'Priscilla' a road-trip movie with a twist

By TODD RITTER
Collegian Arts Writer

Two drag queens and a transsexual dance in the desert wearing day-glo bell-bottoms. Lit only by a camp fire, they lip-sync to Gloria Gaynor's disco classic, "I Will Survive."

That scene occurs about halfway through The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, perfectly capturing the tone and mood of the entire film.

Priscilla is a road movie in drag. It follows the unconventional trio as they leave their hometown of Sydney and speed through the outback.

It is when their vehicle, a purple bus named Priscilla, breaks down, that the trouble begins. As they struggle to get to their destination, an out-of-the-way casino, they discover a variety of strangers and, in true road-movie fashion, discover a little bit about each of themselves.

Holding the film together is British actor Terence Stamp. Stamp was the '60s equivalent of Brad Pitt when he burst onto the scene in 1962. Now much older and wiser, he plays Bernadette, an aging transsexual, with touching dignity and poise.

Bernadette is a woman who has dealt with life's blows and taken them all in stride.

"I can fight," she says after downing a drunken aussie, "because I've learned I had to." She can be tough but knows that you should never lose your decorum.

The other two, Mitzi and Felicia, played by Australian actors Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, don't have Bernadette's outlook on life. More naive, they enjoy the excess of their lifestyle.

"You can make a good living in a pair of heels," Mitzi tells a stranger, sounding like he wouldn't want to live his life any other way.

The actors all do a good job of humanizing their characters. The audience understands the trio and sympathizes when they meet up with a character who does not understand them.

The film itself looks beautiful. The characters, if they had a chance, would describe it as "fabulous."

Director Stephan Elliott makes optimum use of the scenery and the shamelessly flamboyant costumes.

The only drawback is the script. The plot, really a series of encounters that are strung together, is dangerously thin.

After coasting along for the first hour, it slows down and comes close to stalling completely. But the actors perk things up, new characters are introduced and the movie sails effortlessly to its satisfying conclusion.

With a freewheeling attitude that overcomes its various flaws, Priscilla is a road movie with a sense of style.