Desperate Living
Desperate Living | |
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Directed by | John Waters |
Written by | John Waters |
Produced by | John Waters |
Starring | |
Cinematography |
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Edited by | Charles Roggero |
Music by | Chris Lobingier |
Production company | |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $65,000 |
Desperate Living is a 1977 American black comedy film directed, produced, and written by John Waters.[2] The film stars Liz Renay, Mink Stole, Susan Lowe, Edith Massey, Mary Vivian Pearce, and Jean Hill.
It is the third installment of what Waters has labeled the "Trash Trilogy", which also includes Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974), and the only one to not feature Divine.[3] The film generated a cult following around Renay, who appeared in at least two dozen other films.[4]
Following the murder of her husband, a suburban housewife and her maid agree to be exiled to Mortville, a
Plot
Peggy and Grizelda choose Mortville, and engage in
Most of Mortville's social outcasts—criminals,
Eventually, Mortville's denizens, led by Mole, overthrow Queen Carlotta and execute Peggy by shooting a gun up her anus. To celebrate their freedom, the townsfolk roast Carlotta on a spit and serve her, pig-like, on a platter with an apple in her mouth.
Cast
- Liz Renay as Muffy St. Jacques
- Mink Stole as Peggy Gravel
- Susan Lowe as Mole McHenry
- Edith Massey as Queen Carlotta
- Mary Vivian Pearce as Princess Coo-Coo
- Jean Hill as Grizelda Brown
- Brook Blake as Bosley Gravel Jr.
- Karen Gerwig as Beth Gravel
- Al Strapelli as Dr. Evans
- George Stover as Bosley Gravel
- Turkey Joe as Sheriff Shitface
- Ed Peranioas Liutenant Williams
- Channing Wilroy as Liutenant Wilson
- Paul Swift as Mr. Paul
- George Figgs as Herbert
- Marina Melin as Shina
- Cookie Mueller as Flipper
- Sharon Niesp as Shotsie
Production
Art director Vincent Peranio built the exterior sets for Mortville on a 26-acre farm in Hampstead, Maryland, owned by Waters' friend, Peter Koper.[5] The exterior sets were largely constructed of plywood and rubbish Peranio and Waters had collected from around Baltimore.[6] Production manager Robert Maier recalled the challenges of shooting without adequate facilities, how the cast and crew overwhelmed the farm's septic system, how heavy rains nearly washed away the set, and how "charmed" Waters seemed through it all.[7]
The Mortville interiors were filmed in a 5000-sq-ft, second-story loft in a rented warehouse located in
Desperate Living was edited for 10 weeks in the basement of
Casting
Desperate Living is the only feature film Waters made without Divine prior to the actor's death in 1988. Divine had to reluctantly back away from the film because he was committed to appearing in Women Behind Bars. Susan Lowe, who had appeared in small or supporting roles in Waters' previous films, was chosen to take over for the role of Mole McHenry. This was also Waters' first film without David Lochary, because of Lochary's addiction to drugs. Waters said, "The reason that David wasn't in Desperate Living is because of PCP. That's all that's to it. I know that's why he wasn't in the film, and he knows it, too."[10] Lochary died a few weeks after the film's release, when he injured himself while under the influence of the drug.[11]
Waters had received a copy of Liz Renay's autobiography My Face for the World to See and wanted to offer her a role in the film. He went to see Renay in a burlesque show in Boston, then traveled to Los Angeles to offer her the role of Muffy St. Jacques. He offered her only a brief outline of the story, withholding some of the more graphic details for fear that she might refuse the role. Renay accepted the offer and flew to Baltimore for three weeks of shooting (which was, reportedly, all that the production could afford to pay Renay for her services).[12]
Release
As with Waters' previous films, the premiere was held in the auditorium of the
Critics from Good Housekeeping walked out of the film after 10 minutes.[citation needed] Otherwise, Playboy enjoyed the film, stating it had to be "seen to be believed". David Chute of The Boston Phoenix said of the film: "In Desperate Living, Waters comes close to creating a work of true trash art."[citation needed] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 70% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[13]
References
- ^ "Desperate Living (18) (!)". British Board of Film Classification. September 7, 1990. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ Firsching, Robert. "Desperate Living (1977)". AllMovie. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- ^ Levy 2015, p. 282.
- ^ "Renay was a cult film favorite". Variety. January 29, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ISBN 978-3-942214-20-9.
- ^ Waters 1981, p. 167.
- ^ Maier 2011, pp. 116–122.
- ^ Maier 2011, pp. 106–108.
- ^ Waters 1981, p. 173.
- ^ Levy 2015, p. 298.
- ISBN 978-1-4051-9162-3.
- ^ Waters 1981, p. 162.
- ^ Desperate Living at Rotten Tomatoes
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-231-15277-8.
- ISBN 978-0-9837708-0-0.
- ISBN 978-0-440-55067-9.
External links
- Desperate Living at IMDb
- Desperate Living at AllMovie
- Desperate Living at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Desperate Living at the TCM Movie Database