A cult classic is on top of the list this week as MGM Home Entertainment releases The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in an Extra Frills Edition DVD.
Directed by Australian director and screenwriter Stephan Elliot, the 1994 kitsch comedy starred Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving and Terence Stamp. It tells the story of three high-drama drag queens on their way to a new gig at a casino in the Australian outback.
Bonus material includes audio commentary by director Elliot, the featurette Birth of a Queen, deleted scenes, blooper reel, photo gallery, trailers and more.
A definite campy keeper that’s a bit raunchy for quotables, but we’ll give it a go:
Bernadette (Stamp): No, I’ll join this conversation on the proviso that we stop bitching about people talking about wigs, dresses, bust sizes, penises, drugs, night clubs, and bloody Abba!
Tick (Weaving): Doesn’t give us much to talk about then, does it?
Felicia (Pearce): Oh, for goodness sakes, get down off that crucifix. Someone needs the wood.
Bernadette: Believe me, Bob, these days gentlemen are an endangered species. Unlike bloody drag queens who just keep breeding like rabbits.
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Meanwhile, Fox Home Entertainment gears up for Father’s Day with some war and sci-fi classics, all releases in its Cinema Classics Collection.
Check ‘em out:
- The Sand Pebbles (1966), directed by Robert Wise from Richard McKenna’s novel. Stars Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen and Mako. Nominated for seven Oscars (actor, supporting actor, art direction, cinematography, editing, music, picture and sound). It marked McQueen’s only Oscar nom for best actor, but he lost to Paul Scofield in A Man For All Seasons.
The two-disc special edition is packed with extras, including commentary, making-of featurettes, a McQueen retrospective, radio documentaries and more.
- Twelve O’ Clock High (1949), directed by Henry King. The aerial adventure starred Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Dean Jagger. Nominated for four Oscars (supporting actor, sound, best actor and picture), it picked up a win for Jagger’s supporting role and sound.
The U.S. Navy uses the film as an example of leadership styles in its training school and bomber crewmembers have often been quoted as saying it was the only accurate portrayal of their wartime experiences.
Bonus material in the two-disc special edition includes commentary, four featurettes and a still gallery.
- Von Ryan’s Express (1965), directed by Mark Robson. The escape film starred Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, Edward Mulhare and James Brolin (his first credited movie role). Oscar-nominated for best effects/sound effects.
The two-disc edition featurers commentary, four featurettes and more.
- Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea: Global Warming Edition (1961), directed by Irwin Allen. Starred Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Michael Ansara and Frankie Avalon. A long-running TV series spun off from the movie so Allen could make use of the $400,000 submarine model and interior sets.
The special edition contains commentary, a documentary, interview with Eden, production stills and more.
- Fantastic Voyage: Special Edition (1966), directed by Richard Fleischer, it scooped an art direction/set decoration Oscar away from The Sand Pebbles, and also picked up a best effects/special visual effects Oscar. The sci-fi adventure starred Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O’Brien and Donald Pleasance. The special edition contains commentaries, a tribute to the visual effects, storyboard comparisons, stills galleries and more.
- The Neptune Factor (1973), directed by Daniel Petrie, makes its DVD debut in a special edition. The underwater disaster flick starred Ben Gazzara, Walter Pidgeon, Ernest Borgnine and Yvette Mimieux. Bonus material includes still galleries.
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Fox also releases The Fall Guy, Season One, starring Lee Majors as stuntman/bounty hunter Colt Seaver. The series, 1981-1986, co-starred Douglas Barr and Heather Thomas. The six-disc release of Season One contains all 22 episodes (with guest stars such as James Coburn, Tom Selleck , Farrah Fawcett and Milton Berle), plus a retrospective featurette and music video for The Unknown Stuntman theme song performed by Majors.
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And a Happy Birthday to my Mum, who remains young at heart -- and first in our hearts.
