PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
A film review by Max Hoffmann
Copyright 1994 Max Hoffmann
World Premiere!!! Castro Theatre, SF Film Festival Sun May 8th
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT -- Australian 1994, 107 min Director & Screenplay: Stephan Elliot Producer: Al Clark, Michael Hamlyn Camera: Brian Breheny Editor: Sue Blainey Cast: Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Bill Hunter, Sara Chadwick Print: Polygram International
Rating: Scale 1-10 (10 = highest) 11
A lengthy, standing ovation in SF's venerable Castro theatre ended the world premiere of what may prove to be the festival's runaway hit! A neary full house in the 2,000-seat venue proved that a 10:15 PM show time on a Sunday night couldn't dampen the film's appeal: take three drag queens, a wardrobe that wouldn't fit in Imelda Marcos's closet, add a bus, a soundtrack full of 70s disco divas and a trip across the outback to Alice Springs, stir up the ingredients with several secrets, unexpected plot twists and romance, and you have a prescription guaranteed to lift your spirits. PRISCILLA is high camp comedy, with mainstream appeal that succeeds on nearly every level, a definite "cross over" candidate if it finds the right distribution. Imagine the funniest, most life-affirming moments from HAROLD AND MAUDE, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, STRICTLY BALLROOM, and BAGDAD CAFE and you'll have some sense of what a jewel this film is.
It's worth the price of admission for the costumes and wigs alone! We haven't seen anything this outrageous since Von Sternberg took Marlena Dietrich's eyebrows to new heights. Although the premise for this film might scare away the less imaginative film goer, for the rest of us there's something supremely liberating about seeing a silver-lame coated drag queen, straddling the top of a speeding bus like a champion water skier, trailed by a 50-foot mylar scarf, lip-synching Opera! I don't know about you, but that's something I just can't see too often!
PRISCILLA is a far cry from PARIS IS BURNING, with its sad, clown-like drag queens vainly trying to latch on to someone else's faded glamour. These girls tear through the heartland of Australia's homophobia, like a sequined Conestoga wagon, blazing new trails into the frontiers of possiblity and self-discovery. Each encounter leaves the people they meet changed, mostly for the better. They're living proof that Goddess placed drag queens on the planet to bring life and color into our sad and dreary lives.
Hugo Weaving (of PROOF) as "Mitzi" gets an offer to do a four-week gig in Alice Springs. He's joined by Guy Pearce as "Felicia" and Terence Stamp as "Bernadette" to go westward-ho, scattering sequins and adventures along the way. Stephan Elliot's script has almost as many juicy one-liners as sequins and rivals THE WOMEN for deliciously bitchy humor. The screenplay often steers the audience's attention one way, and then pulls the punchline in another. Bernadette joins the trek because his twenty-five-year-old lover has just died. As the crane shot descends over the sequined crowd gathered around the grave site, everyone in the audience immediately draws the conclusion that the young man died of AIDS. Heading towards the limo, Berndatte steams, "cheeky little bugger, he was bleaching his hair in the bathroom, was overcome by the peroxide fumes, passed out and hit his head on the tiles! I told him to go to a salon."
Although there is one fag bashing, and several intense encounters with homophobia, neither the characters nor the film ever wallow in self pity, or take on the status of a victim. The three drag stars take life face on, on their own terms, often trading successfully on their underdog status (much the way the first ROCKY did).
Terence Stamp (FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, THE COLLECTOR) in his first comedic role, gives a touching and inspired performance as a tired but regal transsexual who's seen it all. Unlike other mainstream actor's, who go over the top doing drag, Stamp brings a quiet sense of dignity to his Tallulah-esque diva. If the film gets sufficient distribution, Stamp may have to make room on his mantle for a little gold statue next spring.
Stamp garnered some of the best on-liners in the film, and aims them with the accuracy of a heat-seeking missile. He's a scene stealer, equal to Eve Arden in STAGEDOOR. When Guy Pearce as "Felicia" confesses he's always had a fantasy about climbing Ayer's rock in full drag and heels, Stamp regally flips his tresses, closes his eyes, counts for just the right beat and rasps, "just what this country needs, another cock in a frock on the rock!"
Elliot's script fleshes out his characters quite nicely, belying most of the stereotypes usually related to drag. (It's revealed early on that one of the trio has been "batting for both sides" so to speak, giving rise to a brief, healthy dose of "heterophobia.") Speaking of fleshed out, Guy Pearce needs little help in that arena. His scantily clad form, often out of drag, is the stuff of a calendar publisher's dream! Pearce is the perfect foil for Stamp's world weary comic timing. Hugo Weaving's Mitzi, the more responsible member of the party, keeps one eye on the road and the uncertain future ahead, in a highly compelling performance (with considerable "sticking power" for a comedy).
Characters encountered along the way are as rich and endearing as any found in BAGDAD CAFE. Bill Hunter as the garage mechanic, who chucks his conventional lifestyle to join the merry trio, makes a strong mark on the film. As does Sara Chadwick as the kind of mother that is the stuff of Jesse Helm's worst nightmares. I'll avoid any more plot spoilers, but will say that the "ping pong" scene must be seen to be believed.
In the director's talk, Elliott revealed that the costumes by his friends Lizzy Gardener and Tim Chapell were done on a literal shoe string. My favorite was the 60's miniskirt outfit made of cheap plastic sandels! Elliott revealed that the natural "bounce" for Stamp's bosom was achieved by filling condoms with moisturizer. One scene with a heavy embrace had to be re-filmed when the condoms popped! Several of the costumes used during club performances make eye popping visual puns (including the Sydney Opera house).
Any budget restraints on the film were belied by the stunning camera work and keen sense of lighting. Frequent interior shots on the bus never approached claustrophobia due to the variety of imaginative camera angles.
Incidentally, director Elliot had originally planned to use real drag queens. But as he put it, when he ran an ad announcing the opportunity to trek across the outback in drag, covered in flies, he only had one applicant, so he used real actors. Stamp was chosen from a list of actors who were considered to be playing "against type." Elliot never imagined that Stamp would actually accept. If the film is seen by the right audience in LA, Stamp's the decision to play "Bernadette" may prove to be the shrewdest move of his career.
PRISCILLA doesn't have distribution yet, but it's under consideration by Polygram. FAX this review with your vote to see it to:
Polygram Film International
9348 Civic Center Drive, Sutie 300
Beverly Hills, CA 90210, USA
FAX: 310-777-7709
.
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