Details Title:
Release Date:
Pros:
Cons:The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
8 September 1995 (AU)
Great movie about people against the backdrop of homosexuality, drag queens and showbiz that finds a good balance between seriousness, fun and wholesome moments.
A movie about homosexuality and drag queens will not be everyone's cup of tea
Review The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is one of the few Australian movies that made an impact in cinemas, and helped in the shift in perceptions about drag queens and homosexuality. It was also the film that helped propel the careers of Australian actors Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce. Maybe you've heard of them.
The plot is that Sydney-sider Tick Belrose, who goes by the drag queen name Mitzi Del Bra, accepts an offer to perform at a hotel in Alice Springs at the request of the manager who is also his estranged wife. He asks for the help of his friend and fellow drag queens Bernadette Bassenger, and Adam Whitley/Felicia Jollygoodfellow to join him on a four week trip in a large tour bus, christened "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."
The plot is not at all complicated, as the movie instead focuses on the interaction between the three main characters, each with their faults - Tick/Mitzi, struggling with coming to terms between his life as a drag queen and husband; Bernadette, a transexual and veteran drag queen, who recently lost her love, and trying to find purpose in her life again, and Adam/Felicia, a young and inexperienced drag queen who feels the need to prove himself and make an impact, whether it be positive or negative.
Another interesting aspect of this film is its portrayal in how homosexuality and drag queens are seen by the general Australian populace in the 90s. In suburban Australia, drag and homosexuality is mostly accepted, with a few bad apples here and there. However there is a wider variety of reactions when the trio travel through a more conservative, rural Australia, where they are treated with anywhere between curiosity, to outright hostility from the locals. This is at a time that homosexuality was still not accepted in many parts of the world, and many rural Australians still believed that gay people were the reason for the emergence of HIV. On the flipside, the indigenous Australians the trio encounter are more than happy to invite them to their outdoor party, and the drag queens perform for the thrilled partygoers.
While the film is focused on the trio, there are interesting supporting characters like Tick's estranged wife, Marion, and Bob, a mechanic that the trio befriend during their trip to Alice Springs. Both of these characters accept the drag queens, but go about it in different ways - with Marion treating them - especially her estranged husband Tick - like close friends, which also includes friendly teasing of their flamboyancy, whereas Bob treats them - especially Bernadette - with a level of respect and dignity, leading to a close companionship between the two.While Priscilla, Queen of the Desert does have a serious tone in terms how homosexuals were percieved in the 90s, there is enough humor and fun to be found in the film to help mix things up, whether it be the trio doing a performance for a group of partying indigenous Australians, to Bob's wife upstaging the trio with her own "performance" at a local bar. But in addition to the humor, there are some wholesome moments thrown in to the mix, such as the trio reaching an understanding with each other after all the hardships that they encountered throughout their road trip to Alice Springs.
What I found even more surprising was that this movie features Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce before they made it big in Hollywood, especially Hugo Weaving whose most famous roles include Agent Smith and Elron, so it is rather interesting to see him playing the role of a gay man who has a wife. Similarly Guy Pearce has had rather serious roles in Hollywood films these days, so it is refreshing to see him in his first big hit movie after starting out in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, having him play the role of newbie drag queen who sees the funny side of things, but still rather inexperienced.One other thing to mention is that this movie came out just before Hollywood released its own story about drag queens, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar(featuring Wesley Snipes dressing in drag). The films do share some elements, including a trio of Drag queens going on a road trip. While there was a bit of back and forth on whether it was straight up copying Priscilla, it was ultimately decided that there were enough differences between the two movies for that movie to go ahead without legal trouble.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is one of those movies that I recommend you see at least once in your lifetime. Given that this movie is about a trio of drag queens, it won't be to everyone's taste, and even in this day and age, that's perfectly fine. Regardless of your stance on homosexuality, it does convey a nice message of tolerance of those who are different - while it doesn't mean people have to like them, it also doesn't mean they should be belittled or treated any less than anyone else. It is a message that I think has been lost in this day and age.