Lust in the Dust (1985)

A group of unscrupulous characters seek buried treasure in the old west.

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writer:

Philip John Taylor

Stars:

Tab Hunter, Divine, Lainie Kazan

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tab Hunter	...	Abel Wood
Divine	...	Rosie Velez
Lainie Kazan	...	Marguerita Ventura
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Hard Case Williams
Henry Silva	...	Bernardo
Cesar Romero	...	Father Garcia
Gina Gallego	...	Ninfa, Whore at Marguerita's
Nedra Volz	...	Big Ed
Courtney Gains	...	Red Dick Barker
Woody Strode	...	Blackman, Hard Case Gang
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	...	Mexican, Hard Case Gang
Daniel Frishman	...	Clarence, Hard Case Gang
Ernie Shinagawa	...	Chang, Hard Case Gang
Pit Ginsburg	...	Toothless Drunk
Al Cantu	...	Gunslinger

Storyline

Dancehall "girl" Rosie Velez, lost in the desert, is helped to safety by gunman Abel Wood. In the town of Chili Verde, at the saloon of Marguerita Ventura, a word of a treasure in gold brings Abel into conflict with outlaw Hard Case Williams and his gang.

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Plot Keywords:

saloon | buried treasure | shot in the groin | narrator | campy | 

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Taglines:

He Rode The West... The Girls Rode The Rest! Together They Ravaged The Land!

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Genres:

Comedy | Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Louca Corrida do Ouro

Filming Locations:

Bonanza Creek Ranch - 15 Bonanza Creek Lane, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$101,146, 10 February 1985, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$727,639

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Run Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The inscription on the wooden tombstone read: "Here lies Cactus Kaplan. 1828-1853. Bute Hills, N.M. [New Mexico]".

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Quotes

Maguerita Ventura: [to Rosie, after her audition song] Ya sing like ya look!

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Connections

Referenced in Killer Psychopaths: The Nazi Killer (2015)

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Soundtracks

South Of My Border
Music & Lyrics by Karen Hart
Arranged & Conducted by Peter Matz
Performed by Lainie Kazan

User Reviews

While far from a must-see, this is a cute little film...

This is NOT the sort of film for everyone. Apparently gay men love it (according to Lainie Kazan) and people who love Divine (like me) will get a kick out of seeing this character play a somewhat normal role--at least compared to all the freaks he/she played for John Waters!! But for the rest of the folks out there, it's very possible you won't like the film...and it's quite possible you'll enjoy it on its own very simple merits. The way to determine this is to ask yourself "am I normal?"--if so, don't watch the film! But for all the quirky folks out there (and I know there are a lotta you), it's worth seeing.

The film stars a whole lot of familiar faces, though the only big star (at least once upon a time) in the film is Tab Hunter. In addition, Divine, Lainie Kazan, Caesar Romero, Henry Silva, Woody Strode and Geoffrey Lewis (whose face you are bound to recognize) are there for excellent support. The film was directed by Paul Bartel--a man who is probably most associated with the ultra-strange "Eating Raoul".

"Lust in the Dust" is a gentle parody of westerns. Nothing in it is super remarkable except for its strong sexual overtones as well as having Divine play a part that is really pretty normal. There are a reasonable amount of decent laughs, some that fall flat and a few surprises--but it never is dull.

My attitude is that lovers of weird films should see this at least once. And, if it doesn't scare you too much, try another one of Divine's films, such as "Hairspray" (the original) or perhaps "Polyester". Save "Pink Flamingos", "Female Trouble", "Mondo Trasho" and the other early John Waters films for AFTER--as they can be too shocking and too weird for the uninitiated!! I warned you!