Pink Flamingos

1972 "An exercise in poor taste"
6| 1h33m| NC-17| en| More Info
Released: 17 March 1972 Released
Producted By: New Line Cinema
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".

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Reviews

Pluskylang Great Film overall
Cleveronix A different way of telling a story
Portia Hilton Blistering performances.
Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
guanche Sort of a cinematic Zap comic. Probably the most disgusting movie one will ever see, but also one of the funniest. The apogee of sick dark humor. Despite the low budget and semi or unprofessional actors (except Divine and Mink Stole) it's surprisingly well acted and scripted. It even has a coherent plot about a war between the Divine clan---"The Notorious Babs Johnson (Divine), her traveling companion Cotton, her delinquent son Crackers, and her mentally ill mother Miss Edie"--- and a sleazy Gothic/pseudo-hippie couple, Raymond and Connie Marble--- who; in addition to peddling smack in schoolyards; kidnap and imprison hitchhiking hippie chicks who are then raped by their butler to produce babies for sale to lesbian couples. His indirect method (graphically depicted) of masturbating into a syringe and injecting the semen into the women's vaginas is cut from some prints. The Marbles are furious that National Enquirer affected their "social standing" by declaring Divine "The Filthiest Person In The World", a title they believe they own. Raymond even shoots up some dope for the camera to put a point on it.The film is rife with graphic, perversely comical sex and violence, as well as some truly stomach turning scatology. Except perhaps for really twisted minds, there's nothing sexually stimulating here---just revulsion and deranged hilarity. A scene where Divine fellates "her" "son" is also cut from some prints. If anything, this material will put most people off of sex for quite a while. There are a few scenes--- one in particular---that are truly revolting. I say in all seriousness that those with weak stomachs should probably avoid this film. I know a couple of people who were actually traumatized in this regard (I'm not joking) and even decades later get nauseous at the mere mention of the title or the star. A definite must for adventurous filmies willing to brave some of the worst gross out images imaginable in exchange for a raucously funny, way off beat cinematic experience. Those unwilling to do so should stay away!
BA_Harrison Infamous underground figure Divine (played by fat drag queen Divine) prides herself as the filthiest person alive, but finds herself competing for the title against reprehensible baby-ring operators Connie and Raymond Marble (Mink Stole and David Lochary), who also revel in their repulsiveness.With Pink Flamingos, director John Waters and his merry band of reprobates go all out to offend and disgust, and in that they most definitely succeed. The plot is seriously dumb and the acting utterly atrocious, but Waters' unique brand of depravity most definitely hits the mark, with something guaranteed to upset even the most jaded of viewers.Even though I consider myself hardened to most cinematic filth, there were several moments that almost had me reaching for the off button, including a man doing very strange things with his ass-hole, Divine giving 'her' on screen son a blow-job, and the infamous dog turd scene (by which time the film was thankfully almost over). It's been forty-five years since Pink Flamingos first shocked audiences, but thank to scenes like those, it still ranks as one of the most repugnant movies ever made.I'm not sure how to rate a film like this, so, for the time being, I'm not going to.
framptonhollis John Waters' 1972 cult classic "Pink Flamingos" is among the most reviled, infamous, and daring films ever made. Waters pushes the boundaries of the entire art of cinema, forming a film as disgusting and shocking as possible. Many have both praised and harshly criticized this film for its explicit X-rated gross out content, and it has grown to become one of the most talked about cult movies of all time. Many people have claimed that this film is very "disturbing", but I am going to have to disagree. There are highly disturbing concepts portrayed in the film (incest, rape, murder, cannibalism, eating literal dog sh*t, etc.), but the film itself does not take itself seriously in any way. To be perfectly honest, I was having too much fun to be disturbed while watching this film, not because I'm a sick pervert or anything, but because this film is really damn funny! The fascinatingly bizarre characters, the ridiculous over the top acting, the quotably strange lines of dialogue, and the satirical edge all work together to make this film more than just a filth fest-but a masterpiece of dark humor. Never before have I seen such a sick and vile film that has a playful self awareness and almost celebratory vibe.However, I will admit that there was one scene that genuinely disturbed me: the infamous "chicken scene". I have witnessed many gruesome acts caught on camera and it takes a lot to make me legitimately concerned, but that chicken scene is actually shocking. The fact that it is all real is indescribably f*cked up. I will warn animal lovers that that one scene may trigger some extreme outrage and sadness. However, this took place years ago and at least the crew made use of the dead chicken by cooking and eating it afterwards.Anyway, if you are willing to watch something unbelievably filthy that is injected with extremely dark humor, "Pink Flamingos" is certainly the way to go!
Steve Pulaski Pink Flamingos is abashing in context and absolutely sickening to stomach. But it's so different, so independently crafted, and so uniquely presented that a bad review is simply not possible. It's a transgressive art form that is not of good, but shockingly so bad it's good quality. I believe that John Waters is quite possibly the only filmmaker who could concoct something like Pink Flamingos seriously.The film is disgusting, revolting, appalling, maddening, deplorable, and of immature taste. But its script, events, and art form all are taken in such a unique and respectable manner that it is impossible not to commend it for being such an exploitive film. I can't remember the last time I've seen a bad film with such interesting characters, a flamboyant lead, and a satisfying script and story.Plotwise, the film centers around two separate families both in competition for the title of "The Filthiest Person/Family Alive." The first family is made up of the current "filthiest person" named Divine who goes under the pseudonym "Babs Johnson" (Divine), her simpleton, egg-obsessed mother Edie (Massey), her son who has a chicken/sex fetish named Crackers (Mills) and his traveling sex-companion Cotton (Pearce). They reside in a mobile home in the middle of the woods with a pair of plastic pink flamingos out on their front lawn.The other family is made up of Connie (Stole) and Raymond Marble (Lochary). The couple run a black market baby sale to Lesbian couples by having their sex-servant named Channing (Wilroy) go out and kidnap random women and having them impregnated by him. They hold the women captive until they give birth to the kid, and upon selling it to the Lesbian couple, they donate the proceeds to heroin dealers at elementary schools and their own line of pornographic stores.There's your premise and you can imagine the barrage of laughs, screams, shrieks, and quivers you'll get out of that. It appears Waters had all of these sick, twisted, and deranged ideas but couldn't find a way to successfully incorporate all or enough into a feature length film. So he made the plot about two separate families being gratuitously filthy so that many or all of his ideas could be fully utilized. Genius.It should also be said that Pink Flamingos occupies one of the strangest scores in history. Many songs are played, mostly older tunes that are instantly recognizable. I doubt musicians like the great Little Richard and LaVern Baker ever thought their music would be incorporated in a shock film for the sick and depraved. It might actually be something to be proud of.Normally the case with shock films is once you discover or see the shocking element it wears thin and the film itself becomes a one note joke. Pink Flamingos doesn't just include one but various elements and scenes of shock that assure boredom prevention and the peak of your curiosity reached.Being shot on 16 and 35mm and being re-released twenty five years later, the film still occupies a strange and stylistic documentary look which only further intensifies some of the film's scenes because some, if not all, of them were actually real. Divine does an exceptionally well done job of playing one of the most provocative and shameful film protagonists ever seen, but the true tragedy is he died before experiencing any true, broad success.So what am I missing? Whether or not I recommend the film. I can't say. It's one of those films that you should already know if you want to see. I don't need to further you in your decision-making. Pink Flamingos is a trashy, stylistic masterpiece of the maximum proportion. To call it manipulative would be wrong since it still has a rather subtle popularity, and to call it "awful" would be completely wrong. It is completely worthy of the title "the best worst film." NOTE: I didn't give this film a star rating on purpose. It's because I can not effectively rate this film in any way. And giving it multiple ratings would be disingenuous. It exists in a world that doesn't have a single star shining.Starring: Divine, David Lochary, Edith Massey, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Danny Mills, David Lochary, and Channing Wilroy. Directed by: John Waters.