The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Two drag queens and a transsexual get a cabaret gig in the middle of the desert.

Director:

Stephan Elliott

Writer:

Stephan Elliott

Stars:

Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugo Weaving	...	Anthony 'Tick' Belrose / Mitzi Del Bra
Guy Pearce	...	Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow
Terence Stamp	...	Ralph Waite / Bernadette Bassenger
Rebel Penfold-Russell	...	Logowoman (as Rebel Russell)
John Casey	...	Bartender
June Marie Bennett	...	Shirley
Murray Davies	...	Miner
Frank Cornelius	...	Piano Player
Bob Boyce	...	Petrol Station Attendant
Leighton Picken	...	Young Adam
Maria Kmet	...	Ma
Joseph Kmet	...	Pa
Alan Dargin	...	Aboriginal Man
Bill Hunter	...	Robert 'Bob' Spart
Julia Cortez	...	Cynthia Campos

Storyline

Two drag-queens (Anthony/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia) and a transexual (Bernadette) contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla. En route, it is discovered that the woman they've contracted with is Anthony's wife. Their bus breaks down, and is repaired by Bob, who travels on with them.

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Plot Keywords:

bus | desert | drag queen | drag | transsexual | 

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Taglines:

She's back... Looking as gorgeous and outrageous as ever in a brand new frock.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sex-related situations and language

Details

Country:

Australia UK

Language:

English Filipino

Release Date:

10 August 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las aventuras de Priscilla, reina del desierto

Filming Locations:

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

Box Office

Gross:

£823,293 (UK) (11 November 1994)

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Latent Image Productions Pty. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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.

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Goofs

After the bus breaks down for the first time in the Australian outback, and Tick (Hugo Weaving) has just given up on trying to fix it, he sits down to eat breakfast with Bernadette (Terence Stamp). In the exchange, a cameraman and some crew members are visible in the reflection of Bernadette's sunglasses.

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Quotes

Bernadette: [to Tick] You got us into this, Anthony Belrose. And I suggest you start thinking about how to get us back, or I don't fancy your chances of ever trying being a husband again.

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Crazy Credits

A scene after the credits finish shows an Asian garden where a blow up doll (released earlier in the movie in Australia) lands on a man, who looks quite puzzled.

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Connections

Referenced in Get Smart (2008)

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Soundtracks

"I've Never Been To Me"
Written by Ken Hirsch and Ronald Miller
Performed by Charlene
Published by Stone Diamond Music Corp. / Jobete Music
Courtesy Motown Record Company LP

User Reviews

Toward the Acceptance of Diversity

This is a film that every straight person should see. The screenwriter created three drags queens from the cloth of everyday life — an older person (who happens to be transgendered), an average guy next door and a pretty muscle boy. You can say that this film is about "the great reach of little lives" (a comment originally applied by Donald Spoto to Tennesee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie.") We also see, in Anthony Bellerose's story, that sexuality is not a cut-and-dried affair. Underneath it all, we see that these people aren't much different from those we meet ion our daily lives. A screening of "Priscilla" would do more good than a hundred lectures to high school kids on the acceptance of diversity.