Terence Stamp had played some pretty tough characters in his career – Billy Budd, General Zod – so it was a big surprise to many to see him play a transgender character in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Stamp had his own misgivings about playing the role as it was so different from anything he’d done before. Luckily, he signed on to take it anyway and the result is a beautifully portrayed character. And that’s not even mentioning Hugo Weaving or Guy Pearce. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our Transgender series with Stephan Elliott’s 1994 cult comedy classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
We talk about how well the film holds up and why – strong script, strong characters, lots of laughs. We look at what Stamp, Weaving and Pearce all bring to their roles and why they all work so well in the parts. We chat about Elliott and what he brings to the table as the writer and director of the film. We look at one element of the script – Bob’s Filipino wife – any why this is the most contentious element of the film. We discuss the music and how well it all works, regardless of whether you’re planning on pulling the CD out later to listen in. And we chat about the nature of Stamp as a transgender character and how that pairs with the gay drag queens.
It’s a fun film to watch and is very easy to enjoy. That being said, it also has some pretty big messages that it handles quite well. We have a great time talking about it on this week’s show so check it out then tune in! Thanks!
Film Sundries
- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
