A New Week exploring queer cinema (THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT)

 

And yes it’s time for one of my personal favourites of the queer cinema. Stephan Elliot’s The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert appeared in cinemas and caught anyone by surprise. Probably nobody expected it…

Anthony/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia, two drag-queens, along with the transsexual Bernadette contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They board on their shiny lavender bus, Priscilla, and they head at the other side of the country. En route, it is discovered that the woman they’ve contracted with is Anthony’s wife, and among their stops they meet Bob, who fixes their broken and joins them…

Priscilla was a big surprise, collected awards (even an Oscar for Costume Design) and was an international box office hit, something that rarely happens with Australian movies lately. First shock has to be the cast. The hard mucho Terence Stamp (probably the younger ones would not know him, but he has been the nightmarish The Collector, up to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorem, and todays Superman’s alien Father in Tv’s Smallville) portraying so tenderly the ageing Bernadette, was probably the ace under Elliot’s sleeve. Then you have Hugo Weaving as Anthony/Mimzy some years before personifying two cinema characters Matrix’s Mr.Smith beating endlessly Keanu Reeves and Lord of The Rings’ elf king Elrond. And of course you have the cute Guy Pearce a little time before you discover him in L.A. Confidential and Memento, playing at the edge Adam/Felicia the gayest of three.

And I have to admit that Guy here proves how sexy he can be, dancing have naked and so eleganlty. I do believe he is one of the most intresting actors, I have to post something on him…

All three of them managed to go through their demanding roles, avoiding sterotypes, never giving you the feeling that they were making fun of their characters. On the contrary thanx to Elliot’s great screenplay they manage to offer three of the most amazing and well built gay characters of cinema. You can always see The Wong Foo Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar the Americanized version of the film, and see how stereotypes can ruin a great idea, and when actors are actually afraid of their roles so they head towards slapstick.

I loved the movie because of its courage to show the kitschiness of a drag show, the colours, the costumes, the songs, the attitude. At no point tries to calm things down in order to be accepted by the audience. The three actors really dive into the shows, the dance routines, the lip-synch and present us with one of the greatest drug shows you will ever see (though the speed of the costume change can only be succeed through editing).

Watch this scene to find out where some eurovision songs get presantation ideas, Sylvia Night for example

Cece Penston – Finally (7″ Choice Mix)

 

But even when the lights go out, the costumes are packed and the three of them are left to talk, true emotions rise, themes of love, dreams, inner fears are revealed and you can clearly follow the characters. Yes the plot is in the usual idea of a self discovering road-movie, but rarely do you see such a lively, colourful and musical road trip. True till the end rises up beyond what you would expect from a road trip with three drug queens. A film that succeed in every part, great cinematography with the desert landscape offering great photo stills, costumes, make-up, performances, originality in screenplay, a soundtrack full of disco tunes and gay anthems, that no matter how much you may hate them, here are presented in a great way.

Unmissable, you have to see it and you can always catch it up with friends. One of the stand out’s of queer cinema that even your straight friends or parents will appreciate. They discovered themselves and you ‘ll have a great time. i am not goin gto add anymore clips because it will just ruin the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it. Unfortunatelly the writer/director after this movie has been destroyed by the Hollywood system and according to his saying:

“Priscilla was the only time I’ve ever had final cut on a film and I wanted that again. This project was really important to me. When I took the project through the studio system, I could tell that I’d lose control if I went down that road”