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Licensor Information
Jennie Livingston, Voguing Films LLC
Directed by: Jennie Livingston
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, Paris Is Burning offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses,” from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women—including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza—Paris Is Burning brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community.
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Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
Blu-ray
Disc:
BD-50 (1 Disc)
Total: 1 Disc
Regions:
A (Blu-ray)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1
Audio Options:
English PCM Mono 1.0
Resolution:
1080p/24
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Interview, Outtakes, Audio Commentary, Television Program, Theatrical Trailer, Booklet
- New conversation between Jennie Livingston, ball community members Sol Pendavis and Freddie Pendavis, and filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris
- Over an hour of never-before-seen outtakes
- Audio commentary from 2005, featuring Jennie Livingston, ball community members Freddie Pendavis and Willi Ninja, and film editor Jonathan Oppenheim
- Interview with experimental filmmaker Jenni Olson
- Interview with current House of Xtravaganza mother, Gisele Xtravaganza
- Episode of The Joan Rivers Show from 1991, featuring Jennie Livingston and ball community members Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Freddie Pendavis, and Willi Ninja
- Trailer
- An essay by filmmaker Michelle Parkerson and a 1991 review by poet and activist Essex Hemphill
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Restoration Information
Paris Is Burning
Restoration by:
The Criterion Collection
UCLA Film & Television Archive
Sundance Institute
Outfest UCLA Legacy Project
Year: 2019
Scanned at: 2K Digital
Restored at: 2K Digital
Sources:
16mm Interpositive
Release Notes on Restoration
Paris Is Burning
Paris Is Burning is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. This new digital new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution from a 16mm interpositive and restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Sundance Institute and Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, with additional restoration performed by the Criterion Collection. Preservation was funded by Sundance Institute, Outfest and Andrew J. Kuehn Jr. Foundation.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from an HDCAM SR source.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from an HDCAM SR source.