Typically I watch films that I analyze as being gay (Double Dragon, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). This one is outright so. It’s entertaining, campy, feel-good, etc. But, I don’t love it; I feel a lot is lacking. There are some beautiful shots of the Outback. It has enough fantasy to keep me occupied. I mean how can one change all their makeup that quickly? The costumes are quirky and bright. My complaint is that the characters aren’t established enough. Mitzi (Hugo Weaving, Lord of the Rings, Matrix movies) poses the Rudolph Valentino question of is he or isn’t he? Why does he care if his 8 year old son knows if he is gay or whatever? Felicia (Guy Pearce) is an obnoxious queen that fits every unwanted stereotype of gayness: being molested as a child, drug use. Bernadette (Terence Stamp) is a bitch that really does not want to be associated with the gay community but isn’t accepted by anyone else. Mitzi’s wife is out there and really used to complicate the story line; to provide Mitzi with the son shocker. Bob is a predictable cutie. The music is great. I haven’t heard this much ABBA in a while.
I like the presentation of the rural Australians because they are so similar to rural Americans, replace kangaroo with deer and BAM! This film tries to say a lot about environment. Sexual “deviants” migrate to the city and the “normal” people stay in the rural areas. We find all of the flamboyant Boy George drag queens at Trumpet’s funeral in the city covered in cake makeup and silver metallic lipstick, dressed to impress even in time of mourning. We find the hatred to outsiders in the rural Outback by the “normal” folk. For one night an Aboriginal group and the main characters spend a night dancing, sharing a common bond as outsiders in the outskirts of society. Bob lives in a tiny town with his Southeast Asian wife. Bob is a gentleman, longing for a traditional relationship. He stayed with her just because the papers said she was his wife despite the fact that his wife is hypersexual, promiscuous, and a sexual deviant (umm, the age-old ping-pong balls on the bar gag). She wanted to be in Sydney but got stuck living with Bob in the middle of nowhere. In the end, Mitzi and Felicia go back to the city, where they are wanted and belong. Their lifestyle is too nontraditional, we are given the impression that Mitzi chooses to be gay or at least live a gay lifestyle. Bernadette, despite her strange gender situation, chooses to stay with Bob in the country to live a happy, “normal”, rural life. She feels that she has encountered too many flakes in the city and needs to, can only find real life with Bob, a genuine gentleman from the country. The entire journey she is annoyed by her gay (or at least we think Mitzi is gay) travel partners. She wants to disconnect herself from that community, so she stays in the country. All three of the travelers climb the mountain, Felicia’s dream, only to be disappointed and want to go back to their urban environment again.
I understand why this film is so popular. It feels good to watch; there’s enough drama but not enough to make you feel down. It’s empowering: you can have your cake (be gay/glamorous party lifestyle) and eat it too (have a family). This movie appeals to a straight audience because it isn’t too sexual and it doesn’t get into a lot of deep internal gay conflict. It appeals to a gay audience because it is fun and well maybe for the same reasons that straight people may like it: you don’t have to think about it. In conclusion, if you haven’t seen it you should but take along a few cosmos for the ride on pink Priscilla.
