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This film is very famous. Well, infamous. It is one of the most notable "independent" films ever made. It was made so far outside the Hollywood system. John Waters, from Baltimore, lived with the characters you see in the film. They were not normal people and Hollywood would never put any of them in a film. Waters "democraticizes" the film process by showing these extremely, and pointedly, "unglamorous" stars. The script, well, it purposely tries to disgust you. It purposely challenges your assumptions of what can be shown in a film. It purposely wants to provoke you into feeling. The film is a comedy, but it does bring up some serious issues about art. Waters believes art's primary function is to shock and disturb and make you feel new things. How does PINK FLAMINGOS do that? In the early '70s, not just politics were being challenged but even how people look at the world and the images that Hollywood itself fed to the public. Who were we as a people? Were we really as disgusting and horrible as the people in the film? Or are these people a dark, twisted notion of what is a family and our individual sexual fantasies? Or our collective national "id" put on trial or made a mockery of? Divine became world famous because of this role and John Waters launched an extremely successful, irony of ironies, Hollywood career as a director. Post a comment in response: |
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