The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
91%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
13 wins & 19 nominations total
While its premise is ripe for comedy — and it certainly delivers its fair share of laughs — Priscilla is also a surprisingly tender and thoughtful road movie with some outstanding performances.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and want to dance in your living room. It’s a heartwarming story about acceptance and friendship, with a side of fabulous costumes and makeup. The performances are top-notch, especially Terence Stamp who brings a quiet dignity to his role. Sure, it may stumble a bit at times, but it always manages to pick itself up and keep the party going. So grab your feather boa and get ready for a wild ride through the Australian outback with Priscilla and her queens!
Production Company(ies)
Margate House Films,
Distributor
Roadshow Home Video [au], Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sex-related situations and language
Year of Release
1994
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 42m
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Language(s):English, Filipino
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Country of origin:Australia
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 10, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 28, 2000
Genre(s)
Comedy/Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
starring Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, directed by Stephan Elliott, written by Stephan Elliott, comedy, LGBTQ+, R rating, box office gross $10.1M, reviewed by Peter Bradshaw, Clifford Terry, Kenneth Turan, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Lisa Schwarzbaum, David Stratton, Terence Stamp as Ralph/Bernadette Bassenger, Hugo Weaving as Anthony “Tick” Belrose/Mitzi Del Bra, Guy Pearce as Adam Whitely/Felicia Jollygoodfellow, Bill Hunter as Bob, Al Clark as producer, Michael Hamlyn as producer, Rebel Penford-Russell as producer, Dolby sound mix, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp as distributor, Roadshow Home Video [au] as distributor
Worldwide gross: $11,265,710
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $22,791,944
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,669
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,485,490
US/Canada gross: $11,220,670
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $22,700,822
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,372
US/Canada opening weekend: $219,433
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $443,940
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,434
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Hugo Weaving – Anthony “Tick” Belrose, Mitzi Del Bra
Guy Pearce – Adam Whitely, Felicia Jollygoodfellow
Bill Hunter – Bob
Sarah Chadwick – Marion
Mark Holmes – Benji
Director(s)
Stephan Elliott
Writer(s)
Stephan Elliott
Producer(s)
Al Clark, Michael Hamlyn, Rebel Penford-Russell
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
13 wins & 19 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Costume Design Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (3)
It’s a tremendous film that was ahead of its time on LGBT issues and, in some ways, is ahead of ours.
June 7, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
On the whole, though, it is funny and compassionate, silly and sweet.
August 22, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Clifford Terry
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
To its credit, whenever things get too treacly, Priscilla knows enough to break out those frocks and get the show in gear. That is entertainment for sure.
August 22, 2018
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Not everything works equally well in this road movie, but writer-director Stephan Elliott keeps things watchable.
August 22, 2018
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
I wasn’t prepared for the generosity and gorgeousness with which Aussie writer-director Stephan Elliott turn this most unlikely road picture into something arresting — if a tad sentimental — in its naive vision of a perfectly tolerant world.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
The plot of Priscilla isn’t as important as the outlandish, wicked dialogue , the wild costumes and makeup, and the general high spirits of the entire enterprise.
July 6, 2010
David Stratton
Variety
TOP CRITIC
While this concept has definite fun appeal, the movie lacks follow-through.
April 4, 2022
Lawrence Frascella
The Advocate
The director steers his way between crudity and heartbreak with the utmost skill.
April 4, 2022
Quentin Crisp
Christopher Street
For the 90 minutes when it isn’t stumbling, it’s flying high on glitter and glam.
August 18, 2020
Matt Patches
Polygon
The true heart of the movie, though, is Terence Stamp. He may be a little stiff in the show routines but, offstage, he’s a revelation, giving a performance of near-perfect restraint and dignity.
August 22, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
TV Guide Staff
TV Guide
Tremendous fun, with a deliciously sugar-coated message, this is the closest the cinema has come to a proper musical in years.
August 22, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
David Parkinson
Radio Times
Outrageous and giddy, the main characters in this movie make The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert a summer entertainment that won’t soon be forgotten.
August 22, 2018
Candice Russell
South Florida Sun-Sentinel…
Plot
Two drag-queens (Anthony/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia) and a transgender woman contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla. En route, it is discovered that the woman they’ve contracted with is Anthony’s wife. Their bus breaks down, and is repaired by Bob, who travels on with them.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Terence Stamp gives a “near-perfect” performance in his role as transsexual Bernadette Bassenger.
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