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Pink Flamingos Criterion Blu-ray Review

Pure John Waters.

Having been dubbed the “Filthiest Person Alive,” Divine has found herself becoming the target of the very jealous couple Connie and Raymond Marble who believe they deserve that title. Thus begins a feud between the nasty Marble couple and the thieving, murdering, cannibalistic Divine and her cohorts that include her son Crackers, her traveling companion Cotton, and her egg loving mother that lives in a playpen (Edie). 

It’s impossible to describe just how influential the rock oldies fueled “Pink Flamingos” was upon its release back in 1972. Not only did it become a midnight movie, indie movie, cult movie, and underground movie classic, but it was unlike any movie up until that point. Is it an exercise in bad taste? Is it most certainly not for everyone? 100%. And yet that’s what makes it so iconic. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules. It thrives on its infamy, shocking scenes (ala the infamous dog poop and chicken scenes) and being trashy. It doesn’t care what you think or if you can’t handle what you’re seeing on screen. It exemplifies art in many ways.

Of course, the man responsible for this beloved chaos is John Waters who basically did everything on this movie. He wrote it, directed it, shot it, edited it and produced it. It really feels like a DIY home movie (albeit a very deranged one) which only adds to its warped charm. 

One can argue the acting isn’t the best, but you still have deeply memorable performances from Divine, Mink Stole and Edith Massey. There’s something about the teaming of Divine and John Waters that brought out the best in both of them. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.66:1 1080p. How does it look? The 4K digital restoration does wonders for this movie. This is a nice upgrade that maintains the spirit and look of the original print.

Audio Track: Uncompressed Mono. How does it sound? A solid Mono track if a little uneven in spots. 

Extras:
* A barf bag (yes, really)
* “Pink Flamingos” trailer
* A tabloid newspaper esque booklet with credits, photos, an essay by Howard Hampton, an excerpt from Cookie Mueller’s book
* 2 archival commentaries- a 1997 Criterion laserdisc track by John Waters and the 2001 DVD commentary by Waters.
* 25 ½ minutes of outtakes/deleted footage.
* An interview with John Waters from 1997 (the 25th anniversary of “Pink Flamingos”).
* “Location: Baltimore”- A brand new 22 minute extra with John Waters touring some shooting locations. A really fun trip down memory lane.
* “John Waters And Jim Jarmusch”- A half-hour conversation between two legendary filmmakers. What more could you ask for? Expect lots of conversations about everything from the chicken and casting.
* “Divine Trash”- The 1998 97 minute documentary that covers John Waters, Divine and trash cinema which features a whole host of interviews and set footage. A fantastic doc.

June 16, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Divine, John Waters, Midnight Movie, Pink Flamingos Criterion Blu-ray Review, Underground Movie