Lust in the Dust

I'm a WSM however, I'm open to anything, or so I thought. I heard of Devine after all, 1984 is the year I turned 26 so, my hearing should be OK. This didn't work for me, it was Blazing Saddles gone wrong. If it even had been a parody, of a parody, I might have given it a chance. Devine was far too low a parodic actor for me to appreciate what s/he was trying to achieve. Could be my fault, I won't lose sleep over it. Neither will s/he.

Paul Bartel's excellent direction gives this awesome camp send-up of cowboy shoot-em-ups his usual dark comedic twist. With fantastic actors, this movie is replete with Divine's famous monologues, awesome sarcasm (delivered flawlessly, but without meanness like so much common sarcasm), and over the top physical comedy. Divine was Harris Glen Milstead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_(actor), a gay man who dressed up as hyper-campy women to deliver his particularly outrageous drag/camp performances. The interplay between Divine and Lainie Kazan is not to be missed, as Divine gets to say everything each of us wants to say to Marguerite's character - and then some! What makes Lust in the Dust so successful is everything: the writing is par excellence, Bartel's direction is awesome, the group of performers work very well together to deliver scene after scene of laugh-out-loud comedy, the major actors - Divine, Tab Hunter, Lainie Kazan - are superbly entertaining, and the supporting actors are dynamite. As far as campy movies go, Lust in the Dust is one of my top 10 favorite films of all time, as it always entertains and is a solid cult classic.

This sloppily written western spoof is filled with cliches and tacky characterizations, not very likable ones among the rough and tumbleweed characters here. The film starts with a sweaty and tired Divine (in a rare non-John Waters film appearance) lost in the desert and coming across the quiet but dangerous Tab Hunter. They end up at the bordello owned by Lainie Kazan where they learn about hidden gold in the area and the fact that a missing map is the key to finding it. The map turns up in the oddest of plalces (half on Divine's behind, the other on Kazan's), and repeated shots of Divine's buttocks are not pretty. Some songs are thrown in for good measure, spoofing old westerns where the hard as nails saloon owner always entertained her clientele. Divine's number is only memorable for Kazan's reaction to it, and Kazan shows the talent that could have been on Broadway with her throaty voice singing "South of My Border", complete with filthy lyrics. Gina Gallego and Nedra Volz are Kazan's other girls, with Gallego (later of the soaps "Rituals" and "Santa Barbara") as the innocent novice and Noltz has the aging working girl who probably hasn't turned a trick in decades. Cesar Romero as a local priest, Henry Silva as a ruthless bandito and Geoffrey Lewis as a rustler also searching for the gold comprise the supporting casst. Like his John Waters movies, Divine plays a character of such bad taste that at times, he becomes a bit too much. Kazan lacks the subtle good heart of other such business owners in similar westerns, and is equally reprehensible. The recurring gag of Divine accidentally breaking the becks of the men she has relations with (one an overly stimilated little person, the other a redheaded piano player simply known as "Red Dick") becomes the stuff that nightmares are made of. Volz, one of the busiest on screen old ladies of the 1970's and 80's, is too cute to criticize. This doesn't have the tacky charm of "Female Trouble" or "Pink Flamingos", and under the writing and directing of Paul Bartel, is a poor imitation.

This is one of my all-time favorite Divine comedies. A true must for any western fan. And Tab Hunter is absolutely gorgeous! Loved the musical numbers, especially, my personal favorite, Lainie Kazan singing, "Let Me Take You South Of My Border." Definitely one of the best films Paul Bartel has directed. The actors obviously had a blast making this movie. I think its better than the team of Tab Hunter and Divine in Polyester. Shot on location in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Lust In the Dust is a satirical reminder of what westerns are supposed to be. I must have seen this film a dozen times and it never loses its magic. Check out the DVD Anniversary edition which has a great documentary on the making of the movie.

This movie should be the cult kinky western of the 1980s, as Johnny Guitar is the kinky cult western of the 1950s. Too bad Divine and Joan Crawford never did a western together - now THAT would be a sight to behold! Johnny Guitar Lusts in the Dust - with Mommie Dearest as Divine's divine mommie. . . .

This deliciously wicked musical western comedy have the genius of John Waters and comedian Divine in a laugh-out-loud well produce, written and acted comedy. These desperado are searching for a hidden treasure at the ruthless town of "Chili Verde", and the only good guys are an aging prostitute and a clueless drifter. But since they don't have cable the local must find other ways to amuse themselves like leaching day. Even the priest gets into the action. So run fast rent or buy "Lust in the Dust", this guilty pleasure is best enjoy with a pint, a few buffalo wings and few idiots to laugh with.

LUST IN THE DUST (1985) is a very entertaining campy B-western from the 80s. It is just another reminder of how much fun movies were back then. When a campy movie comes out now, it's either unintentionally so, or even if it's intentional, it's BAD camp that's almost unwatchable because the filmmakers overdid it. With this movie, they really seemed to know what they were doing, so Lust in the Dust is GOOD camp! Director Paul Bartel made a completely confident-in-itself sleazy, gritty Western parody and it is a total winner! This was easily his best directorial effort. The dialog is actually very sharp, tongue-in-cheek, and witty and the film itself is a hoot! The actors really do a great job of playing the winning script to the hilt. I think this movie contains the best role of all of the main actors involved. Tab Hunter perfectly essays the "Clint Eastwood" role of the film, the quiet, tough loner who says very little and conveys a tough-guy reserve. The infamous transvestite Divine is at his deadpan best playing the key role of the voracious and bombastic Rosie. And Lainie Kazan is incredibly sexy and funny as the hot, luscious, and lusty (pun intended!) cantina owner Marguerita. I don't think Kazan was ever this sexy before or since this movie! The supporting cast plays their roles extremely well also: Geoffrey Lewis, Nedra Volz, Gina Gallego, and the iconic Cesar Romero. Also, groundbreaking Western legend Woody Strode gets a cameo! The actors' dedication to their characters is commendable. Lust in the Dust is an extremely FUNNY movie with more laugh-out-loud moments and dialog than many a mainstream A-level comedy. There are 2 absolutely hysterical singing bits done by Divine ("These Lips") and Lainie Kazan ("South of the Border") that are a real treat. A true B-movie in every sense. Highly recommended.

Divine, the alter ego of Glen Milstead (1945-1988), first burst onto an unsuspecting public with such notorious John Waters films as the infamous PINK FLAMINGOS, dishing up bad-taste humor in proportion with her truly ample size. But there was more to Divine than drag queen humor, and LUST IN THE DUST offers her a less extreme playground, pitting her against a lone gunman (Tab Hunter), a vicious saloon floozy (Lainie Kazan), and a host of desperadoes in a flyweight send up the spaghetti westerns so popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Directed by Paul Bartel, best known for his 1982 black comedy EATING RAOUL, LUST IN THE DUST is essentially the very slight story of a search for gold--a search that leads Able Wood (Hunter), Marguarite Ventura (Kazan), and Rosie Velez (Divine) to the isolated old west one horse town of Chile Verde. There, with support from the likes of Cesar Romero, they snap, snarl, break up furniture, sing bawdy songs, show their tattoos, and... well... lust in the dust. What else? I may be overly generous in granting this film five stars. The film is occasionally slow and there's nothing greatly inspired about plot, script, and so on--but the performers make the whole thing a lot of fun. Divine wallows, Kazan hisses, and Hunter sweats with the best of 'em, and when it comes to one-liners the movie overflows with both the obvious and very unexpected. Yes, it's all very silly stuff, but everybody puts it over with flair and a sense of fun; you'll grin in spite of yourself. The DVD offers a reasonable, if not pristine, print of the film--and there's even a bonus package: the film trailer and an entertaining little "making of" documentary. If you're already a Divine fan, LUST IN THE DUST is a must; if you've never encountered Divine, this would be a good place to start, for it lacks the truly jaw-dropping (and frequently off-putting) content of Divine's work for John Waters. Two tons of fun. GFT, Amazon Reviewer

By far one of the funniest films ever. Personally I hate westerns, so it's odd that this film is one of my favorites. The song Divine sings at the begining of the film should be played on MTV or something. I don't want to give away anything about this film, let me just say, if you've seen EATING ROAUL, and you liked it, get this film. 1-10, Lust in the Dust gets a 9!

Perhaps Divine's greatest acting captured on film. This is not a film for all tastes. Perhaps it is a little over the top in some aspects and might leave some viewers wondering what they have just watched, in some scenes it evokes true emotion and humanity. Life, love, and even death are depicted as they sometimes seem to be... senseless, unintentionally funny, and heartbreakingly sad. Lainie Kazan plays like the proverbial "*" with a heart of gold and also a heart of pure stone. Divine somehow comes off as a happy loser, but one you want to root for. "Lust In The Dust" plays like farce, suspends belief, but ultimately laughs at itself knowingly.