Lust in the Dust

The phrase 'Lust In The Dust' was first coined to describe David O. Selznick's epic western Duel In The Sun. It took almost forty years for it to be the actual title of a comic western starring the fabulous zoftig 300 pound female impersonator Divine as one full figured showgirl come to an out of the way New Mexican village to find a treasure.

The treasure is the loot from a holdup of more than 30 years ago and there's a riddle to the treasure that has to be solved. There's also a map that was done in halves and the halves hidden in a place where the sun doesn't normally shine.

Lust In The Dust is a satire on those spaghetti westerns and serving the pasta is former 50s matinée idol Tab Hunter and Geoffrey Lewis on hiatus from Clint Eastwood films. Hunter is your Eastwood like stranger with a fast gun and Lewis is a rather urbane outlaw leader.

Divine goes to work in Lainie Kazan's bawdy house and the two really don't hit it off. But they have to work together in a manner of speaking.

Sad to say is the best scene in the film is the state Lewis's gang is in after 'ravishing' Divine out there on the desert. Who says women are the weaker sex?

Set in a bawdy house part of the time Lust In The Dust is one bawdy R rated western. What would Hoppy, Gene, and Roy think?

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.

Paul Bartel's western-musical-sex farce may not be quite on par with his earlier black comedies, but it still has the good taste not to have any good taste. Plus, it's one of the few places where you can see a Divine performance outside of John Waters' oeuvre -- and boy, does he give a performance.

If you get the DVD, be sure to check out the bombastic trailer. It is quite a hoot.

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!

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.