Possible minor spoilers ahead.
John Waters's first official feature, Mondo Trasho proves (as if there was any doubt) that "it isn't easy being Divine." Jean Harlow-lookalike Mary Vivian Pearce (who, incidentally, prided herself on the resemblance) walks around Baltimore, smokes a Kool, reads Hollywood Babylon on the bus, and has an erotic encounter in a public park. A very young Divine, made up like an elephantine Jayne Mansfield in gold lame capri pants and halter top, speeds around in a 1959 El Dorado and promptly locks her eagle eyes on a sexy blonde hitchhiker. The women's lives collide, and then...things get REALLY outrageous!
This picture is a must for underground film buffs. It's a witty, cleverly made epic that comes off surprisingly well, considering the lack of funds and experience behind it. The use of music is undoubtedly the best I've ever experienced; everyone from Little Richard to Janis Joplin to Mae West to Perry Como turns up on the soundtrack to perfectly compliment the wonderfully raw, black-and-white visuals. Complete with Cinderella stories, a topless tapdancer (the ever-wonderful Mink Stole), a sinister moo-cow glaring at the camera, and so much more than I could ever mention here, Mondo Trasho maintains a bizarre authenticity throughout. An avant-garde trash treat; those who found Titanic to be their particular cup of Drano best steer clear. Thank you, Dreamland!
John Waters's first official feature, Mondo Trasho proves (as if there was any doubt) that "it isn't easy being Divine." Jean Harlow-lookalike Mary Vivian Pearce (who, incidentally, prided herself on the resemblance) walks around Baltimore, smokes a Kool, reads Hollywood Babylon on the bus, and has an erotic encounter in a public park. A very young Divine, made up like an elephantine Jayne Mansfield in gold lame capri pants and halter top, speeds around in a 1959 El Dorado and promptly locks her eagle eyes on a sexy blonde hitchhiker. The women's lives collide, and then...things get REALLY outrageous!
This picture is a must for underground film buffs. It's a witty, cleverly made epic that comes off surprisingly well, considering the lack of funds and experience behind it. The use of music is undoubtedly the best I've ever experienced; everyone from Little Richard to Janis Joplin to Mae West to Perry Como turns up on the soundtrack to perfectly compliment the wonderfully raw, black-and-white visuals. Complete with Cinderella stories, a topless tapdancer (the ever-wonderful Mink Stole), a sinister moo-cow glaring at the camera, and so much more than I could ever mention here, Mondo Trasho maintains a bizarre authenticity throughout. An avant-garde trash treat; those who found Titanic to be their particular cup of Drano best steer clear. Thank you, Dreamland!