It's pretty clear that this documentary must have been made circa 1981.
First of all, this was clearly made in conjunction with the production and release of Polyester.
Also, the physical appearance of each of the subjects (Divine, Edith, John himself) matches the contemporary photos of same in Shock Value and other sources.
And most specifically, Divine mentions in the film that Mae West died "last year." West did in fact pass away in 1980.
It's too bad the extant copies of this doc are of such poor quality; it's a fascinating picture of the early Dreamlanders. Let's be thankful we also have Love Letter to Edie, Divine Trash, a few clips on the New Line "bonus disc," and the recently unearthed Edith's Shopping Bag to document this formative era.
First of all, this was clearly made in conjunction with the production and release of Polyester.
Also, the physical appearance of each of the subjects (Divine, Edith, John himself) matches the contemporary photos of same in Shock Value and other sources.
And most specifically, Divine mentions in the film that Mae West died "last year." West did in fact pass away in 1980.
It's too bad the extant copies of this doc are of such poor quality; it's a fascinating picture of the early Dreamlanders. Let's be thankful we also have Love Letter to Edie, Divine Trash, a few clips on the New Line "bonus disc," and the recently unearthed Edith's Shopping Bag to document this formative era.