Pageant (film) explained

Pageant
Director:Ron Davis
Stewart Halpern
Producer:Ron Davis
Stewart Halpern
Starring:Carl Glorioso
Anthony Brewer
David Lowman
Robert Martin
Victor Bowling
Alyssa Edwards
Cinematography:Clay Westervelt
Editing:Bill Haugse
James Cude

Pageant is a 2008 documentary film directed and produced together by Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern. The film explored the behind-the-scenes dramas and realities of the 34th Miss Gay America Contest held in 2004. The film's central theme was the universal desire to be beautiful, noticed and chosen. The film garnered 10 film festival awards before airing on the Sundance Channel in 2010.[1]

Critical response

While some reviewers, such as Martin Tsai from The Village Voice felt that the film only skimmed along the surface insanity saying that "filmmakers Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern-Fingerhut's treatment is only skin-deep, eschewing any exploration of gender politics or psychological effects induced by the ubiquitous ugly-duckling-turned-swan narrative."[2] Other reviewers such as Nathan Lee in the New York Times felt that it was "not without its charm, and it's touching, in a goofy sort of way, to see how seriously everyone takes it."[3] George Williamson in An Eye for Film described it as "... an entertaining portrait of some wonderfully larger than life characters, a mind blowing amount of effort and an incredible desire to win."[4] Michael Klemm from Cinemaqueer recommended it saying "If you just want a good time, you can't go wrong with Pageant.[5] Anyone who likes to indulge their inner divas should be enthralled." Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 85% approval rating.

Awards and nominations

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Channel. Sundance. Pageant. reviews. Sundance Channel. 18 March 2012.
  2. Tsai, Martin, "the Village Voice", 2008, http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-12-24/film/pageant-profiles-miss-gay-america-2006/
  3. Lee, Nathan, "The New York Times", December 26, 2008, The New York Times
  4. Williamson, George, (2008) "An Eye for Film" March 18, 2012.
  5. Klemm, Michael, (2008) "October Grab Bag; Pageant, Cinemaqueer" http://www.cinemaqueer.com/review%20pages%203/chefsspecial.html March 25, 2012
  6. Web site: iW NEWS | Frameline Audiences Award "XXY," "Pageant" | Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews . Indiewire . 2011-11-08 . 2012-04-02.
  7. Web site: Shepherd . Lindy T. . Film: Florida Film Festival - What To See . Orlandoweekly.com . 2008-03-27 . 2012-05-03.
  8. Web site: Slamdance Film Festival 2008 : Pageant . 2012-03-31 . dead . https://archive.today/20121203083326/http://slamdance.bside.com/2008/films/pageant_slamdance . 2012-12-03 .
  9. Web site: Outflix Festival Onscreen - Event Brings Some Out-of-Mainstream Films for Annual Memphis Showcase - Entertainment News . redOrbit . 2008-09-05 . 2012-05-03.
  10. Web site: 2008 Festival - Program 24 . Imageout.org . 2012-05-03.
  11. Web site: Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival 2008 : Pageant . 2012-04-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080519122030/http://rainbow.bside.com/2008/films/pageant_rainbow2008 . 2008-05-19 .
  12. Web site: LI Gay and Lesbian Film Festival . 2012-03-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120309032434/http://www.liglff.org/fireisland.html . 2012-03-09 . |title=LI Gay and Lesbian Film Festival |publisher=Liglff.org
  13. Web site: Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival is the second oldest film festival of its kind in the US and prides itself on showcasing the best LGBT films and videos each and every year . reelingfilmfestival.org . 2011-11-12 . 2012-04-02.
  14. Web site: Papaleo . Dayna . GUIDE: ImageOut 2008 - Pop Culture . Rochester City Newspaper . 2012-04-02.

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