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The rumours are true, queer Aussie cult classic (QACC) The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is celebrating three decades of questioning societal norms and championing queer and trans people in the Australian outback – this beloved flick was a huge deal back then and it remains a huge deal now.
Not even being funny, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce walked so Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal could run naked in Brokeback Mountain. They’re all honorary queer icons in my eyes, but Hugo and Guy paved the way about a decade earlier.
When the credits roll, Priscilla is arguably a more positive take on the LGBTQIA+ journey which was rare for studio-produced queer films back then, as they really loved to hone in on the trauma of it all and focus less on the insane strength these characters possessed (but more on that later).
As most of us weren’t around to witness the phenomenon of Priscilla strutting into cinemas back in 1994, now’s the time to gather your mates, pick up a coupla brewskies and chuck it on for pres before jumping in your own purple bus (aka regular uber) to the ongoing LGBTQIA+ festivities. (And, if you’re stuck on an idea for a night out, we’ve created a map of all the best LGBTIQA+-run venues, events and festivals that happen around the country all year round.)
Welcome to my famous spoiler-free five-second recap
Never seen Priscilla? Need a refresher?
Tick (Hugo Weaving) recruits his fellow drag queen Adam (Guy Pearce) and their trans pal Bernadette (Terence Stamp) to embark on a road trip to perform at Tick’s ex-wife’s pub in Alice Springs. For four days, it’s a roller coaster of drag performances in the desert to the tunes of Gloria Gaynor and ABBA, rampant homophobia in mining towns, straight people getting their asses handed to them in bars, revelations between the trio and enough heartwarming moments to make you a teary mess.
It’s truly got it all.
We’re a resilient bunch, I’ll give us that
I don’t know if I’ve earned the right to claim “we’re” resilient (it’s giving ‘I think we ALL sing’ vibes) as a lot has fazed me over my short queer career but, as a whole, resilience kinda comes with the territory—maybe one day we queer folk can all let our guards down and become squishy marshmallows, but we’re not there just yet.
Case in point: do you know how many traumatic and confronting experiences the main trio face in Priscilla? A lifetime’s worth, and they’re simply on one road trip. Straight people in the same situation would fold like a sofa bed (I’m jesting, I’m jesting…kinda).
There are countless scenes in Priscilla that showcase this (Bernadette making that bigoted woman in the pub look a right fool is a personal highlight), so it was refreshing to watch the characters refuse to cater to those around them – I can only imagine what seeing that on the big screen would’ve been like back in the day.
Queer people can have…happy endings?
Not to dwell on Brokeback Mountain like it was the only other gay movie to exist over 20 years ago, but it is the one I watched on repeat — usually hungover on a Sunday morning — so I do place a lot of unwarranted blame on that movie giving me this sad gay boy mentality. Queer life is full of sadness and heartbreak, got it.
Not so fast: had I watched Priscilla on those hungover Sunday mornings, perhaps I would’ve had a more optimistic outlook on gaydom from the jump. Priscilla was giving the LGBTQIA+ community a light at the end of the tunnel, in stark contrast to those trauma-laced movies about the same community that often end in death and dire straits.
Priscilla: one; every other queer movie pre-2012: -four
Camp movies did (and can) put butts in seats
Keep in mind that Priscilla came out 30 years ago, and the fact that such an unabashedly queer movie made over $18 million in Australia is mindblowing. People just wanted to see Hugo Weaving and his 10-tonne wig pull of choreo, alright? Give the audience what they want.
Along with other homegrown staples — looking at you, Muriel’s Wedding — Priscilla helped introduce Aussie studios to the world stage, further solidifying our reputation as cheeky rascals who can poke fun at ourselves while simultaneously taking a strong stance on societal issues.
A fever dream that effectively dealt with very real issues
Australia’s reputation was pretty dang backwards on-screen prior to the trio in Priscilla shattering glasses of VB (hopefully, the glass ceiling metaphor landed) and addressing ongoing stigmas facing the LGBTQIA+ community.
Underneath the costumes (which won the movie an Academy Award) and vibrant purple buses, Priscilla can be a confronting watch that will sadly resonate with a lot of its viewers, but it finds a balance between its stiletto-infused musical numbers and heart-wrenching reminders of certain people’s inability to, I dunno, not be twats?
I won’t be dragging this movie for some of its outdated takes (it’s old enough to be twice divorced), so when you watch it, just be thankful that it exists and that it opened the doors for future movies of its ilk to exist, too. You can even pay homage to it by making a pilgrimage to a bunch of the locations the film was shot at, including Fab Alice Festival in the Northern Territory, the iconic Imperial Hotel in Erskenville, and Broken Heel Festival in Broken Hill.
Long live Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Want to continue celebrating the local LGBTQIA+ community? Check out the BWYASSS Supporting Pride Far & Wide site, made in collaboration with BWS. It features Pride events, inclusive venues, BWYASSS stores, and LGBTQIA+ owned and run businesses across the country who continue to advocate for members of the local community.