February 28, 2020
Paris Is Burning
Greg Vellante READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Directed by Jennie Livingston and almost immediately cementing itself as a landmark achievement in documentary filmmaking, 1990's "Paris is Burning" is not just monumental ... it's necessary. It's a meditated work that's filled with exuberant life, following the "ball culture" of NYC's community of Latinx, African-American, gay and transgender citizens.
Race, gender, class, sexuality and more come under the microscope by Livingston, who spent years invested in this fascinating community she stumbled upon while studying film at NYU in Greenwich Village. The payoff is grand, as "Paris is Burning" is both entertaining and important. In 2016, the film was rightfully selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." And now, it's coming to The Criterion Collection.
Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Sundance Institute and Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, "Paris is Burning" has been given new life through Criterion. Approved by Livingston, the 2K digital restoration looks wondrous as the film deals with movement and colors in ways that are visually transfixing. You'll also get a heaping helping of bonus material, including a new conversation between Livingston, ball community members Sol Pendavis and Freddie Pendavis, and filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris. There's also over an hour of never-before-seen outtakes and boy are they worth the watch. Additional bonus features include:
� Audio commentary from 2005, featuring Livingston, ball community members Freddie Pendavis and Willi Ninja, and film editor Jonathan Oppenheim
� New interview with LGBT film historian Jenni Olson
� Episode of "The Joan Rivers Show" from 1991, featuring Livingston and ball community members Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Freddie Pendavis, and Ninja
� Trailer
� An essay by filmmaker Michelle Parkerson and a 1991 review by poet Essex Hemphill
"Paris is Burning"
Blu-ray
$31.96
www.criterion.com/films/29647-paris-is-burning
