Pink Flamingos (1972) Saliva Films-original 1972 release; Fine Line- restored 1997 re-release/Comedy RT: 93 minutes Rated X-1972/NC-17-1997 (for every conceivable reason and then some!) Director: John Waters Screenplay: John Waters Music: N/A Cinematography: John Waters Release date: March 17, 1972 (US)/April 11, 1997 (US) Starring: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Edith Massey, Danny Mills, Channing Wilroy, Cookie Mueller, Paul Swift. Box Office: $7 million (US)
Rating: **** (four stars)
It’s almost impossible to review a movie like Pink Flamingos without sounding like I’m contradicting myself. On the one hand, it’s one of the most poorly made movies I’ve ever seen. There is absolutely no artistic merit here. Every aspect of it reeks of amateurism. It’s like a 93-minute home movie starring the most perverted family in the world. It’s extremely gross. John Waters, the do-all guy responsible for this “exercise in poor taste”, leaves no stone unturned. He gives us graphic scenes of fellatio, masturbation, ejaculation, incest, bestiality (sort of), voyeurism, cannibalism, murder and indecent exposure. The infamous finale features a 300-lb. transvestite eating dog feces. For once, the tagline on the poster is completely accurate.
On the other hand, Pink Flamingos is outrageously funny. Its grotesqueness is precisely the point. It was never intended for mainstream consumption. It’s an underground film that developed a strong cult following, especially among gays, at midnight showings at specialty theaters. Talk about pushing the envelope, Waters goes WAY beyond the bounds of bad taste. He and his cast always seem to be trying to outdo each other with the things they do. The viewer has three choices; (1) to puke, (2) bolt from the theater or (3) laugh like hell. I choose the third option. I think Pink Flamingos is a freaking riot!
The plot, such as it is, centers on trailer trash-types vying for the coveted title “The Filthiest Person Alive”. The current title holder is Divine (the aforementioned transvestite), a notorious criminal living in a crappy trailer on the outskirts of Baltimore under the alias “Babs Johnson”. She lives with her obese, mentally ill mother Edie (Massey), depraved son Crackers (Mills) and companion Cotton (Pearce). Edie, who’s kept in a playpen, is obsessed with eggs. Crackers enjoys including live chickens in his sexual exploits while Cotton watches.
Their rivals are the Marbles, Connie (Mink Stole) and Raymond (Lochary). The couple runs a black market baby ring. They kidnap young girls and imprison them in their basement where they are impregnated by skeevy manservant Channing (Wilroy). The babies are then sold to lesbian couples. The Marbles use the proceeds to finance porno shops and inner-city elementary school drug rings. During his off-hours, Raymond likes to hang around town exposing himself to women. They are determined to snatch the title away from Babs. Thus begins a war of filthy and disgusting acts.
The fun never stops in Pink Flamingos. Scene after scene tests the viewer’s gag reflex. The highlights are a series of low points. It’s a cinematic geek show. We get to see Edie gorge herself on eggs, a mother perform oral sex on her son, Channing masturbating and using a syringe to impregnate his victims, two people licking furniture, a castration, a double execution and, my personal favorite, a man flexing his a-hole in sync to “Surfin’ Bird” (I call it the “A–hole Dance”). Then, of course, is the scene I already mentioned, the one that gets talked about the most. It wasn’t faked, btw. It’s real! Divine actually eats dog poop. In an interview, he said he had to follow the dog around for three hours before it finally went. Is this Method acting or what? ANYWAY, this is the one scene in Pink Flamingos that turns my stomach. I gagged the first time I saw it (on video in ’88).
It would be utterly pointless to discuss the usual things as Pink Flamingos is NOT that kind of movie. If it was, I’d have to call it out on everything. It’s badly made in every respect. That’s what makes it so awesome! It has a kitschy aesthetic (aka “homemade Technicolor”) that extends to the 50s rock soundtrack. It’s a low-budget job ($10,000) that Waters shot guerilla-style (no permits) in and around Baltimore. He didn’t even bother obtaining the necessary rights for the songs he used. Divine is perfect in the lead. She makes Pink Flamingos what it is. The acting, in general, may be piss-poor but everybody totally looks the part of filthy people. They’re like residents of a trailer park in some surreal realm. This movie is just insane and insanely gross. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.
