John Waters’ queer rebellion fairytale DESPERATE LIVING (1977) w/ vintage burlesque pre-show
“I dare anyone not to take John Waters seriously after DESPERATE LIVING. He remains the visionary of camp and the den mother of the bizarre… This film is a triumphant example of the most vital bad taste in America.” – The Village Voice
Following the unrepentant outrageousness of Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, director John Waters brought his notorious trash trilogy to a fittingly twisted close with this antifascist fairy tale. After hysterical housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) murders her husband with the help of her fed-up housekeeper (Jean Hill), the newfound “sisters in crime” escape to the bizarro shantytown of Mortville, a depraved penal colony presided over by a despotic queen (Edith Massey) whose tyranny pushes her subjects to shocking revolt. Deviant cops, death by dog food, DIY surgery—Waters unleashes all this and more in an at once relentlessly warped and oddly moral vision of queer rebellion.
In honor of the Desperate Living’s star, stripper Liz Renay, this film is presented with a vintage burlesque pre-show, starting at 6:30 pm
Following the unrepentant outrageousness of Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, director John Waters brought his notorious trash trilogy to a fittingly twisted close with this antifascist fairy tale. After hysterical housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) murders her husband with the help of her fed-up housekeeper (Jean Hill), the newfound “sisters in crime” escape to the bizarro shantytown of Mortville, a depraved penal colony presided over by a despotic queen (Edith Massey) whose tyranny pushes her subjects to shocking revolt. Deviant cops, death by dog food, DIY surgery—Waters unleashes all this and more in an at once relentlessly warped and oddly moral vision of queer rebellion.
In honor of the Desperate Living’s star, stripper Liz Renay, this film is presented with a vintage burlesque pre-show, starting at 6:30 pm
Where is it happening?
Arkadin Cinema & Bar, 5228 Gravois Ave, St Louis, MO 63116-2310, United States, Southhampton
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherArkadin Cinema & Bar
