The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stephan Elliott
Produced by	Al Clark
Written by	Stephan Elliott
Starring	Terence Stamp Hugo Weaving Guy Pearce Bill Hunter Julia Cortez
Music by	Guy Gross
Cinematography	Brian J. Stephan Elliott (born 27 August, 1964, Sydney New South Wales Australia) is a multi-award winning Australian Film director and Screenwriter Stephan Elliott (born 27 August, 1964, Sydney New South Wales Australia) is a multi-award winning Australian Film director and Screenwriter Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1939) is an Academy Award -nominated English Actor. Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960 is a Nigerian-born English, although naturalised Australian film stage and voice actor best known for films such as Guy Edward Pearce (born October 5, 1967) is a Screen Actors Guild Award -nominated English -born Australian raised actor perhaps Bill Hunter (born February 27 1940 is an Australian actor of Film, Stage and Television. Breheny
Editing by	Sue Blainey
Distributed by	Gramercy Pictures PolyGram
Release date(s)	August 10, 1994 September 8, 1994
Running time	104 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	$2 000 000
Gross revenue	$11,059,700
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian film about two drag queens and a transsexual woman driving across the outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a large bus they have named Priscilla. Gramercy Pictures was a Film distributor launched in 1993 a joint venture of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Universal Pictures. PolyGram Filmed Entertainment ( PFE) (aka PolyGram Films and PolyGram Pictures) was a London -based Anglo - Dutch Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire The year 1994 in film involved some significant events Top grossing films (U Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz The year 1994 in film involved some significant events Top grossing films (U For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The year 1994 in film involved some significant events Top grossing films (U For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A drag queen is a person usually a man who dresses (or "drags" in female clothes and make-up for special occasions and usually because they are performing and entertaining Transsexualism is a condition in which a person identifies with a physical Sex different from the one with which they were born Outback or the Outback refers to remote arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside of the main Urban areas Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. The film stars Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp. Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960 is a Nigerian-born English, although naturalised Australian film stage and voice actor best known for films such as Guy Edward Pearce (born October 5, 1967) is a Screen Actors Guild Award -nominated English -born Australian raised actor perhaps Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1939) is an Academy Award -nominated English Actor. It was written and directed by Stephan Elliott. Stephan Elliott (born 27 August, 1964, Sydney New South Wales Australia) is a multi-award winning Australian Film director and Screenwriter Since its release it has retained its popularity and opened as a major musical in Star City Casino Sydney, October 2006. For the UK casino see Star City Birmingham. Star City Hotel and Casino (formerly Sydney Harbour Casino)is the second largest Casino in Australia

Plot

Anthony "Tick" Belrose, a. k. a. Mitzi Del Bra, a drag queen, accepts an offer to perform at a casino in Alice Springs, a remote town in central Australia. A drag queen is a person usually a man who dresses (or "drags" in female clothes and make-up for special occasions and usually because they are performing and entertaining Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. After persuading his friends and fellow performers, Bernadette Bassenger - a recently bereaved transsexual woman, and Adam Whitely, a. k. a. Felicia Jollygoodfellow - an irritatingly flamboyant and obnoxious drag queen - to join him, the three set out for Alice Springs in a large tour bus which Adam/Felicia christens "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert".

They encounter on the way the less accepting attitudes of rural Australia, sexual violence, and the problems of vehicle breakdowns. The troupe eventually arrives at their destination with costumes and dance routines prepared. Before they arrive, Tick reveals that he is married (it is revealed that his wife is gay or possibly bisexual), and that the trip is a favor for his wife, who runs the casino where they will be performing. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Upon arriving, they learn that Tick and his wife also have a young son.

Cast

• Terence Stamp as Bernadette Bassenger
• Hugo Weaving as Anthony "Tick" Belrose / Mitzi Del Bra
• Guy Pearce as Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow
• Bill Hunter as Bob
• Julia Cortez as Cynthia

Cultural impact

The film is regarded in the gay community as a camp classic, portraying Australia's outback in an idyllic way, showcasing its beauty and remoteness. Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1939) is an Academy Award -nominated English Actor. Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960 is a Nigerian-born English, although naturalised Australian film stage and voice actor best known for films such as Guy Edward Pearce (born October 5, 1967) is a Screen Actors Guild Award -nominated English -born Australian raised actor perhaps Bill Hunter (born February 27 1940 is an Australian actor of Film, Stage and Television. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Outback or the Outback refers to remote arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside of the main Urban areas The story also brought together the travelling troupe with an Aboriginal tribe, a powerful image of two often socially outcast peoples singing and dancing together under unlikely circumstances. The film was ranked as number 11 on Logo's 50 Greatest Films. Logo is an American digital Cable television channel owned by Viacom 's MTV Networks division

The film also employed unusual casting with Terence Stamp, who has otherwise portrayed masculine characters, often villains. Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1939) is an Academy Award -nominated English Actor. This film was the first large-scale venue for Pearce and Weaving, both of whom have gone on to larger film success.

In 1995, an American film, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, was released, and featured a similar plot line and is commonly mistaken as an "American version of Priscilla. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is a 1995 Film, starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo as " However, To Wong Foo began production during the middle of Priscilla's filming.

During the 2000 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Priscilla was part of a parade of images of Australian popular culture. "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever A refurbished and decorated 1980 Ford Denning (the same make of bus used in the movie) featuring a giant steel Stiletto heel which extended from and retracted into the roof -- inspired by some of the scenes from the film -- was paraded around the Olympic Stadium. A stiletto heel ( AmE: spike heel) is a long thin heel found on some Boots and Shoes usually for women Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney The bus was also accompanied by several stiletto heels tricycle floats and drag queens donning big wigs as a tribute to the film's international success and the local gay community [1]. A tricycle (often abbreviated to trike) is a three-wheeled vehicle

Production

Much of the movie was filmed on location on a bus owned by The Whitlams and in various places in Australia. The Whitlams are a piano-based rock band based in Sydney. The original band consisted of Tim Freedman, Stevie Plunder and Andy Lewis The opening and closing scenes were both filmed on the same day at the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, a Sydney suburb. Erskineville is an inner-city Suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4

The filming was plagued by many problems due to time and location constraints. For example, Bill Hunter was filming Muriel's Wedding and Priscilla at the same time, each requiring him to have different length hair and beard, and to be in different parts of the country. Bill Hunter (born February 27 1940 is an Australian actor of Film, Stage and Television. Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian Dramedy Film written and directed by P The heavy filming schedule also required much of the filming to be done while the entire crew was on the road. Because the bus was such a small set, there was little room for the crew. Therefore, in many scenes, they are actually in shot, hiding under clothes and other props.

During its initial run, some cinemas used a mirror-ball and colored lighting during the "Finally" dance number. This was acknowledged by the line in the closing credits "Shown in Dragarama at select theatres. "

Trivia

• In the video store is a poster for Frauds (1993), also directed by Stephan Elliott and also starring Hugo Weaving. Stephan Elliott (born 27 August, 1964, Sydney New South Wales Australia) is a multi-award winning Australian Film director and Screenwriter Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960 is a Nigerian-born English, although naturalised Australian film stage and voice actor best known for films such as

• The famous thong dress, which led to the movie winning an Academy Award, cost only $7 to make. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Originally a credit-card dress was wanted but was refused by all companies.

• Hugo Weaving's character was based on Sydney drag-queen Cindy Pastel, who like the character has a son and female companion.

• Tim Curry turned down the role of Mitzi. Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946 is an English Actor, Singer, Voice actor, and Composer, as well as having a career as a

• The film was banned in South Korea for fears it might encourage homosexuality. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation.

• 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. ' Peaches & Herb are a vocalist duo, once comprising Herb Fame, and Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker (April 28 1947 - August 13 2005 She also played Rita Repulsa in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

• Nikki Webster starred as an extra in the film. Character History In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Rita Repulsa the so called "empress of evil" was released from the space dumpster in which Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie (also known as Power Rangers The Movie) is a movie based on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Nikki Webster (born April 30, 1987) is an Australian pop performer

• Referenced in The Drew Carey Show episode New York and Queens when Mimi and her cohorts have a dance-off in full Priscilla costume against Drew and his friends in their Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes. The Drew Carey Show is an American Sitcom (set in Cleveland Ohio) that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004 The following is a complete list of episodes for the Television show Sitcom The Drew Carey Show, which first aired on September 13 The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical Comedy film that parodies Science fiction and Horror films.

• A clip from Felicia's operatic performance atop the bus was featured briefly in a montage of famous film clips at the 2007 Academy Awards.

• Priscilla is made reference to in Saw V when an Australian draq queen tourist is kidnapped and set in a trap. Saw V is the upcoming fifth installment in the ''Saw'' film series.

Alternate versions

• A joke - explaining where Bernadette's recently deceased boyfriend, Trumpet, got his name - was omitted for the film's US release, but included on most home video versions. The gag - that Trumpet lacked any musical ability, and instead had a foreskin so large that it could wrap around a biscuit - was also reintroduced to the Live Musical as performed at Star City.
• The flashback to Adam's childhood was originally longer, revealing more clearly that he had been molested as a child. Producers felt that it was not funny and demanded it be excised. Rather than being cut entirely, it was made shorter and more humorous.

Stage adaptation

The film was adapted into the stage musical Priscilla: Queen of the Desert the Musical and premiered 2006-10-07 at the Star City Casino, Sydney. Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical written by Australian film director/writer Stephan Elliott and British screenwriter Allan Scott Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) For the UK casino see Star City Birmingham. Star City Hotel and Casino (formerly Sydney Harbour Casino)is the second largest Casino in Australia The opening cast was as follows:

Bernadette Bassenger - Tony Sheldon (The Producers)

Anthony "Tick" Belrose / Mitzi Mitosis - Jeremy Stanford (Buddy, High Society)

Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow - Daniel Scott (Dusty: The Original Pop Diva)

Bob - Michael Caton

The stage show features live performances of the songs featured in the film including 'I Love The Nightlife', 'I Will Survive', 'Finally', 'I've Never Been To Me', 'Shake Your Groove Thing' and 'Go West' as well as some new additions, such as 'Confide In Me', 'Downtown', 'What's Love Got To Do With It', 'Hot Stuff' and 'Macarthur Park'. The Producers is a Comedy - musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, High Society ( 1956) is Musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in VistaVision and Technicolor with music and lyrics Daniel Scott is probably best known for his role as Adam/Felicia in the musical adaptation of ' The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert ' Michael Caton (born 1943 is an Australian actor best known for playing Uncle Harry in the Australian television series The Sullivans, and also Darryl

The beauty of the outback appears on stage with over 20 full-scale production numbers and the famous battered bus itself 'Priscilla' which is on a revolving stage. The costumes of Bernadette, Mitzi, Felicia and the entire cast have beenre-designed by Oscar-winning duo Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is produced by Back Row Productions, a UK-based company owned by Australians Liz Koops and Garry McQuinn, best known for Dein Perry's Tap Dogs; two time Tony Award winning impresario John Frost, Michael Hamlyn of Specific Films, an original producer of the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; and acclaimed screenwriter and playwright Allan Scott, well known for the Julie Christie / Donald Sutherland psychological thriller Don't Look Now. Back Row Productions (BRP is a company established in 1995 with offices in London and Sydney and is run by Managing Directors Liz Koops and Garry "Tap Dogs", as the name suggests is a Tap dance show created by Australian dancer and Choreographer Dein Perry The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented For the 1983 PBS sketch-comedy see You Can't Do That On Television. It is directed by New Zealander, Simon Phillips.

This show is now held at The Civic, The Edge in Auckland, New Zealand. The Auckland Civic Theatre is a large heritage theatre seating 2378 people in central Auckland, New Zealand. The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

See also

• Cross-dressing in film and television
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (soundtrack)

References

External links

• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Internet Movie Database
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at Allmovie
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at Rotten Tomatoes