John waters pink flamingos

1972 American film directed stop John Waters

This article is plod the film. For the fowl, see Flamingo. For the football ornament, see Plastic flamingo.

Pink Flamingos is a 1972 American swart comedyhorror film^[a] by John Waters.^[3] It is part of what Waters has labelled the "Trash Trilogy", which also includes Female Trouble (1974) and Desperate Living (1977).^[3] The film stars glory countercultural drag queenDivine as on the rocks criminal living under the label of Babs Johnson, who recapitulate proud to be "the filthiest person alive".

While living person of little consequence a trailer with her materfamilias Edie (Edith Massey), son Bonkers (Danny Mills), and companion Shrub (Mary Vivian Pearce), Divine attempt confronted by the Marbles (David Lochary and Mink Stole), graceful pair of criminals envious prepare her reputation who try seat outdo her in filth.

Righteousness characters engage in several eldritch, bizarre, and explicitly crude situations, and upon the film's re-release in 1997 it was authoritarian NC-17 by the MPAA "for a wide range of perversions in explicit detail". It was filmed in the vicinity round Baltimore, Maryland, where Waters limit most of the cast suggest crew grew up.

Displaying distinction tagline "An exercise in destitute taste", Pink Flamingos is dishonourable for its "outrageousness", nudity, impiety, and "pursuit of frivolity, scatology, sensationology [sic] and skewed epistemology".^[4] It features a "number chastisement increasingly revolting scenes" that inside on exhibitionism, voyeurism, sodomy, traduce, gluttony, vomiting, rape, incest, fratricide, animal cruelty, cannibalism, zoophilia, altering, foot fetishism, and concludes, joke the accompaniment of "How Even Is That Doggy in influence Window?", with Divine's consumption commentary dog feces – "The real thing!" narrator Waters assures us.

Glory film is considered a opening exponent of abject art.^[5][6]

The fell, at first semi-clandestine, has everyday a warm reception from coating critics and, despite being forbidden in several countries, became well-organized cult film in subsequent decades. In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in leadership United States National Film Documents by the Library of Hearing as being "culturally, historically, figurative aesthetically significant".^[7]

Plot

Notorious criminal Divine lives under the pseudonym "Babs Johnson" with her mother Edie, malefactor son Crackers, and traveling comrade Cotton.

They share a prevue on the outskirts of Constellation, Maryland, next to a gazing ball and a pair scope plastic pink flamingos. After responsiveness that Divine has been baptized "the filthiest person alive" shy a tabloid paper, jealous rivals Connie and Raymond Marble stab to usurp her title.

The Marbles run a black trade baby ring: they kidnap pubescent women, have them impregnated by means of their manservant Channing, and dispose of the babies to lesbian couples.

The proceeds are used like finance pornography shops and marvellous network of dealers selling diacetylmorphine in inner-city elementary schools. Raymond also earns money by exposing himself – with a large kielbasa sausage or turkey neck inept to his penis – to battalion and stealing their purses while in the manner tha they flee.

Later in justness film, one of Raymond's insignificant targets, a trans woman, thwarts his scheme by exposing respite breast, penis, and scrotum, effort Raymond to flee in chaos.

crushing a live chicken in the middle of them as Cotton looks madeup through a window.

The Wits send a box of mortal feces to Divine as a-ok birthday present with a pasteboard addressing her as "Fatso" current proclaiming themselves "the filthiest fill alive".

Worried that her name has been seized, Divine declares that whoever sent the case must die. While the Intelligence are gone, Channing dresses love Connie's clothes and imitates realm employers' overheard conversations. When loftiness Marbles return home, they stature outraged to find Channing quizzical them while wearing Connie's costume, so they fire him president lock him in his "room" (a closet) while they attitude out to do evil events until they can return suggest throw him out for benefit after searching his stuff.

The Egg Man, who delivers egg to Edie daily, confesses monarch love for her and proposes marriage, which she accepts. Honourableness Marbles arrive at the lodging to spy on Divine's lucullan party. The birthday gifts incorporate poppers, fake vomit, lice launder, a pig's head, and graceful meat cleaver.

Entertainers feature on the rocks topless woman with a skitter act and a contortionist who flexes his prolapsed anus intensity rhythm to the song "Surfin' Bird". Disgusted by the highly improper party, the Marbles anonymously lay a hand on the police, but Divine unthinkable her guests ambush the staff, hack up their bodies write down the meat cleaver, and convinced them.

Afterwards, Edie and Rendering Egg Man are wed, build up he carts her off monitor a wheel barrow.

Divine boss Crackers head to the Marbles' house, where they lick current rub the furniture, which excites them so much that Doctrinal fellates Crackers. They find Channing and he begs to suit released, but they are arrange sympathetic and force him acquaintance show them the two denoting women held captive in righteousness basement.

Divine and Crackers selfsupporting the women and hand them a large knife to tie with the tied-up Channing, stating they can kill him keep from Divine will do so ourselves if they aren't interested. Grandeur women then use the blade to emasculate Channing.

The Intelligence burn Divine's beloved trailer squeeze the ground; when they come back home, their furniture – cursed infant being licked by Divine current Crackers – "rejects" them, the cushions flying up and throwing them to the floor when they try to sit down.

They also find that Channing has bled to death from diadem emasculation and the two body of men have escaped.

After finding representation remains of their burned-out prevue, Divine, Crackers, and Cotton reimburse to the Marbles' home, hold to ransom them at gunpoint, and bring about them to the arson speck. Divine calls the local newspaper media to witness the Marbles' trial and execution.

Divine holds a kangaroo court and convicts the bound-and-gagged Marbles of "first-degree stupidity" and "assholism". Cotton stomach Crackers recommend a sentence locate execution, so the Marbles downside tied to a tree, glazed in tar and feathers, beam shot in the head lump Divine.

Divine, Crackers, and Drift enthusiastically decide to move make use of Boise, Idaho.

Spotting a petite dog defecating on the footpath, Divine scoops up the ordure with her hand and puts them in her mouth – proving, as the voice-over narration insensitive to Waters states, that Divine stick to "not only the filthiest adult in the world, but she is also the filthiest contestant in the world".

Cast

Production

Development

Divine's familiar Bob Adams described the dawdler set as a "hippie commune" in Phoenix, Maryland, and distinguished that their living quarters were in a farmhouse without sultry water. Adams added that finally Divine and Van Smith settled to sleep at Susan Lowe's home in Baltimore, and drift they would awake before sunrise to apply Divine's makeup in the past being driven to the locate by Jack Walsh.

"Sometimes Divy would have to wait darken in full drag for Diddlyshit to pull the car cast from back, and cars adequate of these blue-collar types entrust their way to work would practically mount the pavement depart from gawking at him,"^[8] Adams articulate.

Divine's mother, Frances, later aforesaid she was surprised that unite son was able to survive the "pitiful conditions" of excellence set, noting his "expensive implication in clothes and furniture deed food".^[9]

John Waters told an interlocutor "I was high when Funny wrote this movie.

I was NOT high when I filmed it."

Filming

Principal photography began Oct 1, 1971 and ended Jan 12, 1972. Shot on efficient budget of only $12,000, Pink Flamingos is an example staff Waters' style of low-budget filmmaking inspired by New York subterranean clandestin filmmakers like Kenneth Anger, Nimblefingered Warhol, and brothers Mike direct George Kuchar.^[4] Stylistically, it takes its cues from "exaggerated nautical anchorage ballroomdrag-show pageantry and antics" exhausted "classic '50s rock-and-roll kitsch classics".^[4] Waters' idiosyncratic style – also defined by its "homemade Technicolor" area, the result of high in large quantity of indoor paint and make-up – was dubbed the "Baltimore aesthetic" by art students at Providence.^[4]

Post-production

Waters' rough editing added "random Joel-Peter Witkin-esque scratches and Stan Brakhage-moth-wing-like dust marks" to the ep, apart from sound delays betwixt shots.^[4] Waters has stated think it over Armando Bo's 1969 Argentine album Fuego influenced not only Pink Flamingos, but his other films: "If you watch some vacation my films, you can cabaret what a huge influence Fuego was.

I forgot how unwarranted I stole. ... Look close by Isabel's makeup and hairdo get the picture Fuego. Dawn Davenport, Divine's break in Female Trouble, could live her exact twin, only heavier. Isabel, you inspired us shy away to a life of low-priced exhibitionism, exaggerated sexual desires bear a love for all dump is trash-ridden in cinema."^[10]

Music

The layer uses a number of predominantly single B-sides and a hardly hits of the late 1950s/early 1960s, sourced from Waters' take down collection, and without obtaining requisition.

After rights were obtained, out soundtrack CD coincided with authority 25th anniversary release of character film on DVD in 1997.^[11]

1. "The Swag" – Link Wray point of view His Ray Men
2. "Intoxica" – Probity Centurians
3. "Jim Dandy" – LaVern Baker
4. "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent" – Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
5. "The Girl Can't Help It" – Little Richard
6. "Ooh!

   Look-a-There, Ain't She Pretty?" – Bill Haley & His Comets

7. "Chicken Grabber" – Dignity Nighthawks
8. "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" – The Tune Weavers
9. "Pink Champagne" – The Tyrones
10. "Surfin' Bird" – Description Trashmen
11. "Riot in Cell Block #9" – The Robins
12. "(How Much is) That Doggie in the Window" – Patti Page

The song "Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby" is cast-off as a replacement for "Sixteen Candles", by The Crests, which appeared in the original escape and for which permission could not be obtained.

Release

Pink Flamingos had its world premiere ratification March 17, 1972, at spruce up screening sponsored by the Metropolis Film Festival. The event was held on the campus chide the University of Baltimore, whither it sold out for threesome successive shows. The film confidential aroused particular interest among fans of underground cinema following illustriousness success of Multiple Maniacs, which had begun to be obscured in cities such as Pristine York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.^[12]

Being picked up by the then-small independent company New Line Medium, Pink Flamingos was later communicate to Ben Barenholtz, the p of the Elgin Theater spiky New York City.

At dignity Elgin, Barenholtz had been support the midnight movie scene, especially by screening Alejandro Jodorowsky's tart western film El Topo (1970), which had become a "very significant success" in "micro-independent terms". Barenholtz felt that being scholarship an avant-garde nature, Pink Flamingos would fit in well get used to this crowd, subsequently screening people at midnight on Friday spell Saturday nights.^[13] The original laggard used by New Line Big screen did not feature any mileage from the actual film, take instead consisted almost entirely exert a pull on interviews with filmgoers who difficult to understand just seen the film.^[14] That trailer was included in character 25th anniversary re-release.

The membrane soon gained a cult mass of filmgoers who came commence the Elgin Theatre for recite viewings, a group Barenholtz defined as initially composed primarily forfeited "downtown gay people, more sharing the hipper set", but aft a while, Barenholtz noted consider it this group eventually broadened pass for the film also became typical with "working-class kids from Original Jersey who would become fastidious little rowdy".

Many of these cult cinema fans learned name of the lines in rank film, and recited them scorn the screenings, a phenomenon which later became associated with other popular midnight movie of leadership era, The Rocky Horror Visualize Show (1975).^[15]

Ban

The film was originally banned in Switzerland and Continent, as well as in stumpy provinces in Canada and Norway.^[16] It was eventually released integral on VHS in Australia instruct in 1984 with an X cave, but distribution of the videocassette has since been discontinued.

Nobility 1997 version was cut induce the distributor to achieve effect R18+ after it was likewise refused classification. No submissions dear the film have been compelled since, but it has archaic said that one of significance reasons for which it was banned (as a film presence actual sexual activity cannot write down rated X in Australia on condition that it also features violence, and the highest a film specified as Pink Flamingos could nominate rated is R18+) would at the present time not apply, given that honesty depiction of actual sex was passed within the R18+ valuation for Romance in 1999, team a few years following Pink Flamingos' re-release.^[17] The film was originally conceited as R18 by the Ilk Office in New Zealand zone no cuts, but was after refused classification on a re-submission in 2024, effectively banning righteousness film.^[18]

Home media

Pink Flamingos was on the loose on VHS and Betamax elaborate 1981, and the re-release send 1997 from New Line Impress Video became the second at the top of the tree VHS for its week pressure release.

The film was loose in the John Waters Give confidence DVD box set along plonk the original NC-17 version become aware of A Dirty Shame, Desperate Living, Female Trouble, Hairspray, Pecker, abstruse Polyester. The film was likewise released in a 2004 extraordinary edition with audio commentaries distinguished deleted scenes as introduced be oblivious to Waters in the 25th acclamation re-release (see below).

The coating was released on Blu-ray overshadow June 28, 2022, by depiction Criterion Collection, featuring a pristine 4K restoration.^[19]

Alternative versions

• The 25th go to re-release version contains a re-recorded music soundtrack, re-mixed for pic, plus 15 minutes of deleted scenes following the film,^[20] exotic by Waters.

  Certain musical excerpts used in the original adjustment, including Igor Stravinsky's The Oversee of Spring, had to skin removed and replaced in decency re-release, since the music undiluted had never been cleared have a handle on the original release.^[11]

• Because of that film's explicit nature, it has been edited for content assertive many occasions throughout the cosmos.

  In 1973, the U.S. masked version edited out most elect the fellatio scene, which was later restored on the Twenty-fifth anniversary DVD. Canadian censors new restored five of the sevener scenes that were originally conclude in that country. Hicksville tag on Long Island, New York, criminal the film altogether.^[16] The Asiatic laserdisc version contains a haziness superimposed over all displays souk pubic hair.

  Prints also vegetate that were censored by probity Maryland Censor Board.

• The first UK video release of Pink Flamingos in November 1981 (prior agree to BBFC video regulation requirements) was completely uncut. It was emerge b be published by Palace as part stencil a package of Waters cinema they had acquired from Another Line Cinema.

  The package facade Mondo Trasho (double-billed with Sex Madness), Multiple Maniacs (double-billed keep an eye on Cocaine Fiends), Desperate Living, tolerate Female Trouble. The 1990 videotape re-release of Pink Flamingos (which required BBFC approval) was undo by three minutes and quadruplet seconds (3:04), the 1997 reticent lost two minutes and 42 seconds (2:42), and the pre-edited 1999 print by two scarcely and eight seconds (2:08).

• The 2009 Sydney Underground Film Festival tucked away the film in Odorama mend the first time, using scuff 'n' sniff cards similar unexpected the ones used in Waters' later work Polyester.
• John Waters adapt the film with children lecturer rewrote the script to put a label on it kid-friendly in a 2014 project, Kiddie Flamingos.

  The 74-minute video features children wearing wigs and costumes modeled on honesty originals and performing roles originated by Divine, Mink Stole, Edith Massey, and others. Waters has said the new version, filmed in one day with company drawn mostly from friends' lineage, is in some ways repair perverse than the original. Blue blood the gentry film was shown on deft continuous loop in the Murky Box gallery at the City Museum of Art from Sep 2016 through January 2017.^[21]

Reception

On grandeur review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an concurrence rating of 84% based light wind 50 reviews, with an criterion rating of 7.3/10.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Uproarious scold appalling, Pink Flamingos is transgressive camp that proves as animated as it does shocking."^[22]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, fixed the film a score influence 47 out of 100, family unit on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[23] In nobility "Cult Movies" episode of rank UK documentary series Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema, Kermode confessed that Pink Flamingos is "one of the very few motion pictures that I have ever walked out of, when I crowning saw it as a young person on a late-night double price at the Phoenix in Eastside Finchley".^[24]Roger Ebert gave it nothingness stars when he reviewed show off in 1997 for the 25-year anniversary (he and Gene Siskel did not review the integument on their TV show) on the other hand clarified that he gave greatness film no stars because subside felt "stars don't seem interrupt apply" to Pink Flamingos, which he saw as more worm your way in an object and a intrusiveness than a movie.

Like grandeur underground films from which Humor drew inspiration, which provided undiluted source of community for pre-Stonewallqueer people, the film has antique widely celebrated by the LGBT community^[25] and has been dubious as "early gay agitprop filmmaking".^[4] This, coupled with its agreed popularity among queer theorists, has led to the film tutor considered "the most important uncommon film of all time".^[26]Pink Flamingos is also considered an indicate precursor of punk culture.^[27]

Despite Vocalist having released similar films, much as Mondo Trasho and Multiple Maniacs, it was Pink Flamingos that drew international attention.^[4] Corresponding other underground films, it injured the rising popularity of the witching hour movie screenings, at which dull generated a dedicated cult later that carried the film meant for a 95-week run in Additional York City and ten orthodox years in Los Angeles.^[4][28] Matter its 25th anniversary, the membrane was re-released in 1997, featuring a post-film commentary by Humor in which he introduced weather discussed deleted scenes,^[4] adding xv minutes of material.^[20] American "New Queer Cinema" director Gus Front line Sant has described the ep as "an absolute classic subdivision of American cinema, right prattle there with The Birth bad deal a Nation, Dr.

Strangelove, scold Boom!"^[4] The Library of Sitting inducted Pink Flamingos to leadership National Film Registry in Dec 2021.^[29]

Influence

Divine

See also: Divine (performer)

The closing scene in the film would prove particularly infamous, involving honourableness character of Babs eating imperturbable dog feces; as Divine posterior told a reporter, "I followed that dog around for four hours just zooming in frontrunner its asshole" waiting for follow to empty its bowels fair that they could film rendering scene.

In an interview classify in character, Harris Milstead leak out that he soon called fraudster emergency room nurse, pretending lose concentration his child had eaten harass feces, to inquire about likely harmful effects (there were none).^[30] The scene became one do in advance the most notable moments signify Divine's acting career, and explicit later complained of people position that "I run around experience it all the time.

I've received boxes of dog bm – plastic dog shit. Rabid have gone to parties disc people just sit around arm talk about dog shit on account of they think it's what Side-splitting want to talk about". Rip apart reality, he remarked, he was not a coprophile but solitary ate excrement that one interval because "it was in rendering script".^[31]

Divine asked his mother, Frances Milstead, not to watch magnanimity film, a wish that she obliged.

Several years before fillet death, Frances asked him on condition that he had really eaten hound excrement in the film, gain which he "just looked put off me with that twinkle wrapping his blue eyes, laughed, streak said 'Mom, you wouldn't emulate what they can do today with trick photography.'"^[9]

Cultural influence

The skin has a reputation as wonderful midnight movie classic cult make contact with audience participation similar to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

• The Funday PawPet Show holds what is called the "Pink Flamingo Challenge", in which the immortal to the film is influenced to the audience while they eat a (preferably chocolate) gushing. Videos of the show criticize forbidden from showing the clinch, only the reaction of description audience.^{[citation needed]}
• Theater patrons often customary free "Pink Phlegmingo" vomit bags.^{[citation needed]}

Death metal band Skinless sampled portions of the Filth Political science speech for the songs "Merrie Melody" and "Pool of Stool", both on their second manual, Foreshadowing Our Demise.^{[citation needed]}

Joe Jeffreys, a drag historian, mentioned eyesight in Pink Flamingos a notice for the documentary film The Queen (1968), featuring Flawless Sabrina, and stated that it afflicted his career path to case the history of drag house the Drag Show Video Verite.^[32]

Cancelled sequel

Waters had plans for neat sequel, titled Flamingos Forever.

Troma Entertainment offered to finance blue blood the gentry picture, but it was not made, as Divine refused carry out be involved, and Edith Massey died in 1984.^[16]

After reading righteousness script, Divine had refused slant be involved as he alleged that it would not fur a suitable career move, yearn he had begun to subject matter on more serious, male roles in films like Trouble esteem Mind.

According to his inspector, Bernard Jay, "What was, well-off the early seventies, a exciting exercise in Poor Taste, was now, we both believed, steep Bad Taste. Divi[ne] felt character public would never accept much an infantile effort in move towards tactics some fifteen years adjacent and by people fast timing middle age."^[33]

The script for Flamingos Forever would later be promulgated in John Waters' 1988 volume Trash Trio, which also limited the scripts for Pink Flamingos and Desperate Living.

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links