The Queen (1968 film)

The Queen
Directed by Frank Simon
Narrated by Flawless Sabrina
Release date
 1968
Language English

The Queen is a 1968 documentary film directed by Frank Simon and narrated by Jack Doroshow (Flawless Sabrina). It depicts the experiences of the participants and organization of the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest held at New York City's town hall. [1] [2]

The film was screened at the International Critics' Week of the 1968 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

Synopsis

Jack, a 24 year old gay man living in New York and working as a drag queen named 'Sabrina', is the mistress of ceremonies for the Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest. The contest operates on a points system - a maximum of five points each for walk, talk, bathing suit, gown, make-up and hair-do, and ten points for beauty.

Jack's protégé, Richard, performs under the name 'Harlow' and has entered the contest. Also competing is Crystal LaBeija (founder of the House of Labeija, of which Pepper LaBeija was a member and later the mother). Harlow and Crystal both make it into the top five, with each finalist completing a final runway walk into the audience. Crystal places fourth, to her displeasure, and storms off the stage. Harlow is crowned as the winner.

As the contests begin to pack up, Crystal and another contestant are shown exclaiming to the camera why Harlow should not have won. Crystal states that the contest was fixed, that she may sue Sabrina, and that she knows she is beautiful despite not winning. As they begin to leave the building, Crystal runs into Harlow and Sabrina on the stairs where Sabrina denies the allegations. The film closes on Harlow out of drag, walking through a subway station and twirling his crown on one hand.

In between rehearsing and performing, the contestants discuss topics of the time such as draft boards, sexual identity and sex-change operations, and being a drag queen. One contestant recounts receiving a draft notice and being turned away because of his feminine appearance, despite writing a letter to the government requesting to serve so he could protect his country.

References

  1. ↑ "Detail view of Movies Page". www.afi.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  2. ↑ "Screen: 'Queen' of Drag Is Crowned:Documentary Depicts a Camp Beauty Contest Two Shorts Share Bill at Kips Bay Theater". New York Times. 1968-06-18.
  3. ↑ "7e Selecion de la Semaine de la Critique - 1968". archives.semainedelacritique.com. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.