Plot: What’s it about?
Francine Fishpaw (Divine) is a housewife with a good life, somewhere close to the upper class, but not quite to that level. She lives in comfort however and wants for very little, thanks to her husband’s substantial income. But as it turns out, money can’t buy everything and that’s obvious, as Francine’s life is filled with chaos. Her husband brings home the bacon thanks to a local porno theater, which means the neighbors complain to no end, but that’s just the start here. Her husband is also porking his secretary, her teenage daughter is pregnant by a low life hood, and her son is the Baltimore Stomper, to top it all off. As a result, Francine has become a raging alcoholic and has a bleak outlook at best. But what will become of this offbeat, often sick family unit and how much more can Francine take before she goes to extremes?
John Waters (Pecker, Pink Flamingos) has made some strange films in his time, but Polyester marked the end of his gross era. It might not pack the punch of his earlier efforts, but it has some sick moments, to be sure. This film also pushed Waters more into the mainstream, which is perhaps why his movies were more stable after this. Even so, Polyester is a terrific film and one of Waters’ finest efforts, if you ask me. It has a lot of laughs and while not as offbeat as some other Waters’ pictures, it remains off the beaten path, at least some of the time. A few slow spots threaten to lessen the entertainment value, but some great parts save the day and prove to be enough to keep Polyester afloat, even in the rough times. I recommend this film to fans of Waters and offbeat humor, but if you want real sick Waters, then you’ll want to look to his earlier projects.
Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) has just murdered her husband with the help of her maid Grizelda, who smothered the man by sitting upon him. In an effort to escape potential punishment, the two head to Mortville, where criminals are given refuge, in a sense. After a run-in with an unusual police officer, Mortville is reached and all seems well, but the strange events haven’t even kicked in yet, which could be bad news. Of course, Mortville is loaded with seedy types and since it is filled with criminals, that can be a dangerous combination. The two end up moving in with a lesbian who used to wrestle, but now just lives with her girlfriend, who is a known killer in addition to other things. As time passes, the two meet more and more offbeat residents, but the shit hits the fan when Mortville’s ruler, Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey) arrives on the scene.
Now this is John Waters cinema, complete with more gross scenes than you can shake a stick at, which is terrific news. This is lowbrow, gross humor and of course, that means some folks will find it childish or trashy, but that’s the point, I think. Waters blends together these seedy characters and often disgusting events to a good end, as the film is quite humorous and offers some very gross moments. Add in crude sexual humor of all kinds, nudity of various shapes & sizes, and more off color remarks than you can imagine, to form Desperate Living. Waters writes & directs here with great skill, even with such lewd subject matter. I know some will claim Waters’ writing here is too simplistic, but I think it works very well. This is one I’ve been waiting for on DVD, so I highly recommend it to those interested, especially as part of a Waters double feature like this.
Video: How does it look?
Polyester is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I was pleased here, as the movie has never looked better, although this isn’t a flawless presentation. The image looks very good, but soft most of the time, due I imagine to the type of stock used and not this transfer. The colors look vivid and never smear, while flesh tones are natural and on the mark also. The contrast seemed a little light at times, but solid enough on the whole, so no complaints. The print used moves between clean and lots of marks, but remains clean enough to watch at all times. This might not be a pristine visual effort, but it is the best home video edition of Polyester you’ll find.
Desperate Living is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. This movie was shot on 16MM with a paper thin budget, so I am surprised it has held up this well. The image is by no means reference level, but it looks terrific on the whole, given the origins and such. The print has marks and debris, but is cleaner than you’d expect, without a doubt. The colors look a tad dated and contrast is stable, though not too refined, but this is a solid visual effort in the end. Yes, it has some flaws, but when you consider the materials involved, it can’t get much better than this.
Audio: How does it sound?
These movies aren’t audio goldmines as you can imagine, but the included tracks seem more than up to the task. Polyester offers the choice between the original mono and a new stereo surround option, so I went with the latter for this review. It sounds clean and as good as can be expected, which is enough in this case. Desperate Living sports only the mono option, but it sounds sharper than expected and offers no reason for complaints. Both films are presented in nice, solid audio tracks and that’s good enough, I think. You can also enable English subtitles for both movies, should you decide to do that.
Supplements: What are the extras?
John Waters provides audio commentary sessions for both films, with terrific results in both cases, to be sure. I’ve always found Waters to be great in these tracks and that continues here, as Waters is talkative and humorous, which creates an enjoyable session. Always informative and never dull, Waters’ tracks here shouldn’t be missed, at least not by fans of his work. Waters is joined at times by Liz Renay, but for the most part, he is solo in these sessions. You’ll find theatrical trailers for both films, which are also welcome inclusions.
