Rating: Summary: You people got a strange sense of humor Review: With a nod to western classic Duel in the Sun and opening like Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood in Two Mules for Sister Sara, serape wrapped Man With No Name Tab Hunter meets stranded femme Divine in the wild west in Paul Bartel's LUST IN THE DUST. It promises something special indeed until it forsakes its satiric ambitions somewhere in the middle of act one and settles down to chew its way through an unspectacular plot.
By the time this odd couple make it to the small town of Chile Verde and become entwined in the search for a hidden cache of gold, LUST has turned into an edgeless comedy, the tedium relieved only when Divine and Lainie Kazan (Marguerita Ventura) sing or spat, or when Hard Case Williams (veteran actor Geoffrey Lewis) squints and spouts intimidating Bible quotes. Unfortunately, producer Tab Hunter hired actor Tab Hunter to play lead Abel Wood. Hunter is simply too laid-back to be thrown into the middle of a parody.
LUST IN THE DUST had many of the ingredients to be a first-class spoof, worthy to be filed along with movies like Blazing Saddles and Paint Your Wagon. Although it has its moments, in the ends it's simply a silly and inconsequential western parody.
Rating: Summary: A Drag Queen and Her Sister Vie For Tab Hunter Review: "Lust in the Dust" is a low-brow comedy, directed by the masterful Paul Bartel ("Eating Raoul"), and stars Tab Hunter as the quiet gunfighter travelling to Chile Verde, NM, in search of buried gold. Rosie Velez, a refugee from a Sante Fe dance hall, played with great talent and humor by the late cross-dressing film star of the John Waters school Divine, joins him en route. Once in Chile Verde, they meet a kooky assortment of characters: Marguerita (Lainie Kazan), the owner of the town's local saloon/brothel, an insane priest played by Cesar Romero, an eighty year-old prostitute (Nedra Volz), and the leader of a gang of outlaws named Hardcase Williams (Geoffrey Lewis), among others. After a series of silly, sexual misadventures and a couple of great songs by our two lovely leading ladies, the cast tries desperately to solve a limerick and find a missing treasure map. Who will get the gold? ("Did I say 'gold'? I meant 'mold'"). Well, you'll just have to watch and find out. This silly spoof is presented on DVD in sweeping 2.35:1 aspect ratio widescreen and bright vivid colors (both of which the VHS lacks), reminiscent of the 1950s Technicolor/Cinemascope westerns it's spoofing. The best scene by far is the barroom brawl between Divine and Lainie--that scene alone makes this film worth watching. There is also a nicely done "making-of" featurette and the trailer. This movie is not for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a lightweight film with some good raunchy laughs, you should give this one a try.
Rating: Summary: A Drag Queen and Her Sister Vie For Tab Hunter Review: "Lust in the Dust" is a low-brow comedy, directed by the masterful Paul Bartel ("Eating Raoul"), and stars Tab Hunter as the quiet gunfighter travelling to Chile Verde, NM, in search of buried gold. Rosie Velez, a refugee from a Sante Fe dance hall, played with great talent and humor by the late cross-dressing film star of the John Waters school Divine, joins him en route. Once in Chile Verde, they meet a kooky assortment of characters: Marguerita (Lainie Kazan), the owner of the town's local saloon/brothel, an insane priest played by Cesar Romero, an eighty year-old prostitute (Nedra Volz), and the leader of a gang of outlaws named Hardcase Williams (Geoffrey Lewis), among others. After a series of silly, sexual misadventures and a couple of great songs by our two lovely leading ladies, the cast tries desperately to solve a limerick and find a missing treasure map. Who will get the gold? ("Did I say 'gold'? I meant 'mold'"). Well, you'll just have to watch and find out. This silly spoof is presented on DVD in sweeping 2.35:1 aspect ratio widescreen and bright vivid colors (both of which the VHS lacks), reminiscent of the 1950s Technicolor/Cinemascope westerns it's spoofing. The best scene by far is the barroom brawl between Divine and Lainie--that scene alone makes this film worth watching. There is also a nicely done "making-of" featurette and the trailer. This movie is not for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a lightweight film with some good raunchy laughs, you should give this one a try.
Rating: Summary: It's worth it! Review: ....is like apple pie without ice cream. This is sure to disappoint those who think Divine made John Waters' movies entertaining. Also, a lot of people seem to think this was a John Waters project--He had nothing to do with it.The movie is just not very funny. Paul Bartel won my admiration with "Eating Raoul", so I was thinking a movie with my favorite drag queen directed by Paul Bartel was sure to have plenty of laughs. I was sorely disappointed by the experience. The comic highlight is Divine's singing bit, but everything else is sub-par. I haven't seen the DVD version of this, and may consider purchasing it for the Edith Massey screen test mentioned by another reviewer, but other than that, I have no reason to purchase the DVD copy. Rent this one before buying!
Rating: Summary: Divine without John Waters.... Review: ....is like apple pie without ice cream. This is sure to disappoint those who think Divine made John Waters' movies entertaining. Also, a lot of people seem to think this was a John Waters project--He had nothing to do with it. The movie is just not very funny. Paul Bartel won my admiration with "Eating Raoul", so I was thinking a movie with my favorite drag queen directed by Paul Bartel was sure to have plenty of laughs. I was sorely disappointed by the experience. The comic highlight is Divine's singing bit, but everything else is sub-par. I haven't seen the DVD version of this, and may consider purchasing it for the Edith Massey screen test mentioned by another reviewer, but other than that, I have no reason to purchase the DVD copy. Rent this one before buying!
Rating: Summary: LUST IN THE DUST is a bust! Review: Awful spoof of spaghetti westerns from Paul Bartel, director/ star of the cult black comedy EATING RAOUL. At the beginning of the movie the narrator says "Those who lust in the dust, shall die in the dust". If only Divine had dropped dead in his/her first frame. If that isn't bad enough, not four minutes into the picture viewers are subjected to a Divine naked-butt shot. I thought I had a pretty strong stomach, being a fan of movies like BLOODSUCKING FREAKS and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, but this was disturbing! The plot- Divine has half a treasure map tattooed on that scary tuckus of hers/his. So she and Tab Hunter set out across the desert to find the other half of the map so Divine can fulfill his/her dream of becoming a singer when they locate the booty(bad choice of word). Will viewers be spared another gratuitous not-so divine rump flashing? Is this REALLY the comedy-western to end all comedy-westerns? Not just that- LUST IN THE DUST nearly killed westerns, period. Luckily seven years later along came UNFORGIVEN; which is how the makers of this picture should remain. The talents of Lainie Kazan, Henry Silva and Caesar Romero are wasted. Do yourself a favor and check out EATING RAOUL instead.
Rating: Summary: Chile Verde Revisited Review: Being a huge fan of late greats Divine and Paul Bartel, I've been a fan of this film for many years. I just purchased the DVD edition of this film and was pleasantly surprised by the packaging and information on this disk. The menus are adorned with huge, scary close-ups of Divine's face with the Lust in the Dust theme song playing over the menu selections. It's pretty great! But, best of all, is the 16 minute featurette, More Lust Less Dust which features interviews with stars Tab Hunter and Lainie Kazan as well as other people related with the project. They talk about the fun atmosphere and location shooting (highlighted with stills and home movies) and feature many rare images of Divine and Bartel. The most interesting aspect in the documentary was the discussion of how they wanted to keep the film from being a "John Waters film without John Waters" and the very surprising footage of Edith Massey's screen test for the film! Ultimately, she wasn't used. All in all, a great and funny disc (and at times a touching tribute) that wonderfully displays many of the talents of these two talented (and underestimated) men; Divine and Paul Bartel. We will miss them!
Rating: Summary: My idea of side splitting funny material...... Review: But that's because I happen to think you can't get much funnier than casting a very overweight white male (who thinks he's a female) as a side-saddle burro riding Mexican plus sized siren named Rosie Velez, who is on her way to the dusty desert town of Chile Verde. Miss Kazan, one of moviedoms most underrated comedic actress', shines with her usual brilliance. Definately one of my personal top ten rated comedy pictures of all time. Which means it's right up there with "Some Like it Hot" "Dinner at Eight" and "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World".
Rating: Summary: TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS.... Review: Critics be damned. I love this movie. Paul Bartel directed two of my favorite 80's comedies---"Eating Raoul" and this. Only Bartel could have put together a cast like this in a western satire and get away with it. Lainie Kazan (a much underrated actress with fantastic comedy skills) and Divine are a perfect match for a hellcat-take-all catfight. "You're cheap!" snarls Kazan at Divine. "Cheap!?" shrieks Divine. "This FURNITURE"S cheap!" as she cracks a chair over Kazan's head. Oh, but there is much more going on here. Great location shooting, Tab Hunter as an Eastwood-type mystery drifter, two completely TASTELESS "show-stopper" style saloon numbers -one by Divine and one by Kazan, Cesar Romero as a deranged priest, the wonderful Nedra Volz as "Big Ed" and a host of other top-notch supporting players all rollicking and frolicking their way through this funny,funny movie. As I said, critics may have hated it but I recommend it for Bartel/Divine/Kazan/Hunter fans. The title was supposedly a play on the old western trash classic "Duel In The Sun"!
Rating: Summary: "You're going to have your filthy way with me." Review: Divine was at the peak of his short career when he was cast as Rosie Velez in the Paul Bartel western film, "Lust in the Dust." Divine (AKA Glenn Milstead) plays Rosie Velez--a woman who waddles her way to a town named Chili Verde. With a parasol to protect her from the baking desert sun, Rosie runs into Hard Case Williams and his libidinous motley gang of outlaws. Williams--the bible-quoting, perfume-allergic, bad man isn't prepared for Rosie's zest for survival or the murderous power of those thunder thighs. So after leaving the gang members in the dust, Rosie continues on her way to Chili Verde. Rosie meets a mysterious, silent stranger, Abel Wood (Tab Hunter), and the unlikely pair travel together. Chili Verde is more or less run by saloonkeeper, Marguerita Ventura (Lainie Kazan). Soon it is clear that both Rosie and Marguerita are vying for the attentions of Abel Wood. To this love triangle throw in buried treasure, a tattooed map showing the location of the buried treasure, the world's oldest salon girl (Big Ed), gunslingers and a couple of very raunchy songs, and you have a splendid parody of the spaghetti western. The title "Lust in the Dust" is a reference to the film "Duel in the Sun," and you'll understand why if you watch the film. All the elements of the spaghetti western are here--the silent stranger who protects the sanctity of womanhood, the hidden agenda of the mysterious stranger, and even the familiar baddie, Bernado, who wears black. The film is full of some great lines. For example, Rosie says to Marguerita, "I've been poor all my life," and Marguerita replies, "You've got it all wrong, Honey. You're not poor--you're cheap." The best lines and the best laughs are delivered by Rosie and Marguerita. The songs performed by Divine and Lainie Kazan are priceless. For Divine fans, this film really shouldn't be missed. It's a good, crude, tasteless laugh, and that's all it's supposed to be. The film reunites Divine and Tab Hunter--they made a successful screen pair in "Polyester." "Lust in the Dust" has adult themes, and adult humour, and it's not for the kiddies--displacedhuman
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