The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy drama film about three drag queens (two gay men and a transsexual woman) who travel across the Australian outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a large bus they have named Priscilla. The film stars Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp. It was written and directed by Stephan Elliott, and won an Oscar for best costume design. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. [1] A stage musical based on the film opened in October 2006.

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Plot

Anthony "Tick" Belrose, a.k.a. Mitzi Del Bra, is a Sydney-based drag queen who accepts an offer to perform at a hotel resort in Alice Springs, a remote town in central Australia. After persuading his friends and fellow performers, Bernadette Bassenger (a recently bereaved transsexual woman), and Adam Whitely, a.k.a. Felicia Jollygoodfellow (an irritating, flamboyant and obnoxious drag queen) to join him, the three set out for Alice Springs in a large tour bus which Adam/Felicia christens "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert".

Whilst on the long journey through the Australian Outback, they meet a variety of characters, including a group of friendly Australian Aborigines whom they perform for, but also encounter the less accepting attitudes of rural Australia and are subjected to homophobic abuse and even violence (though Bernadette shows her companions how to give as good as they get to spectacular effect). When the tour bus breaks down in the middle of the desert, this results in the trio meeting Bob, a middle-aged mechanic from a small outback town who joins them on their journey. Before they arrive at Alice Springs, Tick reveals that Marion, the woman who runs the resort where they will be performing, is actually his estranged wife and that they are in fact going there as a favour to her. Upon arrival, it is revealed that Tick and Marion also have an 8 year old son, Benjamin, whom Tick has not seen for many years.

By the time their 4-week stint at the resort is over, Tick and Adam head back to Sydney, taking Benjamin back with them so that Tick can get to know his son and Marion can have a long-earned break. However, Bernadette decides to remain at the resort for a while with Bob after the two of them become close.

Cast

• Terence Stamp as Bernadette Bassenger
• Hugo Weaving as Anthony "Tick" Belrose / Mitzi Del Bra
• Guy Pearce as Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow
• Bill Hunter as Bob
• Sarah Chadwick as Marion
• Julia Cortez as Cynthia

Interviewed on BBC London Radio on September 17, 2008 about his role as Tick in the UK stage version, Jason Donovan claimed that he was the original choice for the movie role, with the role of Adam intended for Michael Hutchence and Bernadette intended for Richard E. Grant. The film won an a 1995 Oscar for best costumer design, and received a Golden Globe nomination for best film.

Soundtrack

On August 23, 1994 Fontana Island released the soundtrack on CD. The tracklisting is as follows:

#I've Never Been to Me - Charlene #Go West - Village People #Billy, Don't Be a Hero - Paper Lace #My Baby Loves Lovin - White Plains #I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round) [Original Version] - Alicia Bridges #Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man - Trudy Richards #I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor #A Fine Romance - Lena Horne #Shake Your Groove Thing [Original Mix] - Peaches & Herb #I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine - Patti Page #Finally [7" Choice Mix] - Ce Ce Peniston #Take a Letter Maria - R.B. Greaves #Mamma Mia - ABBA #Save the Best for Last - Vanessa Williams #I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round) [Real Rapino 7" Mix] - Alicia Bridges #Go West [Original 12" Mix] - Village People #I Will Survive [1993 Phil Kelsey Classic 12" Mix] - Gloria Gaynor #Shake Your Groove Thing [Original 12" Mix] - Peaches & Herb #I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round) [Phillip Damien Extended Vox] - Alicia Bridges

Cultural impact

The film is regarded in the gay community as a camp classic, portraying Australia's outback in an idyllic way, showcasing its beauty and remoteness. The story also brought together the traveling troupe with an Aboriginal tribe, a powerful image of two often socially outcast peoples singing and dancing together under unlikely circumstances. The film was ranked at #7 on Logo's 50 Greatest Films. ^[2] The film also employed unusual casting with Terence Stamp, who has otherwise portrayed masculine characters, often villains. This film was the first large-scale venue for Pearce and Weaving, both of whom have gone on to larger film success.

In 1995, an American film, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar , was released, and featured a similar plot line and is widely regarded as an "American version of Priscilla ."

During the Closing Ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Priscilla was part of a parade of images of Australian popular culture. A refurbished and decorated 1980 Ford Denning (resembling bus used in the movie) featuring a giant steel Stiletto heel which extended from and retracted into the roof—inspired by some of the scenes from the film—was paraded around the Olympic Stadium. The bus was also accompanied by several stiletto heels tricycle floats and drag queens donning big wigs as a tribute to the film's international success and the local Sydney gay community. ^[3]

Production

Much of the movie was filmed on location on a bus owned by The Whitlams and in various places in Australia. The opening and closing scenes were both filmed on the same day at the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, a Sydney suburb.

The filming was plagued by many problems due to time and location constraints. For example, Bill Hunter was filming Muriel's Wedding and Priscilla at the same time, each requiring him to have different length hair and beard, and to be in different parts of the country. The heavy filming schedule also required much of the filming to be done while the entire crew was on the road. Because the bus was such a small set, there was little room for the crew. Therefore, in many scenes, they are actually in shot, hiding under clothes and other props.

Trivia

• During the performance on the top of the bus, the character Felicia performs an edit of the aria "È strano! è strano..." (It's strange — the aria is also known as "Sempre libera" ) from the opera La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi.
• In the video store is a poster for Frauds (1993), also directed by Stephan Elliott and also starring Hugo Weaving.
• The famous flip-flop dress cost only $8 to make. Originally a credit-card dress was wanted but was refused by all companies.
• Hugo Weaving's character was based on Sydney drag-queen Cindy Pastel, who like the character has a son and female companion.
• Tim Curry turned down the role of Mitzi.
• Julia Cortez, Bob's mail-order bride, Cynthia, provided her own cat suit costume complete with the strategically placed zipper for the scene in the bar after the Shake Your Groove Thing number. She also played Rita Repulsa in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
• Nikki Webster starred as an extra in the film.
• Referenced in The Drew Carey Show episode New York and Queens when Mimi and her cohorts have a dance-off in full Priscilla costume against Drew and his friends in their Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes.
• A clip from Felicia's operatic performance atop the bus was featured briefly in a montage of famous film clips at the 2007 Academy Awards.
• Priscilla is made reference to in Saw V when an Australian drag queen tourist is kidnapped and set in a trap.

Alternate versions

• The film was "Shown in Dragarama" at select theatres at the time of release. This involved some theatres using a mirror-ball and colored lighting during the "Finally" dance number.
• A joke - explaining where Bernadette's recently deceased boyfriend, Trumpet, got his name - was omitted for the film's US release, but included on most home video versions. The gag - that Trumpet lacked any musical ability, and instead had a foreskin so large that it could wrap around a biscuit - was also reintroduced in the stage musical version as performed at Star City.
• The flashback to Adam's childhood was originally longer, revealing more clearly that he had been molested as a child. Producers felt that it was not funny and demanded it be excised. Rather than being cut entirely, it was made shorter and more humorous.

Stage adaptation

The film was adapted into the stage musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical and premiered October 10, 2006 at the Star City Casino, Sydney. The opening cast was as follows:



The stage show features live performances of the songs featured in the film including 'I Love the Nightlife', 'I Will Survive', 'Finally', 'I've Never Been to Me', 'Shake Your Groove Thing', and 'Go West' as well as some new additions, such as 'Confide in Me', 'Downtown', 'What's Love Got to Do with It', 'Hot Stuff', and 'Macarthur Park'.

The beauty of the outback appears on stage with over 20 full-scale production numbers and the famous battered bus itself 'Priscilla' which is on a revolving stage. The costumes of Bernadette, Mitzi, Felicia and the entire cast have been re-designed by Oscar-winning duo Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is produced by Back Row Productions, a UK-based company owned by Australians Liz Koops and Garry McQuinn, best known for Dein Perry's Tap Dogs; two time Tony Award winning impresario John Frost, Michael Hamlyn of Specific Films, an original producer of the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ; and acclaimed screenwriter and playwright Allan Scott, well known for the Julie Christie/Donald Sutherland psychological thriller Don't Look Now . It is directed by New Zealander, Simon Phillips.

This show ran in Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand between 2006 and 2008, and moved to London in 2009.

It opened in London's West End on March 24 2009 at the Palace Theatre. Jason Donovan plays the part of 'Tick' / Mitzi Mitosis, which provides an interesting angle to the Kylie references. ^[4]

Home video releases

On November 14, 1995, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was released on VHS.

On October 7, 1997, it was released on DVD with a Collectable Trivia Booklet.

In 2004, a 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition was released on DVD in Australia with the following special features:

• Feature length audio commentary with writer/director Stephan Elliott
• 3 Deleted Scenes
• "Behind the Bus - Priscilla With Her Pants Down"
• Cast and Crew Biographies
• "Ladies Please" (1994 Featurette)
• Original Australian Theatrical Trailer
• US Theatrical Trailer
• US Theatrical Trailer Teaser
• Hidden Features

In 2006, it was re-released on DVD in Australia with the following special features:

• Feature length audio commentary with writer/director Stephan Elliott
• "Birth of a Queen" (Featurette)
• Deleted Scenes
• Tidbits from the Set
• "The Bus from Blooperville" (Gag Reel Documentary)
• Photo Gallery
• US Theatrical Trailer
• US Theatrical Trailer Teaser

On June 5, 2007, it was re-released in the US as the "Extra Frills Edition" DVD. This edition includes the same special features as the Australian 2006 re-release.

References

1. Festival de Cannes: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
2. http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/2006/08/logo-list-50-greatest-lgbt-fil.html
3. http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=504130
4. http://www.priscillathemusical.com/