Ketchikan Public Library

October 3, 2007 

 

Some movies make earth-shattering statements on the human condition, and some movies are just plain fun. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is just plain fun. Originally released in 1994, this Australian indie film features three actors not usually known for their shapely gams and snappy dance moves. Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential), Terence Stamp (The Limey) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) play drag performers who travel across the Australian outback in a beat-up city bus - Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - to a gig in Alice Springs. As on any good road trip, they spend lots of time thinking about their lives, loves and friendships. But the true attraction of this movie (for me at least) is the costumes. The costume designers for Priscilla deservedly won an Oscar for their efforts, and you may remember the dress that one of them wore to the awards ceremony made of 254 American Express gold cards. One of the outfits in the movie was made of flip-flops, but my favorite image has to be of Guy Pearce dressed entirely in silver lamé, perched on a giant silver shoe atop of the bus, riding across the desert with silver wings streaming out behind him. And of course the soundtrack, heavy on the ABBA, is great also. If you enjoy going to the annual Wearable Art Show here in Ketchikan, then you will love this movie. This film is relatively earthy, with strong language and a violent scene where one of the characters is attacked by a mob, so you should preview it before deciding whether it's a movie for your whole family (even if your kids love to dress up in shiny clothes and dance around, like my daughter). If you have a wide-screen TV, so much the better.;