The Queen, 1968
This documentary follows the competition for the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty pageant--a competition that brings together drag queens from around the nation. In its short run-time, the film spends about half of its time in the hotel with the drag queens before the competition and about half of its time covering the competition and its immediate aftermath.
This film makes for a great companion piece to
Paris is Burning, in part because of a few familiar faces that pop up and also because of the different cultures that they portray.
Like
Paris is Burning, it is fascinating to hear the different queens talk about their relationship with gender. In particular, I thought that a conversation between three queens about their views on women and their attitudes toward gender-reassignment surgery was very interesting. One drag queen talks about the complications that drag creates in his relationship because his partner doesn't want to be with someone who looks like a woman.
The pageant itself is interesting, and very different from the balls seen in
Paris is Burning. It's all much more mannered and like a traditional pageant with bathing suits and ball gowns and talent. The fallout afterwards--involving the very infamous sequence of Crystal LaBeija sounding off after she's denied a top spot--is also kind of fascinating. LaBeija accuses the organizer of essentially rigging the outcome in an effort to build publicity for a local queen. During the confrontation, Crystal is told that she is "showing her colors", to which she replies "I have a
right to show my color[/i]". It's a charged moment that reflect that even within a marginalized community, biases can still create a hierarchy.
I was a bit disappointed that after the fireworks, the film simply ends. LaBeija wants to know if the judging panel was stacked. The organizer says that they can sort it out at the after party, but then nothing comes of it. Having raised the issue of racism within gay and pageant culture, the film simply lets that thread drop. It feels a bit like the movie doesn't genuinely want to engage with the question, and that's a let down.
A fascinating cultural artifact that might not have the same heart and soul as
Paris is Burning but is nonetheless an interesting glimpse at the development of a subculture.