Walkabout Prissy Scintillating Dragsled

Rating: Null/10 (17 April 2002)

Spoilers herein.
Prissy, Prison, Pristine. That's what we have here.
I like the approach these filmmakers took. The story is plain stupid. No matter. The characters are the thinnest of stereotypes: the flaming gay, the embarrassed bi, the genetically-determined transsexual, the exhibitionist asian, the miraculously likeable mother-earthy bisexual woman (who also provides shelter in the wilderness) and the true-hearted oaf who is sexually innocent and honestly discovers the heart(s) under the glitter. Stereotypes -- no matter. The production values are unimpressive; the acting approprates the actual manner of drag cabaret, which is to say that it is not acting at all, but prancing.
No matter, because just as with the characters, the superficial appearance is just a nervous mannerism, done without thought, and the real value is elsewhere. What the real matter of this project is to build a few strong images that stick. And surprisingly a few have from Priscilla, and that says quite a bit for this viewer who seriously watches ten movies a week.
It is all built around that image of a drag queen on top of a bus blasting through in the desert wild with dozens of yards of fabric billowing as a train behind and decibels of song leading. It is a matter of filling space: the kite, the unexpected performances, the appropriation of aborigonals (or perhaps the other way), but most of all, the shots of this performer on the bus. It is shown twice and I have not doubt that it was both the original idea and the pitch to sponsors.
Another shot, the three from behind in leggy outfit climbing the hill of their destination. It works, It sticks.
You must decide whether sitting through this is worth collecting those three images. (It was for me.) For all the rest of the `I'm outrageously gay, and isn't it fun' prancing, go watch `Hedwig' instead.