The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994)

Seven happy wee monkeys

OK so spoiler alert!

This film contains some elements that may offend homophobes, as it is the story of two drag queens and a transsexual on a road trip.

Right that out of the way the film stars a grand cast of Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terrance stamp, and that great Australian actor the late Bill Hunter.   All very good actors with a good pedigree of films behind them. 

One of my favourite Terrance Stamp movies is The Limey which is a bit of a Get Carter  rip off but set in America. Still very enjoyable. So I do associate Mr Stamp with a tough guy. This may be a bit unfair given he does have a very good range, check out his part in Bowfinger.  So seeing him as an aging transsexual was a bit  curious.

Synopsis

The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a road movie about three ‘Gals’ travelling to Alice springs from Sydney.  Tic (Weaving) has promised his ex-wife a performance for her casino in Alice springs, so he ropes in his friend Bernadette (Stamp) and a young aspiring performer (Pearce) to help him.

It is a thought provoking story about three people and their lives as they travel through rural Australia in the early 1990’s. As with the typical road movies, the journey of the characters is more than the literal. As the three travel through the desert to Alice Springs, the each come to terms with their own issues. Bernadette's young lover has recently died, and she has resigned herself that her glory days are over, and she will be alone for the rest of her life. Mitzi is coming to terms with who she is and Tic who has a similar problem except that "she" has a secret. Tic is a dad.  As they journey they encounter red necks, mechanical problems, Aborigines, an old fan (Bill Hunter) and a unusual table tennis ball dispenser.

I enjoyed Priscilla. The script is engaging and fun. And the cinematography was excellent. The movie was written and directed by Stephen Elliot, I haven't seen any thing else he has done, But I would be willing to.  Elliot balances the drama with good humor for a good film

  If you want to give Priscilla a try, I think you will enjoy it.