Desperate Living (1977)

another classic trash movie frm John Waters… awesome casts.. Mink Stole totally brilliant on this as a lunatic panic stricken wife who’s on the run with her maid, Grizelda (another regular, Jean Hill) after she (Grizelda) smothered Peggy’s (Mink Stole) husband (played by the legendary George Stover.. of Don Dohler’s B grade goodness Fiend, Galaxy invader etc) to death.. they are on the run n ended up in Mortville… where it was ruled by the ‘evil’ Queen Carlotta (Edith ‘the egg lady’ Massey)… this town is filled with idiots.. losers n criminals on the run… etc.. Desperate Living is such a trashy piece of cinema.. pure filth oozing out of every frame… recommended if u like bad.. raunchy.. no holds barred film… John Waters is def the king of trash cinema… one thing though.. Divine isn’t on this… bt still.. u hv Mink Stole n Edith Massey… they were both hilariously fun to watch…. wish Criterion Collection would release a bluray of this gem someday…

This is a classic example of a raunchy over the top comedy that is probably Water most provocative. He did have a handful of shorter student film type of pictures like Mundo Trasho that has a dead dog in the opening scene as well as having a dirty vibe to it. I love this film, especially the first hour. The idea of 2 fugitives escaping to a reclusive community of misfit criminal outsiders is hilarious in itself. Watching Mink Stole transform from an upper class snob to hillbilly trash is wonderful and worth the viewing just for that. The degree of over the top delivery in this film works in a way that most comedies of this sort fail. The homosexual aspects of the film are a little hard for me to watch(being that i am straight) because it is explicit. One of my favorite films ever is Satyricon and that film is considered by certain critics to be one of the most homosexual film ever. I disagree Desperate Living would fall into this category where as Satyricon's homosexual elements are satire (not to mention most of the characters in the movie go both ways). This film therefore is pure raunch and executed in a masterful way by the direction of John Waters.

I guess you'd call Desperate Living the last of the earlier John Waters "gross out" cult classic films... He went a bit more mainstream after that (not to say that I don't like his new stuff... in fact, I dug Pecker and Cecil B. Demented majorly, but his newer stuff are simply "good movies", as opposed to "cult classics" by destiny.) - - The best way to describe Desperate Living (and I believe these are Waters' words paraphrased) is "a fairy tale for adults with the minds of children..." (well, moreso sick 12-14 year olds.) the story is as fun and entertaining as it is gross and disgusting... Getting to see Edith Massey in the roll of the evil queen and villian is also quite hillarious (especially if you've watched all his earlier films...) and getting to see what she does with the castle goons is even funnier... - - in my book however, the two most memorable scenes involve a cross dressing cop as well as a rather amusingly severed ding dong. Liz Renay, is also hillarious and really into her role... almost too much... in fact, its the sheer exhuberence of the actors in John Waters' films that make the films such a great watch... you can tell that he's definitely the type of guy that could sell you the Brooklyn Bridge (or atleast eat some poop off of it...) - - All in all, I'd have to say that along with Female Trouble its one of my favorite John Waters films... Whether you found Pink Flamingos funny or offensive, expect to laugh and puke at the same time... this is JW at his most sick and childishly best !

Desperate Living is a subversive thrill ride from start to finish, and while Divine is not featured here, some more of John Waters' cast of characters - Mink Stole as the self-entitled Peggy Gravel, Jean Hill as her murderous housekeeper Grizelda, Susan Lowe as former pro-wrestler Rita "Mole" McHenry, Liz Renay as Mole's girlfriend Muffy St. Jacques, who's trying to make Mole jealous by acting like she wants a man - leading to a botched sex-change for Mole - when she loves her just the way she is, Edith Massey as Mortville's psychopathic Queen Carlotta, Mary Vivian Pearce as Carlotta's longsuffering daughter Princess CooCoo, whose romance with a nudist garbage collector is cut short when her mother has him killed - eventually leading to Peggy selling her out and supporting Carlotta's decision to sentence CooCoo to be stripped of her royal title, gang-raped by her leather-clad shock troops, injected with a rabies potion, and to be exiled to the streets of Mortville - and Channing Wilroy as the leader of Carlotta's shock troops. After CooCoo is sent into exile, she is found by Mole and Muffy's friends, who then bring her to them and explain what happened to her - and how Peggy sold her out and is now working for Carlotta. Then watch the fun as all Hell breaks loose!

Super Film ! Schnelle Lieferung!

De Waters es de mis favoritas. La portada no tiene mucho sentido teniendo en cuenta que las protagonistas son otras, pero me había llevado a pensar que eran las de la portada jajajaja Para mi gusto es genial

Un peu plus long que les autres a se mettre en place, mais une fois dedans on y est jusqu'au coup !! Desperate Living est le dernier des TRASH MOVIES de John Waters, enfin si on considère qu'il a arrêté un jour. Le seul point négatif est qu'il n'y a pas Divine dedans, mais bon le reste des Dreamlanders (vivants) est bien présent.

Superb

this was perfect bran new never opened, perfect condition