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

Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.

Director:

Stephan Elliott

Writer:

Stephan Elliott

Stars:

Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugo Weaving	...	Tick / Mitzi
Guy Pearce	...	Adam / Felicia
Terence Stamp	...	Bernadette
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 transgender woman 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 | on the road | homosexual | 

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Taglines:

Finally, a comedy that will change the way you think, the way you feel, and most importantly... the way you dress.

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sex-related situations and language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Filipino

Release Date:

10 August 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Priscilla

Filming Locations:

The Breakaways, Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$219,433, 14 August 1994

Gross USA:

$11,220,670

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,224,491

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

According to director Stephan Elliott, He got the idea for the film while seeing a plume of feathers break from a drag queen's head-dress during Sydney's Mardi Gras parade and go tumbling down a deserted street like a tumbleweed from Sergio Leone Western.

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Goofs

When Mitzi and Felicia wake up the morning after they left Bernadette and Bob to get drunk, if you look at the shot out of the bus window of Bob and Bernadette, Bernadette's face is next to the cake. Once Mitzi and Felicia are out of the bus, Bernadette's face is on top of the cake.

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Quotes

Bernadette: What a nice dog. What's it's name?
Bob: Herpes. If she's good, she'll heal.

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Crazy Credits

Best Naughty Boy...Matt Inglis

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Alternate Versions

The film was "Shown in Dragarama" at select theatres at the time of release. This involved some theatres using a mirror-ball and colored lighting during the "Finally" dance number.

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Connections

References A Night at the Opera (1935)

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Soundtracks

I Love The Nightlife
Written by Susan Hutcheson and Alicia Bridges
Performed by Alicia Bridges
Published by BMG Music Publishing
Courtesy Polydor International

User Reviews

A Movie You Can Watch Over and Over

This is a great movie! Not only are the actors wonderful but the dialogue keeps you watching the movie over and over again because you missed a great line the last time! The musical numbers are worth watching alone, but combined with the story and all the sub-plots and the funniest lines I have heard in a long time (The ABBA turd convo cracks me up every time), this is a movie to buy and watch over and over when you need to be entertained as well as dazzled!!!!!!!