![]() Waters always displayed a keen eye for social observation and genuine compassion for the social misfit. Waters made that film an all out satiric assault on the middle class values that he and Divine both saw as oppressive and hypocritical. They reveled in trashy obscenity, which infamously included eating dog poop in "Pink Flamingoes." But the scene that was even more memorable and triumphant was seeing a gleeful and absolutely defiant Divine, decked out in a flamboyant outfit, strutting down a Baltimore street to strains of "The Girl Can’t Help It." That was pure cinematic delight tinged with a wicked sense of anarchy and fun. Waters and the outrageously glamorous Divine brought bad taste to the level of art. Harris Glenn Milstead was the actor who gave the world the gift of Divine, a 300-pound drag queen who was the unmistakable star of Waters’ cinematic universe. And needless to say was divine in both roles.įine Line Features Harris Glen Milstead, aka Divine, as Babs - "the filthiest person alive" - in John Waters' 1972 "Pink Flamingos." Divine played both the suburban housewife Edna and the racist TV station manager Arvin Hodgepile. Tracy also stirs waves by pushing for racial integration on the show.Īs Tracy's mom, Edna Turnblad, Waters cast Divine, who in the past had played the rebellious daughter in his films but now took on the role of an understanding parent who needs to be won over to her teenager's activism. ![]() The film is set in 1962 as teenager Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) desperately vies for a spot on the popular teen dance TV program, "The Corny Collins Show." Challenging conventional notions of beauty, she gets on the show and angers the spoiled blond princess Amber von Tussle (Colleen Fitzpatrick). RELATED: John Waters Still Shocking And Fun After All These Yearsįor "Hairspray," he once again used his beloved hometown of Baltimore for the backdrop. He insisted on a straightforward narrative plot, emphasized entertainment over enlightenment, and built a stable of stars that rivaled Hollywood in a most outlandish fashion. One thing that worked in Waters' favor as he moved from the fringe to the mainstream was that even though his films challenged social decorum with incest, exhibitionism, and singing anuses, his approach to filmmaking relied on a Hollywood formula. It was a film that had broader appeal, and while Waters toned done some of his flamboyant outrageousness he did not sell out his values. But "Hairspray" in 1988 marked a turning point for the director.
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