Pink Flamingos (1972)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters (writer)

Release Date:

October 1979 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Horror

Tagline:

An exercise in poor taste.

Plot:

Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".

Plot Keywords:

Hippie | Trailer | Competition | Lesbian | Criminal

Cast

Divine	...	Divine / Babs Johnson
David Lochary	...	Raymond Marble
Mary Vivian Pearce	...	Cotton
Mink Stole	...	Connie Marble
Danny Mills	...	Crackers
Edith Massey	...	Edie
Channing Wilroy	...	Channing
Cookie Mueller	...	Cookie
Paul Swift	...	The Egg Man
Susan Walsh	...	Suzie
Linda Olgeirson	...	Linda
Pat Moran	...	Patty Hitler (Party Guest In Nazi Uniform)
Jack Walsh	...	Party Guest
Bob Skidmore	...	Delivery Boy
Pat Lefaiver	...	First Lesbian
Jackie Sidel	...	Party Guest
Julie Munshauer	...	Party Guest
Steve Yeager	...	Nat Curzan from "The Tattler"
Nancy Crystal	...	Sandy Sandstone
George Figgs	...	Bongo player
John Oden	...	Onlooker
George Stoll	...	Onlooker
David Gluck	...	Onlooker
Elizabeth Coffey	...	Chick with a Dick
Margie Donnelly	...	Onlooker
Margie Skidmore	...	Brunette in park
Berenica Cipcus	...	Blonde in park
Iris Burman	...	Party Guest
Randy Burman	...	Man at deli with hot dog pack / Party Guest
Don Blumberg	...	Party Guest
Vincent Peranio	...	Musician at party
Bob Adams	...	Police officer who gets shot
Mark Lazarus	...	Officer
David Lehman	...	Party Guest
Catriona Maloney	...	Party Guest
Richard Keller	...	Cab Driver
Charlie Swope	...	Party Guest
Barry Golome	...	Party Guest
Ed Peranio	...	Party Guest
Elia Katz	...	Army Guy
Steve Waters	...	Jogger
Billy Davis	...	Party Guest
Howard Gruber	...	Party guest sniffing popper
Van Smith	...	Guest at party in drag
Chuck Yeaton	...	Deli clerk
Laurie Birnbaum	...	Party Guest
Lenny Taylor	...	Extra
Trick Grantham	...	Party Guest
Mark Isherwood	...	Party Guest
Randy Damm	...	Party Guest
Alan Reese	...	Party Guest
Alberta Reese	...	Party Guest
Cowboy Foulke	...	Party Guest
David Sander	...	Party Guest
Brigette Grey	...	Party Guest
John Herndon	...	Party Guest
Ellis Clark	...	Party Guest
Joe Wilepski	...	Party Guest
Jimmy Hutzler	...	Party Guest
Paul Landis	...	Party Guest
Lawrence Irvine	...	Party Guest
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marina Melin	...	Basement slave (uncredited)
Max Mueller	...	Noodles (uncredited)
John Waters	...	Mr. J (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
John Waters

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Waters		writer

Produced by
John Waters	....	producer

Cinematography by
John Waters

Film Editing by
John Waters

Production Design by
Vincent Peranio

Art Direction by
Vincent Peranio

Makeup Department
Van Smith	....	makeup artist: Divine
David Lochary	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Mink Stole	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pat Moran	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Vincent Peranio	....	set designer (as Vince Peranio)

Sound Department
Bill Porter	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lawrence Irvine	....	unit photographer
Brad Ganson	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Van Smith	....	costumes: Divine

Other crew
Bob Adams	....	technical assistant
Randy Burman	....	title designer
Barry Golome	....	technical assistant
Ed Peranio	....	technical assistant
Vincent Peranio	....	technical assistant
Alan Rose	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Dreamland

Distributors

• Saliva Films (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Danton Films (1975) (Canada) (theatrical) (cut version)
• Wizard Video (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Palace Video (1981) (UK) (VHS)
• Palace Video (1981) (UK) (video) (Betamax)
• Harmonyvision (1982) (USA) (VHS)
• Fine Line Features (1997) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Alliance Atlantis Communications (1997) (Canada) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Entertainment (1997) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (1997) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Herald Film Company (Japan)
• New Line Cinema
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2008) (Finland) (TV) (Teema)

Other Companies

• Allen Lee Opticals  Mink Stole's glasses
• Allen Lee Opticals  opticals
• Rockford  opticals
• Rockford  production assistance

Also Known As:

John Waters' Pink Flamingos (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for a wide range of perversions in explicit detail.

Runtime:

93 min | Australia:106 min (re-release) | UK:104 min (re-release) | USA:108 min (re-release) | Argentina:108 min (re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (1997 re-release) | Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:(Banned) | Australia:R (cut) | Australia:X (video rating) (1984) | Singapore:(Banned) | Japan:R-18 | Australia:Refused Classification (uncut) (re rating) (1997) | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:XXX (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1997) | Ireland:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:(Banned) (original rating) | Norway:18 (video rating) (1992) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (1997) | USA:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Dreamland

Trivia:

Filming only took place on weekends; John Waters raised money during the week.

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the film, the Marbles deliriously talk about their scheme to ruin Divine and seize her title of "Filthiest Person Alive". They refer to the attacks as a series of "phases" - phase one is the sending of the obscene parcel. Phase three is when Connie & Raymond are in the phone booth calling the police about Divine's rambunctious birthday party. But there is no "phase two".

Quotes:

Cookie: [referring to her sexual humiliation with a chicken] You have no idea what I had to go through to get that information!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Love and a .45 (1994)

Soundtrack:

Pink Champagne

Outrageously Sick, Disgusting and Grotesque… But Also Funny

The filthiest person alive, Divine, is using the codename Babs Johnson and living in a trailer in the woods with her retarded mother Eddie (Edith Massey), who loves eggs; her mad hippie son Crackers (Danny Mills); and her mate Cotton (Mary Vivian Pearce). The envious couple Connie (Mink Stole) and Raymond Marble (David Lochary), who abduct and impregnate female hitchhikers to sell their babies to gay and lesbian couples, using the money to invest in heroin and sell in schools, hire Cookie (Cookie Mueller) to have sex with Crackers and spy Divine to compete for the title of "the filthiest people alive". When the competition begins, Connie and Raymond Marble learn why Divine has this title.

The underground "Pink Flamingos" is outrageously sick, disgusting and grotesque… but also funny. John Waters' intention is certainly to shock the audiences and is certainly very well succeeded. The bizarre characters present some of the most scatological and gross scenes I have ever seen, like Divine chewing excrement of dog, or Crackers "singing" with his anus, and there is no limit for the sick mind of John Waters. The viewer has to have empty stomach to see the whole movie. In the Extras of the DVD, John Waters presents deleted scenes, inclusive with the fate of Cookie. The trailer used to promote the film in 1972 is hilarious, since it does not show any scene, but people being interviewed about the movie. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Pink Flamingos"