Pink Flamingos
Short description
Pink Flamingos centers on Divine, a notorious figure hiding from the police under the name Babs Johnson and living in a trailer with her egg-obsessed mother Edie, her son Crackers and her friend Cotton. When a local newspaper names her the filthiest person alive, Connie and Raymond Marble, a married couple who run their own squalid rackets, set out to take the title from her. The two sides compete to outdo each other in depravity, and the contest turns into an open feud.
John Waters wrote, produced and directed the film, his second feature after Multiple Maniacs and the one that precedes Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Polyester and Hairspray in his filmography. Divine plays the lead, with David Lochary and Mink Stole as the Marbles, Edith Massey as Edie, Danny Mills as Crackers and Mary Vivian Pearce as Cotton. The credited cast runs to 64 people. Made for a small budget on the margins of the industry, it went on to take about 6 million dollars worldwide.
On IMDb the film holds 6 out of 10 from roughly 31,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.1 out of 10 from around 590 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 7.4 out of 10 from 49 reviews. The film runs 93 minutes and mixes comedy, crime and horror.
What's left behind the scenes
- The dog feces in the scandalous scene were real. According to director John Waters, the dog was specially fed meat for three days. Divine's reaction to eating the feces was not acted.
- During the filming of a love scene in a barn between Crackers and Cookie, a chick actually died. In 1997, the film was restored, and one of the previously cut scenes—preparing the chicken for dinner—was included.
- Connie and Raymond's car was borrowed from someone John Waters had once met and wanted to include in some scenes he came up with on set. Nothing came of this idea.
- The film features some of the longest end credits in history. They list literally everyone who participated in the creation of the film, including extras.
- David Lochary and Mink Stole dyed their hair themselves for the filming. It is claimed that Lochary did it with a blue marker.
- During filming, Divine was arrested for theft. In his defense, he stated that he hadn't broken character from the criminal he was portraying.
- In the party scene, Divine and the guests inhale amyl nitrite. During the filming period, this and any other "poppers" (a slang term for a group of chemical substances – alkyl nitrites – for inhalation) could be freely purchased at any pharmacy.
- John Waters admitted he regretted including the scene of oral sex involving Divine and Danny Mills in the film. It was awkward to film, as Divine and Mills were friends.
- During the party scene, Divine and the guests inhale amyl nitrite, which was available for purchase in any pharmacy at the time.
- Marilyn Manson used Mink Stole's scream in his composition Dogma.
- Elizabeth Coffie, who played one of the roles, is a transsexual. Before filming, she began taking hormones to develop breasts and feminine facial features. Her penis was removed a week before filming. In Waters' subsequent film "Female Trouble" (1974), Coffie already played a woman.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
