The Queen (1968 film)

The Queen
Four images showing stages of Flawless Sabrina getting into drag against a black background
Directed byFrank Simon
Produced by
Narrated byJack Doroshow
Cinematography
  • Frank Simon
  • Ken van Sickle
  • Robert Elfstrom
  • Alfons Schilling (add)
  • Joseph Zysman (add)
Edited by
  • Fred Shore
  • Geraldine Fabrikant
Distributed byGrove Press
Release date
  • June 17, 1968 (1968-06-17)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Queen is a 1968 American documentary film directed by Frank Simon and narrated by Flawless Sabrina. It depicts the experiences of the drag queens organizing and participating in 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 section of the 1968 Cannes Film Festival; however, the festival was ultimately curtailed and ended due to ongoing civil unrest in France before any awards could be given out.[3]

First released in the United States in June 1968 to generally positive reviews, it was subsequently screened in France (November 1968), Netherlands (1969), Denmark (1969), and Finland (1969). The film was revived in January 2013 at New York Film Forum, followed by a 4K restoration screened during the 2019 Melbourne International Film Festival.[4]

In 2020, Kino Lorber released a Blu-ray of the restored version of The Queen, with bonus additional footage, an interview with Flawless Sabrina, and Queens at Heart as additional features.[5][6]

  1. ^ "The Queen (1968)". AFI Catalog. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  2. ^ Adler, Renata (June 18, 1968). "Screen: 'Queen' of Drag Is Crowned". The New York Times. Vol. CXVII, no. 40323 (Late City ed.). p. 37. ProQuest 118270872.
  3. ^ "7e Selecion de la Semaine de la Critique - 1968". archives.semainedelacritique.com. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  4. ^ Portwood, Jerry (2019-12-16). "Why 'The Queen' Documentary Is an Essential Queer Time Capsule". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  5. ^ Stiffler, Scott (February 22, 2020). "'The Queen' earns its crown in drag herstory pantheon". Los Angeles Blade. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Schaefer, Stephen (June 1, 2020). "Stephen Schaefer's Hollywood & Mine". Boston Herald. Retrieved June 14, 2020.