The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994) by Stephan Elliott

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Director: Stephan Elliott

Writer: Stephan Elliott (written by)

Release Date: 10 August 1994 ((San Francisco Film Festival, USA)

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music

Tagline: It's the Australian film that blitzed overseas box offices. It caused a near riot at the Cannes Film Festival. It won an Academy Award. It's fun, daring, over-the-top and unforgettable. It's a road movie with attitude and the occasional frock.
She's back... Looking as gorgeous and outrageous as ever in a brand new frock.
Finally, a comedy that will change the way you think, the way you feel, and most importantly... the way you dress.

Plot: They came. They conquered. They looked fabulous. This wonderfully inventive, visually stunning and incomparably funny Australian import about three drag performers braving the vast, rugged outback won the 1994 Academy Award(r) for Costume Design. Veteran actor Terence Stamp (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace), Hugo Weaving (The Matrix), Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) all give hilarious ? and heartfelt ? performances in a three-fishes-outta-water story that's "one of the wildest movies ever made" (Rex Reed, New York Observer)! With a contract to perform a drag show way out in the Australian desert, Tick (Weaving), Adam (Pearce) and Ralph (Stamp) each has his own reason for wanting to leave the safety of Sydney. Christening their battered pink tour bus "Priscilla," this wickedly funny and high-drama trio head for the Outback...and into crazy adventures in even crazier outfits. You go, girls!

Awards: 1995 Oscar as Best Costume Design to Lizzy Gardiner & Tim Chappel, Academy Awards, USA
1994 Australian Film Institute Award as Best Achievement in Costume Design to Lizzy Gardiner & Tim Chappel and as Best Achievement in Production Design to Owen Paterson
AFI Award Nomination as Best Achievement in Cinematography to Brian J. Breheny, as Best Actor in a Lead Role to Terence Stamp, as Best Actor in a Lead Role to Hugo Weaving, as Best Director to Stephan Elliott, as Best Film to Al Clark, Michael Hamlyn & Rebel Penfold-Russell, as Best Original Music Score to Guy Gross, as Best Screenplay, Original to Stephan Elliott
1995 BAFTA Film Award as Best Costume Design to Lizzy Gardiner & Tim Chappel, as Best Make Up/Hair to Cassie Hanlon, Angela Conte & Strykermeyer
Anthony Asquith Award Nomination for Film Music to Guy Gross
BAFTA Film Award Nomination as Best Actor to Terence Stamp, as Best Cinematography to Brian J. Breheny, as Best Production Design to Owen Paterson & Colin Gibson, as Best Screenplay - Original to Stephan Elliott
1995 Chlotrudis Award as Best Movie, Chlotrudis Award Nomination as Best Supporting Actor to Terence Stamp
1995 GLAAD Media Award as Outstanding Film
1995 Golden Globe Nomination as Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical to Al Clark & Michael Hamlyn, as Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical to Terence Stamp
1994 Golden Space Needle Award as Best Actor to Terence Stamp, and as Best Film, Seattle International Film Festival
1995 Writers Guild of America Award (Screen) as Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen tp Stephan Elliott

@IMDb
@Amazon: The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Extra Frills Edition) 
@Netflix
@Wolfe Video

 

















Cast (in credits order)
Hugo Weaving ... Tick / Mitzi
Guy Pearce ... Adam / Felicia
Terence Stamp ... Bernadette
Rebel Penfold-Russell ... Logowoman (as Rebel Russell)
John Casey ... Bartender
June Marie Bennett ... Shirley
Murray Davies ... Miner
Frank Cornelius ... Piano Player
Bob Boyce ... Petrol Station Attendant
Leighton Picken ... Young Adam
Maria Kmet ... Ma
Joseph Kmet ... Pa
Alan Dargin ... Aboriginal Man
Bill Hunter ... Bob
Julia Cortez ... Cynthia
Daniel Kellie ... Young Ralph
Hannah Corbett ... Ralph's Sister
Trevor Barrie ... Ralph's Father
Ken Radley ... Frank
Sarah Chadwick ... Marion
Mark Holmes ... Benjamin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tim Chappel ... Drag-Queen in Barber's Chair (uncredited)
Al Clark ... Priest (uncredited)
Stephan Elliott ... Doorman (uncredited)
Lizzy Gardiner ... Naughty Maid at Hotel (uncredited)
Margaret Pomeranz ... Adam's Mum (uncredited)
Christian Stead ... Featured Extra (uncredited)
Nikki Webster ... Featured Extra (uncredited)

   
Tick & Adam

 
Bernadette

Comments

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Priscilla is, with Ballroom, the reason why I love Australian movies. Both movies are exaggerated, with an use of color that serves to punch you on an eye and force your attention. In Priscilla I think the colors, in the dresses of the drag queens, are at the same way protection and declaration: with the exaggerated colors Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette are claiming, we are here and we are beautiful, but they are also protecting themselves, since in no way they can be mistaken for "real" women. When Felicia tries to do that, the consequence is no good, and it's not a coincedence that Bernadette, the transgender of the three, is also the one who wants to be classy and sometime "out of the group", dressing like a real lady.

I love Patrick Swayze, but the remake they did in the USA of this movie is not the same, is a totally different thing, and so, I highly recommend to track down this version of the movie.

[lab-jazz.livejournal.com]

I love this movie, and I agree that the Australian Film Industry is capable of making some great movies.
I'm glad you like it

[erah-haruna205.livejournal.com]

Oh my God! I think I watched this with my sisters back in the 90s but I was too young to understand English and eventhough I don't really understand what was going on, I stayed watching because of the colorful dresses hahaha

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

I happened to see Priscilla after seeing Lord of the Rings... it was quite a shock to see what Elrond did in his Sekrit Life!

[edenwinters.livejournal.com]

I loved this! It's been awhile since I've watched it, though. Maybe I need to see it again.

[lucifuge-5.livejournal.com]

My love for this movie is immense. Despite being billed as a comedy, it had quite a lot of serious moments as well as a lot of heart.

All three actors were awesome, but (by large) it was Hugo Weaving who impressed me the most.

Also, you're right, the US remake had its moments, but it lacked bite (which "Priscilla" had in spades). While I *do* like the remake (more for the drag queens themselves than the soap-opera storylines that didn't involve them), "Priscilla" (imho) is far, far superior, fun and fierce.