Narrated by Terence Stamp, Between A Frock And A Hard Place is the story behind one of the world’s most loved films, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It’s about three unlikely hero-(ines) who find themselves in a backwater at the arse-end of the world daring to step out of the shadows in their shimmering sequinned glory and be counted.
It’s also about how a low-budget Australian film about three ‘cocks-in-frocks’ changed the course of history and loudly and proudly brought a celebration of gay culture to the world that continues to resonate twenty years later.
“As the old girl hit her 20th year, a bunch of filmmakers came ‘a knocking, begging me to spill the beans on the true adventures of bus Priscilla,” says Director Stephan Elliott. “All the dirt, goss, and everything and anything that slipped through the fishnets during the 1993 shoot and the marathon global release post Cannes 1994.”
‘The more I thought about it the more I realised that 1994 was almost the end of a road. The real story of how she found her heels took place during the 30 years of my suburban youth leading up to the bus’s departure from Erskineville.”
The program includes interviews with key players: the film’s director Stephen Elliott; actors Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp; Executive Producer Rebel Penfold Russell; producer Al Clarke; costume designer Tim Chappel; drag artists; activists; and members of the gay community.
Between a Frock and a Hard Place, the story behind The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert premieres on ABC-TV on Thursday 18 June – 8.30pm. For more information, visit: www.abc.net.au for details.
Image: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert