brchthethird
LUST IN THE DUST aspires to be a Western spoof, but the fact is that it's just not that funny. Divine plays Rosie Velez, a former dancehall girl who embarks on a journey to Chili Verde. Along the way she meets Abel Wood (Tab Hunter), a mostly silent gunman who is clearly meant to be a parody of Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character. The first half-hour of the movie is OK and had some good one-liners, but once the plot kicked in the movie got really boring and hokey. The drive for the plot is a stash of gold hidden somewhere near Chili Verde, and people have been looking for it a long time. Also included in the mix is an outlaw gang and a "cantina" owned by Marguerita Ventura. All of these people are after it, and all they have to go on is a limerick that's been passed down for 30 some-odd years. Despite the obvious flaws, there were some positive elements be had. Among them are Divine, who does play a more subdued character than usual, but still gives an interesting performance. There was also a small role early on with Henry Silva playing a Mexican, although the humor derived from him was mostly due to the ridiculous accent he puts on. There was also a couple of songs, each sung by one of the leading ladies. Other than that, the movie was a mess plot-wise, and the ending was entirely too convoluted and drawn out. It's a shame that Divine didn't live longer because it was at this point that she really came into her own as a (semi-)serious actor. The material she was given to work with wasn't too great, but it's worth at least one viewing for her fans. For everyone else, it probably isn't worth your time.
gftbiloxi
Divine, the alter ego of Glen Milstead (1945-1988), first burst onto an unsuspecting public with such notorious John Waters films as the infamous PINK FLAMINGOS, dishing up bad-taste humor in proportion with her truly ample size. But there was more to Divine than drag queen humor, and LUST IN THE DUST offers her a less extreme playground, pitting her against a lone gunman (Tab Hunter), a vicious saloon floozy (Lainie Kazan), and a host of desperadoes in a flyweight send up the spaghetti westerns so popular in the 1970s and 1980s.Directed by Paul Bartel, best known for his 1982 black comedy EATING RAOUL, LUST IN THE DUST is essentially the very slight story of a search for gold--a search that leads Able Wood (Hunter), Marguarite Ventura (Kazan), and Rosie Velez (Divine) to the isolated old west one horse town of Chile Verde. There, with support from the likes of Cesar Romero, they snap, snarl, break up furniture, sing bawdy songs, show their tattoos, and... well... lust in the dust. What else? I may be overly generous in granting this film five stars. The film is occasionally slow and there's nothing greatly inspired about plot, script, and so on--but the performers make the whole thing a lot of fun. Divine wallows, Kazan hisses, and Hunter sweats with the best of 'em, and when it comes to one-liners the movie overflows with both the obvious and very unexpected. Yes, it's all very silly stuff, but everybody puts it over with flair and a sense of fun; you'll grin in spite of yourself. The DVD offers a reasonable, if not pristine, print of the film--and there's even a bonus package: the film trailer and an entertaining little "making of" documentary.If you're already a Divine fan, LUST IN THE DUST is a must; if you've never encountered Divine, this would be a good place to start, for it lacks the truly jaw-dropping (and frequently off-putting) content of Divine's work for John Waters. Two tons of fun.GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Dlgradstein
This is one of my all-time favorite Divine comedies. A true must for any western fan. And Tab Hunter is absolutely gorgeous! Loved the musical numbers, especially, my personal favorite, Lainie Kazan singing, "Let Me Take You South Of My Border." Definitely one of the best films Paul Bartel has directed. The actors obviously had a blast making this movie. I think its better than the team of Tab Hunter and Divine in Polyester. Shot on location in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Lust In the Dust is a satirical reminder of what westerns are supposed to be. I must have seen this film a dozen times and it never loses its magic. Check out the DVD Anniversary edition which has a great documentary on the making of the movie.
craigjclark
Paul Bartel's western-musical-sex farce may not be quite on par with his earlier black comedies, but it still has the good taste not to have any good taste. Plus, it's one of the few places where you can see a Divine performance outside of John Waters' oeuvre -- and boy, does he give a performance.If you get the DVD, be sure to check out the bombastic trailer. It is quite a hoot.
AD
