A road movie with attitude - and the occasional frock! (The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (DVD))

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (DVD)
Date:	09/10/09 (136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun and easy going

Disadvantages: I didn't really get it!

I had heard a lot about The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert so I was quite interested to see what it was all about. I wasn't sure if a film about three drag queens would be quite my cup of tea but I was quite happy to give it a go. Having just watched it on DVD I feel a bit ambiguous about how I felt about it but I will try and explain why.

The film was made quite a while ago back in 1994 and stars Terence Stamp (Bernadette), Hugo Weaving (Mitzi/ Tick) and Guy Pearce k(Felicia/ Adam). They are three drag queens who, each for different reasons, want to get out of Sydney, so they agree to join forces and travel to Alice Springs (which is a bit like the back of beyond) to perform a show. They travel in a clapped out old bus which they manage to do up in true drag queen style and name it Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

Much of the film follows their journey through the desert. Differences soon become apparent and there is much bickering and snide comments. It seems that none of the three queens are without their problems and there is a quite poignant feel to the film even though it is described as hilarious. There are some funny moments but most of these are double edged and it really depends which way you look at it. For example, one instance is when the trio stop at a small town and Felicia is turned upon by a group of Macho men who do not like what she is. It is quite funny to see her being chased through the town but it soon takes a much darker viewpoint where it could all turn very nasty. Much of the film seems to demonstrate people's prejudices towards anyone who chooses to be different! I found a lot of this quite sad.

Much of the film was very bright and flamboyant especially seeing the clothes that the three actors wore. This is one film where it must have been great to be the wardrobe mistress! Some of the moments were quite surreal though with one or the other of them standing on the top of the bus while it was moving with long silver scarves billowing in the wind.

I did really like the performances of the three main actors. I remember Guy Pearce from watching Neighbours as a child. His character is probably the most outrageous and probably the least sympathetic. I thought that both Terence Stamp and Hugo Weaving were probably more three dimensional and both their characters seemed to struggle more with who and what they were.

Knowing that the film is now showing as live theatre in the West End, I think I was expecting more singing. There is quite a bit but it does not have the feel of a real musical which to me was disappointing. Also, as far as I was concerned, the film lacked any real storyline. At times I felt it dragged a little and at the end I struggled to see whet the point of it all was. This is not saying that I didn't enjoy it at least a little bit though because from a visual and light hearted view it worked quite well. There were even some quite moving moments as well as some laugh out loud ones. However, on the whole I didn't really connect with the film which is why I probably won't bother watching it again. I think I am in the minority though as most people I know have raved about this film.

By the way, my title is the tagline for the film.

If you like DVD extras there are quite a few for you to watch with this DVD. These are:

Birth of a Queen
Deleted scenes
Tidbits from the set
The bus from Blooperville - I watched this and there are a number of quite funny outtakes
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailer

Overall, this film is worth watching once if only because it probably is something completely different from most films you might have seen. You might want to watch it again or like me you might not. I think it is probably a bit like marmite - you will either love it or hate it!

The film is available on Amazon for £6.72. It has a 15 rating and a running time of one hour and thirty nine minutes.

Summary: Worth watching once!