10. The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is an under-appreciated treasure of Australian cinema that somehow took 12 years to be adapted to the stage, despite having music and spectacle built into the very fabric of the film. The story follows Anthony Tick Belrose, a drag queen from Sydney, who is hired by his ex-wife to perform at the hotel she manages in Alice Springs. Along with fellow drag queen Adam Whitley and his transsexual best friend Bernadette Bassinger, the trio set out on a cross country adventure on their renovated bus named Priscilla, experiencing both generosity and scorn along the way. Despite the seemingly corny plot, the true value of this film lies in its analysis of relationships and its sensitive portrayal of the protagonists struggles, which is mostly due to the spectacular performances by the three actors you would least expect Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings), Guy Pearce (Memento, Iron Man 3) and Terence Stamp (Superman II, Valkyrie). Despite such a focus on human portrayals from three heavyweight dramatic actors, Priscilla bursts with energy and fun, containing disco classics such as I Love the Nightlife, I Will Survive and Shake Your Groove Thing. (Apologies for using the words Disco and Classic in the same sentence. It will not happen again). While the general message of tolerance is one that is perfect for youngsters, the film does contain scenes that are fit for only adult consumption. If the intense scene where Adam is almost mutilated by a group of homophobic men doesnt upset or disturb the children in the audience, then the image of a former prostitute shooting ping pong balls out of her vagina for a crowd of intoxicated Aussie men will definitely raise questions. Those not accustomed to bawdy Australian humour might get a bit of a shock from less-than-conservative one liners, like Why dont you light your tampon, and blow your box apart? Because its the only bang youre ever gonna get, sweetheart!
A writer, actor, teacher and musician from New South Wales, Australia. His first play/musical "Hipster Apocalypse: A Zombie Cabaret" will be hitting the stage in Wollongong, Australia later this year. If you have any questions or just want to chat, you can contact Bradley on Facebook, Twitter and Google+
