Lust in the Dust

I sat down to watch the 1984 western comedy "Lust in the Dust" late in 2019. I hadn't even heard about the movie before now. But seeing it was a western comedy and given the movie's title, of course I ended up sitting down to watch this movie from writer Philip John Taylor and director Paul Bartel.

Turns out that "Lust in the Dust" was actually more entertaining than I had initially anticipated it to be. While this movie is listed as a comedy, it is not the type of comedy that will have you breaking out in tears from laughing so hard. Nah, the comedy in the movie is more subtle, but it is used well enough.

What works for the movie is the storyline, the characters and the dialogue. There was just something interesting and appealing to these aspects of the movie.

The movie does have an interesting assembly of casted performers, which includes the likes of Geoffrey Lewis, Lainie Kazan, Divine, and Courtney Gains. So there definitely are some familiar faces on the cast list here. And I will say that they performed quite well in the movie and brought something unique to the movie in each of their own ways.

"Lust in the Dust" is type of western that makes you feel good, because it is light-hearted and it is well-paced. I enjoyed it more than I had expected actually.

My rating of "Lust in the Dust" is a six out of ten stars rating.

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

This movie aims for low humour, and it hits its target. Against all odds it entertains from beginning to end. The key to its success is that it proudly steers clear of anything resembling class or good taste. As far as cheap laughs go, you could do a lot worse. Oddly enough, by the end of the movie I was convinced that Divine should star in every single movie ever made.

This is NOT the sort of film for everyone. Apparently gay men love it (according to Lainie Kazan) and people who love Divine (like me) will get a kick out of seeing this character play a somewhat normal role--at least compared to all the freaks he/she played for John Waters!! But for the rest of the folks out there, it's very possible you won't like the film...and it's quite possible you'll enjoy it on its own very simple merits. The way to determine this is to ask yourself "am I normal?"--if so, don't watch the film! But for all the quirky folks out there (and I know there are a lotta you), it's worth seeing.

The film stars a whole lot of familiar faces, though the only big star (at least once upon a time) in the film is Tab Hunter. In addition, Divine, Lainie Kazan, Caesar Romero, Henry Silva, Woody Strode and Geoffrey Lewis (whose face you are bound to recognize) are there for excellent support. The film was directed by Paul Bartel--a man who is probably most associated with the ultra-strange "Eating Raoul".

"Lust in the Dust" is a gentle parody of westerns. Nothing in it is super remarkable except for its strong sexual overtones as well as having Divine play a part that is really pretty normal. There are a reasonable amount of decent laughs, some that fall flat and a few surprises--but it never is dull.

My attitude is that lovers of weird films should see this at least once. And, if it doesn't scare you too much, try another one of Divine's films, such as "Hairspray" (the original) or perhaps "Polyester". Save "Pink Flamingos", "Female Trouble", "Mondo Trasho" and the other early John Waters films for AFTER--as they can be too shocking and too weird for the uninitiated!! I warned you!

They sure don't make them like this anymore - A comedic musical western about two buxom women, each with part of a treasure map tattooed on their butt. As a cultural oddity of the 1980s, Lust In The Dust stands alone as a truly bizarre collision of the mainstream and the underground.

Lust In The Dust owes much to the then emerging popularity of John Waters and his Dreamland players. I don't think it is a coincidence that the film reunites two of the stars of Polyester - transsexual goddess, Divine and weathered heart-throb, Tab Hunter. However, while Polyester merely tested the waters of the mainstream, Lust In The Dust jumps right in with a cast of recognisable actors and a comparatively inoffensive plot line. The result is sometimes awkward and occasionally frustrating, but also frequently hilarious and utterly compelling.

Paul Bartel could not have chosen better leads. Divine was really at the height of his powers as Rosie. Rosie is a luscious siren, who positively steams up the screen. Divine was a master at physical comedy and Rosie's facial expressions are priceless. Lainie Kazan more than meets the challenge as Rosie's rival, Marguerita. Lainie, now better known for mush like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, shows why she is one of the best cult actresses in the business. Marguerita is a wonderful creation and her rendition of "South of the Border" (... "but north of my garter") is truly a showstopper. Lust In The Dust also provided Tab Hunter with a memorable role as Able Wood. Tab is smart enough to underplay his part in the presence of these two larger than life ladies and is all the more effective because of it.

Lust In The Dust is a wonderfully offbeat example of the imaginative work being produced by cult directors in the early 1980s and holds up as a great testament to Divine's inimitable talent.