The Adventures of
Priscilla
,
Queen of the Desert
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
A Critical Review
By: Jason M. Ebel
Genre: Comedy/Musical
Official Run Time: 104 Min
Rating AU: M15+
Rating US: R
Country: Australia
Filming Dates: 13 Sept-28 Oct, 1993
On Site Filming Locations: Sydney, Broken Hill (New South Wales),
Watarrka National Park, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs (Northern Territory),
The Castle (South Australia)
Cast & Crew
Executive Producer Rebel Penfold-Russell
Producers Al Clark, Michael Hamlyn
Associate Producer/Unit Production Mgr. / Post-Production Supervisor Sue
Seeary
Director Stephan Elliott
Screenplay Stephan Elliott
Bill Hunter Bob
Guy Pearce Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow
Terence Stamp Bernadette Bassenger
Hugo Weaving Anthony 'Tick' Belrose / Mitzi Del Bra
June Marie Bennett Shirley
Sarah Chadwick Marion
Al Clark Priest
Julia Cortez Cynthia
Alan Dargin Aboriginal Man
Mark Holmes Benji
Rebel Penfold-Russell Logowoman
Margaret Pomeranz Adam's Mum
Ken Radley Frank
John Casey Bartender
Murray Davies Miner
Frank Cornelius Piano Player
Bob Boyce Petrol Station Attendant
Leighton Picken Young Adam
Maria Kmet Ma
Joseph Kmet Pa
Daniel Kellie Young Ralph
Hannah Corbett Ralph’s Sister
Trevor Barrie Ralph’s Father
Tim Chappel Drag Queen in Barber’s Chair
Stephan Elliot Doorman
Lizzy Gardiner Naughty Hotel Maid
Cinematographer Brian J. Breheny
Editor Sue Blainey
Composer Guy Gross
Production Designer Owen Paterson
Costume Designers Tim Chappel, Lizzy Gardiner
Art Director Colin Gibson
Makeup Cassie Hanlon
Sound Phil Judd, Guntis Sics, Stephen Erskine, Angus Robertson
Asst. Director Stuart Freeman, Emma Schofield
Location Manager Rick Kornaat
Stunt Coordinator Robert Simper
Choreographer Mark White
Accountant John May
Music Score (Original and Adapted) Guy Gross
Production Company Latent Image Production
Finance Polygram Filmed Entertainment, FFC (Film Finance Corporation), NSW
Film & Television Office, Apocalypse
Release Dates
United States of America 10 August 1994
Australia 8 September 1994
United Kingdom 14 October 1994
Denmark & Finland 18 November 1994
France 4 January 1995
Box Office Figures
Australia Opening $1,253,624 AUD,
Gross $16,459,245 AUD
United States of America $11,059, 700 (USA)
United Kingdom $823,293 (UK)
Awards
Cannes Film Festival
Audience Favourite
AFI Nominations 1994
Best film
Best Achievement in Direction
Best Original Screenplay
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Original Music Score
Best Achievement in Production Design
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Academy Awards, USA 1995
Won Best Costume Design Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner
Golden Globes, USA 1995
Nominated Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Terence Stamp
Seattle International Film Festival 1994
Won Best Actor Terence Stamp
Won Best Film
British Academy Awards 1994
Won Best Costume Design Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel
Won Best Make Up Cassie Hanlon and Angela Conte
The
"Finally (7" Choice Mix)"
Sound Track
Performed by Ce Ce Peniston
Written by Rodney K. Jackson, Ce Ce
Peniston, Felipe Delgado and E.L. Linnear
"Take A Letter Maria"
Written by R.B. Greaves
Performed by R.B. Greaves
"I've Never Been To Me"
"Mamma Mia"
Written by 'Ken Hirsch' and 'Ronald Miller
Written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus,
(III)'
and Stig Anderson
Performed by Charlene
Performed by Abba
"Go West"
Written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and
Victor Willis
Performed by the Village People
"Billy Don't Be A Hero"
"Save The Best For Last"
Written by Wendy Wladman, Jon Lind and
Phil Galdston
Performed by Vanessa Williams
"E strano!.. Ah fors e lui"
(from opera "La Traviata")
Written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander
Written by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Paper Lace
Performed by Joan Carden and the Sydney
"My Baby Loves Lovin'"
Symphony Orchestra
Written by Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway
Courtesy ABC Classics
Performed by White Plains
"Fernando"
"I Love The Night Life (Disco 'Round)"
Written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus,
Written by Susan Hutcheson and Alicia
and Stig Anderson
Bridges
Performed by Abba
Performed by Alicia Bridges
Published by Union Songs AB
"Can't Help Lovin' That Man"
Courtesy Sweden Music AB
Written by Jerome Kern and Oscar
"A Desert Holiday"
Hammerstein II
Performed by Guy Pearce
Performed by Trudy Richards
"I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine"
"I Will Survive"
Written by Mack David
Written by Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren
Performed by Guy Pearce
Performed by Gloria Gaynor
"This Old Man"
"A Fine Romance"
Written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields
Performed by Lena Horne
"Shake Your Groove Thing"
Written by Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren
Performed by Peaches & Herb Fame (as Herb)
"I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine"
Written by Mack David
Performed by Patti Page
Performed by Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving
"Ten Fat Trannies"
Performed by Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving
"My Darling, Clementine"
Performed by Hugo Weaving
Video Clips
Official web page http://www.mgm.com/title_title.php?title_star=ADVPRISC
Tribute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOYmTZZIFkU
Finally http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNBsp565UeA
Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNAH2J1Mh9I
Mamma Mia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR_QFgD1y3Q
I will survive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTsw388QK5Q
Blooper reel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpHXsXIOSdA
Drew Carry: an extra special clip from the Drew Carry Show
“Priscilla vs. Rocky Horror” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGkvOaO216E
Random Funny Bits
Bernadette’s life like bust was created by filling up condoms with lotion. At one
point during a strong hug they popped and had to be replaced.
Elliot planned on using real drag queens, after reading the add mentioning outback
travel (flies!) only one showed up to audition.
The line in the closing credits "Shown in Dragarama at select theatres"
is a reference to some theatres using a mirror-ball and colored lighting during the
"Finally" dance number.
The famous thong dress, which won the movie an Academy Award cost only $7.
Tim Curry turned down the role of Mitzy.
Reviews, Interviews, & Nonesuch
Reviews:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adventures_of_priscilla_queen_of_the_desert/
http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/adventuresofpriscilla
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109045/newsgroupreviews
Unofficial Fan Website:
http://www.stephanelliot.netfirms.com/priscilla.html
International Movie Database <http://www.imdb.com/>http://www.imdb.com
PopcornQ Movies - http://www.planetout.com/popcornq/db/getfilm.html?64134
Online Reviews of "Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert"
The Chicago Sun-Times, review by Roger Ebert.
<http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1994/08/937316.html>http://www.su
ntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1994/08/937316.html
Movie Reviews UK, review by Damian Cannon.
<http://www.film.unet.com/Movies/Reviews/Priscilla_Desert.html>http://www.film.unet.com/Movies/Reviews/Priscilla_Desert.html
The Washington Post, review by Desson Howe.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/style/longterm/movies/videos/theadventuresofpriscillarhowe_a0b37f.htm>http://w
ww.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/style/longterm/movies/videos/theadventuresofpriscillarhowe_a0b37f.htm
The Washington Post, review by Rita Kempley.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/style/longterm/movies/videos/theadventuresofpriscillarkempley_a0b37e.htm>http:
//www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/style/longterm/movies/videos/theadventuresofpriscillarkempley_a0b37e.htm
Books:
Australian Film 1978-1994: A Survey of Theatrical Features. Compiled and edited by
Scott Murray. Melbourne: Oxford University Press Australia, 1995.
The Bent Lens: A World Guide to Gay and Lesbian Film. Edited by Claire Jackson
and Peter Tapp. St. Kilda, Victoria: Australian Catalogue Company Ltd., 1997.
Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video. Edited by
Raymond Murray. Philadelphia: TLA Publications, 1994.
Clark, Al. Making Priscilla. Penguin Books: Australia. 1994
O’Regan, Tom. Australian National Cinema. Routledge: London. 1996
Journal Articles:
Screen International .n918 .30 July 1993 p.8
Screen International .n929 .15 October 1993 p.25
Cinema papers .n91 .January 1993 p.3
Cinema papers .n95 .October 1993 p. 63
Cinema Papers .n96 .December 1993 p.65
Film Francais n.2505/6 .6 May 1994 p.64
Screen International .n959 .27 May 1994 p.14
Variety .9 May 1994 p. 76
Metro .n100 .Summer 1994/5 p. 23-26
Interview .v24. n8. August 1994 p.36-37
Premiere .v8 .n2 October 1994 p. 100-107
Empire .n65 .November 1994 p. 53-54
Empire .n65 .November 1994 p.30
Film in Review .v45 .n11/12 .Nov/Dec 1994 p. 61-62
Cinema Papers. .n101, October 1994, pp. 4-10, 86.
Cinema Papers. .n101, October 1994, pp. 11.
Cinema Papers. .n101, October 1994, pp. 62-63.
Sight and Sound .v4 .n11 . November 1994 p.38
Premiere .v2 .n12 .January 1995 p. 27
Sight and Sound .v .n5 .May 1995 p.59.
Empire .n71 .May 1995 p. 124
Rushes. Summer 1995 p.8-11
Cine-Bulles .v14 .n2 .Summer 1995 p. 18-21
Media International Australia. .n78: Queer Media, November 1995, pp. 33-38.
Metro Magazine. Volume 101, 1995, pp. 12-16.
Media International Australia .n78. November 1995 p.33-38.
Continuum .v10 .n2 1996 p.97-110
Film Quarterly. 50. n2. Winter 1996/97 p.41-45
Online, Priscilla has a huge amount of coverage from every aspect of the
human populace. From Official sites, to chats, to forums, fan sites, and beyond; in
almost any language you can imagine. Need proof? http://www.thirdear.com/p_prod.aspx?id=20040 That link made me smile to think that this film had
reached so far. A Google search for “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Gave me 416,000 results. For Australian sites alone it had 13,200. I should think
that Priscilla is alive and well.
The Serious Bit
(Warning, do not read this if you have not seen the film)
The Stephan Elliot film “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” is
the journey of three friends, making their way though the Australian outback and
looking fabulous while doing so! This is the epic voyage of three men, er…I mean
women, um…ok, two men and one transsexual as they take their drag show cross
country. Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terrence Stamp star in this cult comedy bit
of prime Australian Cinema.
The film begins with, what else, but a drag act done by none other than
Mitzi/Tick (Weaving). This is soon followed by a funeral, where we see the aging
transsexual, Bernadette (Stamp), Mourn the loss of her lover. Tick then acquires his
friends Bernadette and the young and flamboyant Adam/Felicia (Pearce) to aid in a
drag show that will take place in Alice Springs, across the desert. After some clever
parental manipulation, and business with tourists, Lars, Lars, & Lars they have their
very own bus, which is quickly christened “Priscilla! Queen of the desert!” Soon the
whole troupe is on their way. Along the way we find out that the show is to be
performed in a casino owned by none other than Tick’s wife. Needless to say the
others are slightly surprised.
Also along the way, there are the classic episodes of road banter & bicker, as
well as the occasional bus roof opera, and as in all road movies, there are slight
vehicular dilemmas, namely being they break down in the middle of nowhere.
Thankfully they are rescued and befriended by a group of aborigines that just happen
to be hanging out in the nearby vicinity. Our heroes express their gratitude by
performing a moving rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” in which they
even manage to “drag” up their new friend Alan.
Here we meet the gentlemanly mechanic, Bob. After a brief fiasco in the local
bar involving the upstaging of the girls by Bob’s wife and several ping pong balls,
they once again hit the road with Bob now on board. With new empathetic friend bob
in tow, they face the dangers of small minds in large numbers while passing though
the backwoods sticks towns of the outback. Fortunately, all our darlings survive,
relatively undamaged, to continue on to Alice Springs.
In a final jolt to Mitzi’s partners in crime they are to discover that Mitzi is a
daddy! We soon realize that Tick has a full suitcase of worries about fatherhood that
he has more or less been keeping “in the closet”. In the end all is well; Bernadette
and Bob are romantically involved, and happy to stay in Alice Springs, watching over
the hotel. Tick and Adam head home with son Benji, who not only accepts his
father’s lifestyle, but is actually proud of him as well. If we are to make any
assumptions based on the last scene in the film, it would seem that they would live
“Happily ever after.”
Ps. Watch the credits, yes, all of them, right till the very end, this is the one bit
I can’t spoil for you.
Since its release in 1994, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”
has been hailed as a true work of brilliance. Ironically although the film is Australian,
it was first released in the United States and shown at the Cannes film festival before
it was shown on its home turf. Despite the stereotypical Aussie homophobia, it was
immediately embraced as an “Australian Film”. It was and is seen as a triumph in
film making a musical, a comedy, a drama, a social commentary; it is all this and
more. Filled with a star studded cast, majestic shots of the Australian outback, award
winning costumes, and some of the best/worst one liners known to man, it is, in a
word, fabulous. Since its original release, DVD has seen it through various
collectors’ editions featuring various bloopers, commentaries, and featurettes that
naturally must accompany any classic film. It has since been embraced by many
different circles as their cult classic of choice. The Gay community has embraced it
as their own, as well as the Drag circuit. Australians see it as Australian, and many
other groups will find a way for it to fit into their niche, whereas I simply find it
immensely funny and entertaining. I do however respect and admire Elliot’s ability to
have woven in heavy social issues without taking away from the enjoyment of the
film. One of my favourite bits however was when the aboriginal group is grooving
with the act, and they even add a little didgeridoo to the mix. While some reviewers
saw this as racist, I saw it as exactly the opposite. While it may have been slightly
corny, to me, it was an obvious statement about the alienation of these two groups of
people by society. Also some reviewers have claimed that Bob’s wife is a mail order
bride stereo type. The problem with this is that, as far as I can tell, although the term
“Mail Order” was used by the queens, it was later revealed that she had in fact
married a very drunken Bob in order to acquire a green card. Firstly this means she is
not a mail order bride. Second I do not think her behaviour was meant to be
stereotypical in any way, her slightly crazy behaviour is simply one more eccentricity
of the film to make us laugh.
Elliot in Various interviews, in fact has denied trying to make “Priscilla”
anything other than an enjoyable musical. Yet in the film, as funny as it is, many
deep issues are addressed including but not limited to bigotry, child abuse, death,
love, parenthood, and of course AIDS. The beautiful thing about this film is that while
these issues are shown and acknowledged, they never overwhelm the idea of being
able to have a good time. Whereas many films that touch upon such issues are seen
only as activist, this film retains its right to be exactly what it is, nothing more, and
absolutely nothing less.
The production of this film is quite spectacular when you look at the efforts
put forth to create it. The entire movie was created on $5million AUS. The entire
cast & crew made the long journey across the outback to film it on site, 3,000
Kilometres in 7 weeks. The locations in the film were selected because of the rugged
landscape, which, while it provided beautiful scenery, the arid desert heat was not the
easiest on the equipment, costumes, make up, people, etc. On top of this there was
also an enormous amount of unpredicted rainfall, making conditions less than ideal
for filming it was as producer Al Clark says a “mission.” Costumes that had been
created early on fell apart due to heat and had to be fixed or completely reinvented
immediately, requiring expert improvisational skills. Creative filming was also
implemented. The film was shot on Kodak 93, 96 and 48 using a combination of
25mm lens and crystal express lenses. "My brief was to go for weird, go weird, really
push it" says director of photography Brian Breheny. I don’t know anything about
filming or lenses, but that sounds weird.
While all involved in this film had previous experience, in fact some were quite well
known (i.e. Terence Stamp, Bill Hunter); this movie was a huge stepping stone and
launching point for the careers of many of the cast and crew including director
Stephan Elliot, and lead man Hugo Weaving. The interesting part of the casting is the
reversal in usual roles. Among the best examples is that of Terrence Stamp, a highly
respected tough guy actor, playing a transsexual. Remarkably all the actors create
impeccably believable characters. Ironically while working on his next film Elliot
checked himself into a mental clinic; apparently suffering from the pressure to create
another film as great as “Priscilla”. Since its debut “The Adventures of Priscilla,
Queen of the Desert” has been seen as a great movie, and is in fact a credit and a
beacon to Australian cinema then and now.
In the end it can be said that this is a film of many genres. While Julie
Andrews would probably crack the shits to hear that this was a musical, it could be
said that, yes, it is a musical (in its way). Although this is odd, seeing as most of the
songs are lip synched (as would suit most drag queens). As in all comedies, it is hard
to say what makes it a comedy, but I laughed a lot, so it is a comedy. While others
have profiled it as a Drama, a Gay film, etc. I prefer to keep with Elliot’s vision, that
it is in fact a musical. Since it is so ridiculously funny though I will end by saying
that this is a great “Musical Comedy” of the highest calibre; which Australia should
be very proud of.