Paris is Burning

FROM THE CRITERION COLLECTION

After chasing my favorite documentary of all time from streaming platform to streaming platform, I decided it was finally time to make a commitment. I am finally the proud owner of a copy of the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning.

30 years since its initial release, and this honest yet touching film about the Harlem ball culture is still firmly cemented LGBT film history, capturing the spirit of the 1980s houses through interviews with trailblazing house mothers and legendary house children.

This new release of the film via The Criterion Collection - including hours of bonus material - is available on both DVD and Blue Ray. The DVD version consists of two discs, while the Blue Ray version is consolidated to one disc.

The Criterion Collection edition includes

• The film in new 2K digital restoration

• Audio commentary from a 2005 viewing featuring director Jennie Livingston, film editor John Oppenheim and cast members Freddie Pendavis and Willi Ninja

• Over an hour of outtakes and deleted scenes

• An exclusive conversation between Livingston, cast members Freddie and Sol Pendavis, and filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris

• Interviews/essays on the film by Jenni Olson, Michelle Parkerson and Essex Hemphill

• The full 1991 episode of The Joan Rivers Show featuring Livingston and the cat of the film.

Warning: While The Criterion Collection’s edition of this film is available on iTunes, that digital download does not include any of the bonus features. Your best bet to getting the full effect is purchasing a physical copy, which I have linked down below.

At the moment, I am in the middle of publishing an in-depth series about the film. To learn what Paris is Burning is all about, check out my series introduction. The best ways to keep updated on my future posts in this series is to follow me on Instagram, like me on Facebook or subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page.