ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE

Source: WIKIPEDIA

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1994 - Australia/U.K. (PolyGram Filmed Entertainment/Australian Film Finance Corporation/Latent Image Productions Pty. Ltd.)


DIRECTOR: Stephan Elliott
SCRIPT: Stephan Elliott
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Brian J. Breheney
MUSIC: Guy Gross

    Oh the shock! Oh the controversy! Oh the 1994, when the world was a very different place indeed! I'm pretty sure that before Priscilla... hit the screens I had absolutely no idea about the existence of drag queens and even once the reviews started to circulate I still couldn't quite get my head around the very concept. I was, in fact, convinced that the idea of blokes wearing outlandish female costumes to sing and dance in them was simply made up for the film by someone with a very original sense of humour. I might have not erred alone on that one... So, with the shock value gone, what's left of Priscilla... in 2015? (un)Surprisingly a lot. Here's what and why.

It's not a massive secret. Once you've got a good story and a strong cast, the rest is a doddle. And by a good story I don't mean complicated or outlandish but on the very contrary, a perfectly universal one, something that possibly a large group of viewers will be able to identify with. This is why the whole dressing up business is, to some extent, a veneer, while the core of the story is made of pretty standard stuff. A road movie, a father-and-son relationship, three characters (with, to a degree conflicting temperaments) in a confined space. The secret, if there is any, is in how these things are executed and played against each other. Which is exactly where Priscilla... shines. Personally, I'd say, in this respect this film is so close to perfection as it makes no difference. The three main performances from Weaving, Pearce and Stamp are simply unmatched. I'd rather think it is difficult to do camp well. The temptation to overdo it must be excruciating. And both Weaving and Pearce do manage to strike absolutely perfect balance. They're so believable in their characters it's almost scary. And then we have Terrence Stamp who manages to put on a very different show, again, in an absolutely true fashion to his character. Even before it is revealed why he's different, it is immediately perfectly obvious that he is different. And when you think how rocky the production of this film was, that two out of three main characters were casted nearly at the very last moment it is an incredible testimony to the incredible skill and commitment of the whole team on the both sides of the lens.

Another trap this film manages to avoid (to my unbridled delight) is the lack of glorification and idealisation. It'd be only too easy for Elliott to make a film brimming with breathtaking vistas, deeply philosophical Aboriginals and eye-watering shine of the drag costumes.

Which is not the case.

Make no mistake. This is no Australia populated by Hugh Jackmans and Nicole Kidmans. Definitely no Australia of certain crocodile abusers. Bah, not even Australia of Nick Cave. Priscilla's Australia is the Australia of Midnight Oil and a little bit of Mad Max. And then, only occasionally, when it does get a bit mysterious and a bit metaphysical there's still a bit of Picnic at Hanging Rock skin-crawl to it.

Same goes for the drag parts. Yes, the costumes did get quite a bit of press, but let's be honest, the three protagonists are anything but graceful. Their dancing routines are horrendous and executed with as much feel for the rhythm as only a three-legged camel could muster. The outfits are far more preposterous than dazzling. There is also a general feel of tiredness and lack of enthusiasm which, in turn, could suggest that the three protagonists didn't choose this way of life only out of their love for ABBA but quite possibly this was their way of fitting in, of finding a niche that would give them a place within the society. I am interpreting here and could be totally wrong, with the clunkiness being there simply for the comical effect, however this is the very impression I got. Which, in turn, adds another dimension to the characters and some extra depth to the film in general.

To summarise, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a film that, thanks to its timelessness is still very worth watching today. The world might have changed, the drag culture from a niche has moved much closer to the mainstream and the 'gasp-value' might have worn out a bit but still, thanks to the fantastic blend of well balanced, universal story, superb acting and striking visual imagination (the roof-of-the-bus scene is simply unforgettable, for the best of reasons) this film remains on of those pictures that leave us both entertained and enriched. 

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT on IMDB
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT on WIKIPEDIA
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT on ROTTEN TOMATOES

Previously on 1001 FILMS TO SEE AND NOT DIE: The Adventure - Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960
Next on the list: Adventures of Robin Hood, The - Michael Curtiz, William Keighley, 1938
And then after: Affair to remember, An - Leo McCartey, 1957