Special Review
Discord user Drain_MacLaine requested this review. If you'd like to join their server or subscribe to their YouTube channel, click the buttons below. Drain on DiscordDrain on YouTubeGrowing up in Baltimore with a fire-protection equipment manufacturer and a devout Catholic, John Waters led an odd life. At age seven, Waters was staging violent puppet shows and secretly watching cheap drive-in flicks through binoculars. Waters first got his inspiration to pursue cinema after seeing The Wizard of Oz at a young age. His first venture in filmmaking was a short film in 1964 called Hag in a Black Leather Jacket. Over the next few years, he developed an acting troupe called “The Dreamlanders,” similar to Andy Warhol’s superstars. The star of the company was Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as the drag queen performer Divine. Together, they made several low-budget films that pushed many boundaries and were as gross and offensive as possible. After making Mondo Trasho and Multiple Maniacs, John Waters made what ended up being his most famous film, Pink Flamingos.
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Synopsis
Having been labeled the filthiest person alive, Divine goes under a pseudonym, Babs Johnson, to protect her identity. She lives with her mentally-ill mother Edie (Edith Massey), son Crackers (Danny Mills), and companion Cotton (Mary Vivian Pearce). On the other side of town, Connie (Mink Stole) and Raymond (David Lochary) Marble are jealous of Divine’s status. They kidnap young women, keep them locked up, have their manservant Channing (Channing Wilroy) impregnate them, and sell their babies. Using a spy named Cookie (Cookie Mueller), The Marbles learn of Divine’s assumed name, family, and address. After The Marbles send her a box of poop, Divine declares war to show who’s the filthiest person alive. Homes go up in flames, people lick furniture, a party gets raided, and people stage a kangaroo court. In the end, only one person can indeed earn the coveted title of “Filthiest Person Alive!”
Review
Given the film’s reputation, there’s nothing that I can say about Pink Flamingos that hasn’t already been said. Of course, it’s gross, vile, disgusting, offensive, politically incorrect, and transgressive, but that’s just what John Waters intended. In a way, it’s as if Waters set out to make the worst movie ever, and yet it worked. It’s one of those movies where every character is a terrible person, yet Divine and her family are weirdly sympathetic. They accept that they’re the filthiest people alive, yet The Marbles are jealous of how proud they are. While The Marbles try their best to be nasty, you also get a sense that they’re in over their heads. Divine and her family are just living their lives when The Marbles have to interject and make themselves targets. It’s an intriguing look at how mainstream society tries to co-opt otherwise taboo material to seem cool.
In terms of filmmaking, the movie has that grimy quality you could only get from 70’s low-budget cinema. Admittedly, there are times where scenes drag for way too long, and it feels like they should’ve cut much sooner. Acting-wise, everyone delivers their lines as if they’re reciting Shakespeare, making the ridiculous dialogue even funnier. Much of the acting is hit or miss, but Divine delivers an enjoyably over-the-top performance that perfectly fits this movie. While Divine is the show’s star, Mink Stole and Edith Massey perfectly suit their roles and are just as memorable. For a film made in 1972, some of the shock scenes are still pretty shocking even by 2021 standards. General audiences probably won’t enjoy this, but fans of cult cinema should give this at least one viewing. Overall, Pink Flamingos is rough around the edges but enjoyable for midnight movie fans.
Buy Pink Flamingos from Amazon: https://amzn.to/30kVViE.
