The Adventures of Priscillia, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy written and directed by Stephan Elliot which follows two drag queens and a transgender woman as they travel the Australian Outback to perform one of their shows out in Alice Springs. Given the subject material and the blatant showcase and celebration of a section within the LGBTQIA+ community, you’d be delightfully surprised to learn that the film was a very successful worldwide hit when it came out and is still held as a cult classic to this day. It helped push for more LGBTQIA+ content within mainstream cinema, won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, provided the basis for a musical in 2006, and stands as an Australian classic that gained popularity on an international level in the vein of something like Mad Max and Crocodile Dundee, which given its unfiltered presentation of drag performers (who weren’t widely showcased in the media around this time period) is very refreshing. After performing in Sydney, drag performer Anthony ‘’Tick’’ Belrose who goes under the pseudonym of Mitzi Del Bra (played by Hugo Weaving) is planning to travel cross-country to perform at a casino resort in Alice Springs as a favour to his estranged wife who owns the business, Marion (played by Sarah Chadwick). Coming along for the trip is fellow drag queen Adam Whitey who goes under the pseudonym of Felicia Jollygoodfellow (played by Guy Pierce) and Bernadette (played by Terrence Stamp), a recently widowed transgender woman who was once a performer herself, and the three set off for a four-week long run in a tour bus christened as “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” Along the way, they come across some colorful individuals that range from confrontational to welcoming, like a helpful middle-aged mechanic named Bob (played by Bill Hunter) who takes a fancy to Bernadette, and learn more things about each other’s personal lives before getting up on-stage once again to strut their usual stuff. The Adventures of Priscilla may not be a great movie and can stumble a bit under certain tropes and specific kinds of humor but carries enough heart and genuine respect to make it a likeable flick.

Considering what kind of story this film is portraying, the movie is surprisingly ahead of its time. Coverage of LGBTQIA+-specific content is still a struggle in today’s society despite being more welcoming overall, so to see a film released in the mid-1990s deliver a film that has two drag queens and a transgender woman as the leads is pretty cool and the manner in which the film treats them is pretty respectable. The movie is a road trip story and carries with it the typical cliches that come with the genre; a group of oddball outcasts are brought together by the promise of a long trip that leads to a place that all participants want to reach for one reason or another, there is often tension that rises between those of conflicting personalities who eventually change their minds and bond over the course of the film, they encounter a lot of oddities whether it be environmental or even human obstacles along their way, and more often than not confront a threat that is either physically or mentally threatening in a way that will improve them afterwards. For the most part, the film follows those beats very closely and because of this, results in not a lot of surprises or unique twists coming through this relatively short sit, but it doesn’t feel like it needs to be unexpected. Because the element of showcasing the lifestyle of both drag queens and transgender individuals feels like a nice enough new pinch, it can deliver these expected tropes and still feel new enough that it isn’t distracting through how these characters interact with each new situation, and it’s assisted through the genuine heart that comes through in this film. Although the opening act is a little messy with annoying dialogue and a rushed pacing, the remainder of the story slows itself down a bit, allows its characters to talk and interact, and gives the film a small, quaint atmosphere that seemingly comes from the strong Australian personality the film gives off. The direction from Stephan Elliot manages to balance out the light and dark aspects of this story pretty well, providing a tale that might not go heavy into the gritty details of what it’s like to live as these sexualities and genders (you know they couldn’t go to the proper extremes if they wanted to keep it as a light-hearted comedy) but it still feels earnest and caring enough to not feel patronizing or inauthentic. There is a likeable kitschy quality to this film that makes it pretty campy (as you’d expect with something involving drag), but it doesn’t lose sight of its emotional centre and lets the audience lose themselves in this world and its people without ever pretending like it’s some grand film that is trying to be ”about something”.

In today’s society, it can seem a little weird to have a story that is so heavily focused on the LGBTQIA+ community, not feature anyone from within said community, especially in regards to portraying drag queens and a trans women with cisgender men, but considering the amount of time and money the team  put into making this movie, you can tell that they care about what they’re presenting and that they are trying to be kind and respectful to the community. That and the fact that the community seems to be completely okay with it and get into it the same way everyone else does, makes it perfectly fine and will leave it up to the quality of the acting to see if they sell it, and for the most part, the leads kind of do that. On the one hand, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pierce, and Terrence Stamp don’t ever really feel like they are gay or trans in any shape or form (probably because none of them are). Even ignoring that element, you get the feeling that they just took it like any other role and not like it was conveying a unique kind of individual or identity, so it does somewhat fall into stereotypical areas at times, but not so much in a harmful way but instead like it’s a caricature performance (like they are playing it like how they’d imagine they’d act rather than how they should naturally act). With that said, the acting and the characters themselves are actually pretty likeable and while not the most complicated people, they are given just enough insight and backstory to help them stand out. Hugo Weaving is your generic likeable lead, but his interactions with his wife, son and his companions lead to some nice softer moments, Guy Pierce is a little overly flamboyant and he is easily the least developed role, but he’s passable enough even if his jokes don’t always land, and despite Terrance Stamp not really feeling like a proper trans women, the character of Bernadette is actually pretty likeable. She has some good scenes, there’s a decent romance built between her and Bill Hunter (who is also pretty good) and she feels like the proper heart of the movie and that feels like it comes from the writing and from Stamp. Some of the supporting roles like Bill Hunter, Sarah Chapman and even Mark Holmes as the son are decently handled and again add to the likeable energy the film is going for, although some can be a little awkward and even weirdly hurtful in their presentation (Julia Cortez as a Filipino wife feels oddly offensive for a movie trying to be progressive), but it’s never enough to fully ruin the vibe the film is going for.

The film originally had trouble finding financial backing, as Elliot and producers Stuart Quin and Andrena Finlay tried to pitch the movie to various financiers during the 1991 Cannes Film Festival circuit, but they were initial unsuccessful until Australian Film Finance Corporation and PolyGram agreed to assist them with $2.7 million Australia dollars. Despite that small number, this is a movie that doesn’t require a huge budget and works well with its smaller-scale intimate atmosphere by creating situations for the characters that are more personal and don’t need to rely on extravagant situations to draw people in. The look and feel of the Australian outback is distinct enough against other typical indigenous environments from other countries to provide character without needing much else, being a place that feels rustic, covered in dirt and nature, and is often surrounded by people that can be rough around the edges. With this in mind, the film doesn’t flaunt that to a stereotypical level and instead (like the leads fittingly enough) just treats them like regular people. Some react to them aggressively, others are more positive, and some have no idea how to react to them one way or the other, and for a culture that is often associated with the typical ‘’Crocodile Dundee’’ style of accent and attitude, the casual delivery is equally as refreshing. The costume design by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner was heavily praised and even managed to win an Oscar, and you can clearly see why because of how well these costumes are designed. Since drag by nature is a very extravagant, glamorous and even intentionally tacky industry, the costumes match that personality through the vibrant colors, excessive amounts of glitter, the bold extensions on head pieces and frills, and highlighted make-up, it feels appropriate for the profession and really helps create a distinct image for the film. Most of the drag performances are pretty fun and despite only miming during their acts, the actors do a good job performing through them in a nice campy manner that would make you genuinely get into them as well. The soundtrack is also fun and features some memorable songs from the time that also feel like quality choices for the drag community as well (ABBA, Gloria Gaynor and Charlene are very solid choices for a drag performance).

The Adventures of Priscillia, Queen of the Desert is a film that took chances with its content and did do a good job at bringing LGBTQIA+ themes to the mainstream in a film that wasn’t trying to break new grounds and state an ”important message”, but just did so with a small-budget Australian comedy. Considering how the Australian population have a special place in their hearts for this movie, it’s clearly left its impression not just on this part of the world, but in many other parts as well, and for all of that to come from a simple film about two drag queens and a trans woman roaming through the Australian outback is pretty nice. With a sequel planned in the future with most of the talent returning, it’d be interesting to see how these characters and tone will adapt with modern day, and whether or not they be able to grab hearts the same way they did originally. In many ways, the film isn’t anything amazing as it carries with it a few cliches that can result in some generic scenes and predictable jokes, but the performances, the visual style as well some genuine heart provides a decently fun experience. Not a trailblazer, but rather a playful excursion with a group of people who live life to a fabulous degree.

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