressing in drag for entertainment’s sake goes back to the first scribbles of recorded history. The ancient Greeks prohibited women from acting in theater productions thus becoming the first to put men in skirts prancing in front of cheering crowds since way back in the B.C. The practice continued, most notably in the Elizabethan Era with Shakespeare. Yes, Juliet was a dude. Just like Shakespeare, today’s films deal with drag in the same two outlets – either comedies or drama – sometimes mixing the two, but usually equaling great success. So, follow the timeline of this phenomenon to highlight your favorite drag films.
• 1959, “Some like It Hot” starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Curtis and Lemmon break the gender barrier by dressing in drag – won an Oscar and nominated six times.
• 1960, “Psycho” the mirror image of “Some Like It Hot,” Alfred Hitchcock teaches us cross-dressing is all together not funny – nominated for four Oscars.
• 1972 through 1988, the incomparable Divine came along in the 1970s to serve as John Waters’ cross-dressing muse in “Pink Flamingos” and “Female Trouble” and again in the ‘80s with “Polyester” and “Hairspray.” Divine was a 300-pound transvestite who not only sang and danced but also ate real dog feces on film to help Waters create a cinematic version of the “Theater of the Absurd”.
• 1975, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” perhaps the true impact of cross-dressing in film couldn’t be measured before this. This film’s success as a cult classic had kids holding midnight shows and dressing the parts – “Rocky Horror” is the “Star Wars” of drag cinema.
• 1982, “Victor Victoria” stars Julie Andrews – you may know Andrews from “The Sound of Music” and “Mary Poppins” – in this girl impersonating a guy impersonating a girl flick – won an Oscar and was nominated for seven.
• Also 1982, “Tootsie” stars Dustin Hoffman in a true classic – won an Oscar and was nominated for ten.
• 1985, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” features William Hurt playing a cross-dressing prisoner – won an Oscar and nominated for four.
• 1991, “Silence of the Lambs”– who could ever forget the tuck? – won five Oscars and nominated for seven.
• 1992, “The Crying Game” – spoiler alert … changed the whole structure of plots by making the leading lady a guy – won an Oscar and nominated for six.
• 1993, “Mrs. Doubtfire” brought the coifed wigs and stockings back to comedy by having a middle-aged man (Robin Williams) play a senior citizen female – won an Oscar.
• 1994, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” stars Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, two guys who used their pumps as launch pads to blast off into successful Hollywood stars – won an Oscar.
• Also 1994, “Ed Wood”, Johnny Depp accompanied Tim Burton in exploring the exploits of the cross-dressing director, Ed Wood – won two Oscars.
• 1995, “To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” was the American answer to Australia’s “Priscilla.” Starring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo – didn’t win any Oscars but it was fun to watch the cast in padded corsets and spandex.
• 1996, “The Birdcage” had Robin Williams returning again on this list, making drag a family affair again – nominated for an Oscar.
• 1998, “Shakespeare in Love” was a critic and audience favorite. The period piece was not a true drag film but it delved into origins of cross-dressing as a practice in the entertainment industry – won seven Oscars and nominated for thirteen.
• 2000 – 2004, “Big Momma’s House,” “White Chicks,” “Sorority Boys” and “Juwanna Mann” slapstick drag comedy popped up through the early 2000s – mostly unfunny and a bit trite but huge with teenagers and young adults.
• 2005, “Transamerica” is a dramady dealing with a pre-operative transsexual on a journey with his/her son – nominated for two Oscars.
• 2006 – Present, “The Madea Movies” – the new millennium of drag cinema has been dominated by Tyler Perry’s cross-dressing Madea. Far from Oscar contenders, Madea has a huge following that keeps the Perry film factory churning – releasing almost a movie a year since 2002.
Producing millions in revenue, Oscars by the armful and actor credibility – drag is the equivalent of cinematic gold.
