Pink Flamingos (1972)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters (writer)

Release Date:

October 1979 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Horror

Tagline:

An exercise in poor taste.

Plot:

Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".

Plot Keywords:

Hippie | Lesbian | Competition | Criminal | Egg

Cast

Divine	...	Divine / Babs Johnson
David Lochary	...	Raymond Marble
Mary Vivian Pearce	...	Cotton
Mink Stole	...	Connie Marble
Danny Mills	...	Crackers
Edith Massey	...	Edie
Channing Wilroy	...	Channing
Cookie Mueller	...	Cookie
Paul Swift	...	The Egg Man
Susan Walsh	...	Suzie
Linda Olgeirson	...	Linda
Pat Moran	...	Patty Hitler (Party Guest In Nazi Uniform)
Jack Walsh	...	Party Guest
Bob Skidmore	...	Delivery Boy
Pat Lefaiver	...	First Lesbian

Also Known As:

John Waters' Pink Flamingos (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for a wide range of perversions in explicit detail.

Runtime:

93 min | Australia:106 min (re-release) | UK:104 min (re-release) | USA:108 min (re-release) | Argentina:108 min (re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (1997 re-release) | Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:(Banned) | Australia:R (cut) | Australia:X (video rating) (1984) | Singapore:(Banned) | Japan:R-18 | Australia:Refused Classification (uncut) (re rating) (1997) | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:XXX (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1997) | Ireland:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:(Banned) (original rating) | Norway:18 (video rating) (1992) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (1997) | USA:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Dreamland

Trivia:

Divine and the party guests are actually inhaling amyl nitrate during the party scene. At the time of filming, it was still legal to buy such "poppers" at the drug store. If you watch Divine's face during the scene, she suddenly starts laughing uproariously. John Waters says that's where "it kicked in".

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the film, the Marbles deliriously talk about their scheme to ruin Divine and seize her title of "Filthiest Person Alive". They refer to the attacks as a series of "phases" - phase one is the sending of the obscene parcel. Phase three is when Connie & Raymond are in the phone booth calling the police about Divine's rambunctious birthday party. But there is no "phase two".

Quotes:

[last lines]
Narrator/Mr. J: "The filthiest people alive?" Well, you think you know someone filthier? Watch as Divine proves that not only is she the filthiest person in the world, she's also the filthiest actress in the world! What you are about to see is THE REAL THING!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

Soundtrack:

(How Much Is) That Doggie In the Window

Y'all Ain't Ready For This...

There is no film to put beside Pink Flamingos by way of comparison. It is a film genre of it's own. I read and hear reviews of this movie that express disgust and horror and I picture John Waters chuckling. This was the intent, it was meant to upset the status quo and in "politically correct" times that we live in, isn't it a small surprise to see this film come to the forefront again? This is a movie that will freak out the uptight for as long as it exists in any media. It was meant to. As much as "Clockwork Orange" talked about "ultraviolence" this movie is all about ultra-bad taste. We can numb ourselves to sex and violence but Pink Flamingos is a movie you just will never get used to. There will be something in this movie that will get to you. As a last resort to make sure everyone is offended before you leave the theatre, John includes the always discussed poodle scene. No reason for this scene, except to make sure he gets you and also to make sure you leave talking about it. Obviously filmed on a budget, and using Water's stock cast, this is a movie simply about a contest to see who are the filthiest people alive. All the characters are bizarre in one way or another. This movie reminds me of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" in that everyone in the film has something odd about them and both movies joyfully celebrate these uniquenesses. Not a movie to buy for Mom on Mother's Day... but worth seeing just to say you did.