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Features: DVD
Editor's Note
Baltimore filmmaker Yeager delivers an in-depth look into the early career of cult filmmaker John Waters, from his early obsessions with car crashes and macabre puppet shows through his rise to the coveted title of "Prince of Puke" with his taboo-smashing midnight movie hit PINK FLAMINGOS, starring the 300-pound "Godzilla of drag queens," Divine. Comprised of interviews with family, friends, filmmakers, and critics, as well as never-before-seen footage from Yeager's personal archives, this witty, enjoyable homage is a must for fans of the director, in addition to anyone interested in American independent cinema. Winner: Filmmaker's Trophy, Best Documentary, 1998 Sundance Film Festival.
Plot Summary
Climaxing with Waters filming Divine's infamous "dog-excrement eating scene" for the American filth masterpiece PINK FLAMINGOS, Yeager's documentary is a loving portrait of the outré artist as a young man. Beginning with Waters's unusual childhood fascinations with bloody car wrecks and storybook villains, Yeager traces the self-proclaimed "Sultan of Sleaze's" career progression from amateur puppeteer to guerrilla filmmaker and celebrated cult phenomenon. Waters comes across as an ambitious artist with a singular vision, unflagging work ethic, and flair for salesmanship, combining the pluck of Benjamin Franklin with the aesthetic of a deranged Douglas Sirk. The interviews feature his parents, friends and collaborators (Pearce, Stole, Massey, Lochary, Divine), fellow filmmakers, critics, art curators, the beleaguered Maryland State censor who had to rate all of his films, and the director himself. Combined with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and montages of classic scenes from his early body of work (ROMAN CANDLES, EAT YOUR MAKE UP, MULTIPLE MANIACS, FEMALE TROUBLE, PINK FLAMINGOS, and more), the film pays tribute to Waters's influential approach to filmmaking and to his biggest star, the 300-pound drag queen Divine (nee Glenn Milstead), while simultaneously exploring his diverse influences (HOWDY DOODY, WIZARD OF OZ, exploitation filmmakers Hershel Gordon Lewis and the Kuchar brothers, as well as Warhol and Godard) and lasting contributions to American cinema.
| Features | Region 1 | | Keep Case | | Full Frame - 1.33 | | Audio:
| Dolby Digital Stereo - English | | Additional Release Material:
| Production Interviews:
| 1. John Waters | | 2. Divine | | Bonus Footage:
| 1. Rehersal footage for PINK FLAMINGOES | | 2. John Waters tribute to Divine | | Interactive Features:
| Weblink | | Text/Photo Galleries:
| Filmographies |
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| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: SONY MUSIC |
| Release Date: 5/27/2003 |
| Running Time: 90 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1998 | | Catalog ID: 32176 | | UPC: 00826663217698 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: B&W and Color |
| Cast & Crew | Jeanine Basinger - Featured | | David Lochary - Featured | | Caroline Kaplan - Producer | | John Pierson - Featured | | Steve Buscemi - Featured | | Steve Yeager - Director of Photography | | Mike Kuchar - Featured | | Mink Stole - Featured | | Robert Shaye - Featured | | Larry Kardish - Featured | | Steve Yeager - Screenwriter | | Divine - Featured | | Mary Vivian Pearce - Featured | | Edith Massey - Featured | | Jonas Mekas - Featured | | Jim Jarmusch - Featured | | John Waters - Featured | | Paul Morrissey - Featured | | J. Hoberman - Featured | | George Kuchar - Featured | | Hal Hartley - Featured | | Steve Yeager - Director |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
Rating: B 06/30/2000 p.111Premiere
"...Entertaining, well-researched, and loaded with fascinating old footage..." -- 3 out of 5 stars| 09/01/2000 pp.85-6 New York Times
"...[A] fine and fascinating biography....Mr. Waters is highly articulate and endlessly quotable..." 03/31/2000 p.E15 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Water styles himself as an outre raconteur, and DIVINE TRASH flatters his knack for naughty apercus..." 05/26/2000 p.27 USA Today
"...[The documentary] tells of the writer/director's groundbreaking early '70s days, when his movies, perennial lead actor and subject matter helped the Maryland-bred jokester smash what screen taboos were still left to be shattered..." 07/07/2000 p.7E |
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