The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Synopsis: Stephan Elliott (EYE OF THE BEHOLDER) wrote and directed this tale of two drag queens and a transsexual that embark on a road trip to a remote resort town in the Australian desert on a bus christened Priscilla. When Anthony "Tick"/Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) is invited to perform in Alice Springs, he... Stephan Elliott (EYE OF THE BEHOLDER) wrote and directed this tale of two drag queens and a transsexual that embark on a road trip to a remote resort town in the Australian desert on a bus christened Priscilla. When Anthony "Tick"/Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) is invited to perform in Alice Springs, he recruits flamboyant young stud Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce) and the legendary, refined Bernadette (Terence Stamp) to join him. Mitzi, however, fails to disclose one important fact to his friends: his wife is the one who invited them to Alice Springs. With one big secret about to be revealed and another one up his sleeve, Mitzi is a little stressed. With long hours on the road ahead of them, the trio lip-synchs campy songs on the bus, creates fabulous costumes, and meets a multitude of colorful characters along the way. They party with friendly aborigines, are confronted by judgmental townspeople who are averse to drag queens, and meet Bob (Bill Hunter), a warmhearted mechanic and drag fan who joins them for the last leg of their trip when their bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Fantastic costumes and fabulous makeup abound, and fine performances are delivered all around. But perhaps most important are the implicit messages that families come in all forms, that friends can make a family, and that love really knows no boundaries. [More]