The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Anthony "Tick" Belrose, using the drag pseudonym of Mitzi Del Bra, is a Sydney-based drag queen who accepts an offer to perform his drag act at Lasseters Hotel Casino Resort managed by his estranged wife Marion in Alice Springs, a remote town in central Australia. After persuading his friends and fellow performers, Bernadette Bassenger, a recently bereaved transgender woman, and Adam Whitely, a flamboyant and obnoxious younger drag queen who goes under the drag name Felicia Jollygoodfellow, to join him, the three set out for a four-week run at the casino in a large tour bus, which Adam christens "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert".

The trio proceed on their long journey through remote lands bordering the Simpson Desert meeting a variety of characters. Early in their journey, Tick reveals that Marion is actually his wife, as they never divorced, and that they are going there as a favor to her. They stop in Broken Hill, where they are subjected to homophobic abuse and violence, including having their bus vandalized with homophobic graffiti. Leaving the main roadway to try and save time, their bus breaks down in the middle of the desert. Adam spends the whole day repainting the bus in lavender to cover up the vandalism. After a homophobic couple come to their rescue but ultimately leave them stranded, a group of friendly Aboriginal Australians with whom they perform at a corroboree help them get Priscilla to a mechanic. There, they meet Bob, a middle-aged mechanic from a small outback town. Bob is delighted to see drag performers in his small town and ultimately joins them for the remainder of the journey after his Filipina wife Cynthia leaves him.

Continuing their journey, they stop for repairs at the remote opal-mining town of Coober Pedy, where Adam is attacked by a homophobic gang before Bob and Bernadette save him. Adam is shaken and Bernadette comforts him, allowing them to reach an understanding. As they near Alice Springs, the others come to terms with the secret of Tick's marriage and resolve their differences.

Upon arrival at the hotel, it is revealed that Tick and Marion also have an eight-year-old son, Benji, whom Tick has not seen for many years. Tick is nervous about exposing his son to his drag profession and anxious about revealing his homosexuality. He is surprised to discover that Benji already knows and is fully supportive of his father's sexuality and lifestyle. While Benji is playing with Adam, he reveals that Marion has previously been in a lesbian relationship of her own.

When their contract at the resort is over, Tick and Adam head back to Sydney, taking Benji back with them so that Tick can get to know his son. Bernadette decides to remain at the resort for a while with Bob, who has decided to work at the hotel after the two of them have become close. Before parting ways, the three of them fulfill a long-held dream of Adam's, which, in the original plan, is to climb Kings Canyon (Watarrka) in full drag regalia.

The film ends with Tick and Adam performing in the same club featured in the opening credits, with the crowd (including Benji working spotlight) cheering on encouragingly.

In a post-credits scene, the dummy attached to a kite that was released earlier in the film is revealed to have travelled to Tibet and landed in a temple where a monk recovers it.

{{castlist|

• Terence Stamp as Bernadette Bassenger
• Hugo Weaving as Anthony "Tick" Belrose/Mitzi Del Bra
• Guy Pearce as Adam Whitely/Felicia Jollygoodfellow
• Bill Hunter as Robert "Bob" Spart
• Sarah Chadwick as Marion Barber
• Mark Holmes as Benjamin "Benji" Barber
• Julia Cortez as Cynthia Campos
• Alan Dargin as Alan
• Ken Radley as Frank
• Daniel Kellie as Young Bernadette
• Leighton Picken as Young Adam
• Margaret Pomeranz (uncredited) as Adam's mother
• Stephan Elliott (uncredited) as Doorman

}}

The film was based on the lives of three drag queens who performed as Cindy Pastel (Ritchie Finger), Strykermyer (Mark Fitzhugh) and Lady Bump (Stuart Garske). The original intention was to have them play themselves, but once the film attracted a large budget this was scrapped as it was decided "bankable" actors were needed. This ultimately led to the casting of three straight men with no background in drag, and as The Age wrote, "the people upon whose lives the mega-hit was based were overlooked". The three original queens were profiled in the 1995 documentary, Ladies Please.{{cite news |last1=Tuohy |first1=Wendy |title=The drag queens behind 'Priscilla' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-ladies-please/154942101/ |access-date=9 September 2024 |work=The Age |date=25 May 1995}}

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert had been conceived (mainly out of frustation) by filmmakers Stephan Elliott while he waited for a response from Phil Collins about his participation in the film Frauds. Elliott, in an effort to distract himself, wrote a script in just 10 days, but one which felt at the time to be "tricky" to pull off. Rebel Penfold-Russell, Andrena Finlay and Stuart Quin (the co-founders of the production company Latent Image) pitched Priscilla to various financiers at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, without success; however, before Cannes, they had taken the project to Sarah Radclyffe at Working Title,Clark 1994. pp. 05–06. who took the film's concept to PolyGram with Graeme Mason, who suggested Michael Hamlyn as the British co-producer and, with the backing of the Australian Film Finance Corporation, were able to begin production of the film on a relatively modest budget of 2.7 million Australian dollars.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

Elliott and the film's eventual producers, Michael Hamlyn and Al Clark, agreed to work for $50,000 each, a relatively low fee for filmmakers at the time, while the lack of funding meant that the crew agreed to receive takings of the film's eventual profits in compensation for their low salaries.Clark 1994. pp. 06–07 and 10. Due to the involvement of the Australian FFC, only one non-Australian actor was allowed to appear in the film, and Clark initially considered David Bowie, whom he had known back in the 1980s, and later briefly thought of John Hurt, although neither was available.Clark 1994. pp. 14–16.

The idea of casting the actual drag queens upon whom the story was based was abandoned when the producers decided to seek out "bankable" straight actors without a background in drag instead. In May 1993, after travelling around the Australian Outback searching for appropriate sites to film in, Priscilla{{'}}s creators attended the Cannes Film Festival and Marche to advertise their project, hoping to capitalise on the selection of Elliot's first film Frauds, which was "In Competition" at the festival and despite the fact that they had not yet confirmed any actors for the roles. Their primary choice for the role of Bernadette was Tony Curtis, who read and approved of the script, but eventually became unavailable. They then approached John Cleese, who was not interested.

For the part of Tick, they had initially wanted Rupert Everett and for Adam they wanted Jason Donovan.Clark 1994. pp. 38–41. However, at a pre-production casting meeting held at Cannes, Everett and Donovan did not get on well with one another and were found to be openly hostile toward the production staff. In light of this, it was readily agreed that they would not be suitable for the partsClark 1994 pp. 52–55. and the search for their three leading men would resume. However, Donovan would go on to play Tick in the West End musical adaptation of the film.

After unsuccessfully lobbying Colin Firth to play the role of Tick, producers eventually awarded the part to Hugo Weaving. Initially considering Tim Curry for the part of Bernadette, they cast Terence Stamp, who was initially anxious about the role because it was unlike anything that he had performed previously, although he eventually came on board with the concept.Clark 1994. pp. 58–64. Stamp himself suggested Bill Hunter for the role of Bob, who accepted the role without even reading the script or being told anything about the greater concept of the film other than the basic character description, while Australian actor Guy Pearce (who had previously appeared with Donovan in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in the late 1980s) was hired at the eleventh hour to portray the sassy but spirited Adam.Clark 1994. pp. 64–65.

{{Quote box|width=246px|align=right|quote=It is striking what an effect the disguise of drag is having on [the actors'] personalities. It makes Guy [Pearce] flirtatious, combative and loud. It makes Terence [Stamp] withdrawn and watchful ("Hello sailor," he greets me warily with his back to the wall, looking like a fallen woman in a '50s melodrama.) It makes Hugo extraordinarily trashy.|source=Al ClarkClark 1994. pp. 73–74. }}

The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, Sydney was the filming location for the opening and closing scenes. The Imperial Hotel has hosted drag shows since 1983, and continues to be an icon for Sydney's LGBT community, with its restaurant renamed 'Priscillas' in honour of the film.{{Cite web|date=2018-04-10|title=A Brief History of The Imperial Erskineville|url=https://imperialerskineville.com.au/blog/community/a-brief-history/|access-date=2021-10-30|website=Imperial|archive-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030144447/https://imperialerskineville.com.au/blog/community/a-brief-history/|url-status=dead}} Many scenes, including one where Bernadette encounters a butch, bigoted woman named Shirley, were filmed at the outback town of Broken Hill in New South Wales, largely in a hotel named Mario's Palace (now simply the Palace Hotel), which Al Clark believed was "drag queen heaven".Clark 1994. pp. 24–25.{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cult-film-article|title=Shrines of Obsession: The Real-World Locations of 11 Cult Films|last=Wadsworth|first=Kimberly|date=30 May 2014|website=Atlas Obscura|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212224722/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cult-film-article|archive-date=12 February 2019|url-status=live|access-date=13 February 2019}} Some small scenes were filmed in the All Nations Hotel.

They also decided to film at Coober Pedy, a remote rough-and-tumble opal mining town in south-central Australia which featured prominently in the film. The executive producer, Rebel Penfold-Russell, appears as the marathon runner.Clark 1994. p. 31.

Initially, they tried to get permission to film upon Uluṟu, but this was rejected by organisations responsible for the monument, such as the Uluṟu Board of Management, as it would have been in violation of Indigenous Australian religious beliefs.Clark 1994. pp. 13–14. Instead, the scene was filmed in Kings Canyon (Watarrka).Clark 1994. pp. 69–70. Dialogue from the scene was rewritten slightly to accommodate the new location.

With filming over, the director and producers began editing the footage, repeatedly travelling to both London and to Los Angeles, which had then just been hit by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Scenes were deleted on the advice of early viewers to shorten the film.Clark 1994. pp. 110–111.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert took $18,459,245 at the box office in Australia,{{cite web|url=http://film.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf|title=Australian Films at the Australian Box Office|publisher=Film Victoria|access-date=30 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218045303/http://film.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf|archive-date=18 February 2011|url-status=dead}} which is {{Inflation|AU|18429245|1994|fmt=eq|r=-3}}.{{Inflation-fn|AU}} It was the fifth highest-grossing Australian film in Australia of all time.{{cite magazine|magazine=Screen International|date=7 April 2000|page=27|title=Australia's top 10 domestic films|last=George|first=Sandy}}

Being an Australian film, not an American-produced Hollywood blockbuster, Priscilla was released as a minor commercial product in North America and other English-speaking nations.O'Regan 1996. p. 88.

Director Elliott noted that the audiences viewing the film in Australia, the United States, and France all reacted to it differently, going on to state that "At a screening we had for an Australian audience, they laughed at all the Aussieisms. The Americans laughed too, but at different jokes. There is a line where Tick says, 'Bernadette has left her cake out in the rain...', the Americans laughed for ten minutes."Epstein 1994. p. 06. Tom O'Regan, a scholar of film studies, remarked that the film actually carried different meanings for members of different nationalities and subcultural groups, with LGBT Americans believing that the film was "the big one that will bring gay lifestyles into the mainstream", while Australians tended to "embrace it as just another successful Australian film".O'Regan 1996. p. 55.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Priscilla has a 94% rating based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10; the consensus states: "While its premise is ripe for comedy – and it certainly delivers its fair share of laughs – Priscilla is also a surprisingly tender and thoughtful road movie with some outstanding performances."{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adventures_of_priscilla_queen_of_the_desert/ |title=The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=4 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629083811/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adventures_of_priscilla_queen_of_the_desert/ |archive-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=live }} Metacritic gives a 70 out of 100 rating, based on 20 critics.{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert | title=The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert reviews | publisher=Metacritic | access-date=2 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104918/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert | archive-date=4 March 2016 | url-status=live }}

American film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt that Bernadette was the key part of the film, stating that "the real subject of the movie is not homosexuality, not drag queens, not showbiz, but simply the life of a middle-aged person trapped in a job that has become tiresome".{{cite news | url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940826/REVIEWS/408260301/1023 | newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times | title=The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | first=Roger | last=Ebert | issue=129 | date=26 August 1994 | access-date=4 May 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085300/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19940826%2FREVIEWS%2F408260301%2F1023 | archive-date=6 June 2011 | url-status=live }} Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert presents a defiant culture clash in generous, warmly entertaining ways."{{cite web |author=Alexander Ryll |year=2014 |title=Essential Gay Themed Films To Watch, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert |publisher=Gay Essential |access-date=22 December 2014 |url=http://gay-themed-films.com/films-watch-adventures-priscilla-queen-desert/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107142319/http://gay-themed-films.com/films-watch-adventures-priscilla-queen-desert/ |archive-date=7 January 2015 |url-status=live }} Peter Travers of Rolling Stone commented "In this roaringly comic and powerfully affecting road movie, Terence Stamp gives one of the year's best performances." Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times wrote "The comic pizazz and bawdy dazzle of this film's vision of gaudy drag performers trekking across the Australian outback certainly has a boisterous, addictive way about it."

• 7th – Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune{{cite news|last=P. Means|first=Sean|date=1 January 1995|title='Pulp and Circumstance' After the Rise of Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood Would Never Be the Same|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|page=E1|edition=Final}}
• 7th – Michael Mills, The Palm Beach Post{{cite news|last=Mills|first=Michael|date=30 December 1994|title=It's a Fact: 'Pulp Fiction' Year's Best|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=7|edition=Final}}
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Matt Zoller Seitz, Dallas Observer{{cite news|last=Zoller Seitz|first=Matt|date=12 January 1995 |title= Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites |work=Dallas Observer}}
• Top 10 Runner-ups – Bob Ross, The Tampa Tribune{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Bob|date=30 December 1994|title=1994 The Year in Entertainment|newspaper=The Tampa Tribune|page=18|edition=Final}}
• Best "sleepers" (not ranked) – Dennis King, Tulsa World{{cite news|last=King|first=Dennis|date=25 December 1994|title=SCREEN SAVERS in a Year of Faulty Epics, The Oddest Little Movies Made The Biggest Impact|newspaper=Tulsa World|page=E1|edition=Final Home}}
• Honorable mention – Dan Craft, The Pantagraph{{cite news|last=Craft|first=Dan|date=30 December 1994 |title=Success, Failure and a Lot of In-between; Movies '94|newspaper=The Pantagraph|page=B1}}

The film was ranked 7th on Logo's 50 Greatest Films with an LGBT theme,{{cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Greg |url=http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/2006/08/logo-list-50-greatest-lgbt-fil.html |title=Logo List: 50 Greatest LGBT Films |work=Out in Hollywood |publisher=Los Angeles Newspaper Group |date=11 August 2006 |access-date=30 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110915100612/http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/2006/08/logo-list-50-greatest-lgbt-fil.html |archive-date=15 September 2011}} and #10 on AfterElton's Fifty Greatest Gay Movies list.{{cite web |url-status=dead|url=http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2008/9/50greatestgaymovies?page=0%2C2 |title=The Fifty Greatest Gay Movies! |publisher=AfterElton.com |date=7 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626041135/http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2008/9/50greatestgaymovies?page=0,2 |archive-date=26 June 2011 }}

File:Priscilla Queen of the Dessert drag queen homage on Fire Island.jpg]]

Priscilla, along with other contemporary Australian films Young Einstein (1988), Sweetie (1989), Strictly Ballroom (1992), and Muriel's Wedding (1994), provided Australian cinema with a reputation for "quirkiness", "eccentricity" and "individuality" across the world.O'Regan 1996. p. 49. Both Priscilla and Muriel's Wedding (which had also featured a soundtrack containing ABBA songs) in particular became cult classics, not only in their native Australia, but also in the United Kingdom, where a wave of Australian influences, such as the soap operas Neighbours and Home & Away, had made their mark in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Turner 2010. p. 332–333.

In 1995, an American film, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, was released, featuring three drag queens who travel across the United States. According to Al Clark, the creators of Priscilla heard about the film while shooting theirs, and "for a moment [were] troubled" until they read the script of To Wong Foo, when they decided that it was sufficiently different from Priscilla to not be a commercial and critical threat.Clark 1994. p. 88. To Wong Foo had a mixed critical response in comparison to Priscilla,{{cite web |url=http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/to_wong_foo_thanks_for_everything_julie_newmar/ |title=To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=30 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114210830/http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/to_wong_foo_thanks_for_everything_julie_newmar/ |archive-date=14 November 2009}} but was a box office success in North America{{cite web |date=1995-10-31 |title=To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995) |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=towongfoo.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714153219/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=towongfoo.htm |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=2016-08-19 |publisher=Box Office Mojo}} as it was a film from a major Hollywood studio and starred big-name actors.{{Cite web |last=Kumar |first=Naveen |date=2019-05-28 |title=How America Fell in Love With 'To Wong Foo' |url=https://www.them.us/story/to-wong-foo-camp |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=Them}} Like Priscilla, To Wong Foo has also enjoyed a cult following.

During the 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, Priscilla was part of a parade of images of Australian popular culture. A 1980 Denning (resembling the bus used in the film) featuring a giant steel stiletto heel which extended from and retracted into the roof – inspired by scenes from the film – paraded around the Olympic Stadium. The bus was accompanied by several stiletto heel tricycle floats and drag queens in big wigs in tribute to the film's international success and the local Sydney gay community.{{cite web |url=http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=504130 |title=Shoe bike from Sydney Olympic Games closing ceremony |publisher=Powerhouse Museum Collection |access-date=30 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629091956/http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=504130 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.nma.gov.au/collections-search/results?search=adv&ref=coll&collname=Colin+Dent+collection | title=Colin Dent collection | publisher=National Museum of Australia | location=Canberra | access-date=8 June 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405043257/http://www.nma.gov.au/collections-search/results?search=adv&ref=coll&collname=Colin+Dent+collection | archive-date=5 April 2011 | url-status=live }} The music video for Iggy Azalea's 2013 single "Work" paid homage to scenes from the film.{{cite web|author=Alexis, Nedeska|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1703697/iggy-azalea-work-video-inspiration/|title=Iggy Azalea's 'Work' Video Inspired By Outkast|publisher=MTV News|date=14 March 2013|access-date=8 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005225426/http://www.mtv.com/news/1703697/iggy-azalea-work-video-inspiration/|archive-date=5 October 2015|url-status=dead}}

The bus used in the film, which was a 1976 Hino Freighter from Japan, was rediscovered in 2019 at a property in Ewingar, New South Wales. A campaign was launched by the History Trust of South Australia, with the help of the Government of South Australia to restore the bus for eventual display in the National Motor Museum, Birdwood. Restoration works on the vehicle are taking place in Brisbane.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/bid-to-restore-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-bus/103699136 |title=History Trust SA launches campaign to restore long-lost Priscilla, Queen of the Desert bus |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|date=12 April 2024|access-date=21 April 2024}}

The film has come under criticism for alleged racist and sexist elements, particularly in the portrayal of the Filipina character, Cynthia.{{cite journal |last1=Le Guellec-Minel |first1=Anne |title=Camping it out in the Never Never: Subverting Hegemonic Masculinity in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert |journal=Revue LISA |date=4 September 2017 |volume=15 |issue=1 |doi=10.4000/lisa.9086 |doi-access=free }} Melba Marginson of the Centre for Filipino Concerns stated that Cynthia was portrayed as "a gold-digger, a prostitute, an entertainer whose expertise is popping out ping-pong balls from her sex-organ, a manic depressive, loud and vulgar. The worst stereotype of the Filipina." She argued that, by portraying Cynthia in this manner, the filmmakers were "violently kill[ing]" the dignity of Filipina women, something that she feared would lead to "more violence against us."Cafarella, The Age, 7 October 1994. An editor writing in The Age echoed these concerns, highlighting that "It is perhaps a pity that a film with a message of tolerance and acceptance for homosexuals should feel the need of what looks very much to us like a racist and sexist stereotype." Similarly, in his study of bisexuality in cinema, Wayne M. Bryant argued that while it was "an excellent film", The Adventures of Priscilla was marred by "instances of gratuitous sexism."Bryant 1997. p. 108.

Producer Clark defended the film against these accusations, arguing that while Cynthia was a stereotype, it was not the purpose of filmmakers to avoid the portrayal of "vulnerable characters" from specific minority backgrounds. He stated that she was "a misfit like the three protagonists are, and just about everybody else in the film is, and her presence is no more a statement about Filipino women than having three drag queens is a statement about Australian men." Tom O'Regan noted that as a result of this controversy, the film gained "an ambiguous reputation."O'Regan 1996. p. 142.

{{Main|The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (soundtrack)}}

The film featured a soundtrack made up of pre-existing "camp classics" (pop music songs that have a particular fanbase in the LGBT community). The original plan by the film's creators was to have a Kylie Minogue song in the finale, although it was later decided that an ABBA song would be more appropriate because its "tacky qualities" were "more timeless"Clark 1994. p. 34. (although in the musical adaptation, the character Adam performs a medley of Kylie Minogue songs atop Uluṟu). The film itself featured four main songs, which were performed by two or more of the drag queens as a part of their show within the film; "I've Never Been to Me" by Charlene, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "Finally" by CeCe Peniston, and "Mamma Mia" by ABBA. On 23 August 1994, Fontana Island released the soundtrack on CD.[https://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Adventures-Of-Priscilla-Queen-Of-The-Desert-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/master/97970 The Adventures Of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044130/https://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Adventures-Of-Priscilla-Queen-Of-The-Desert-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/master/97970 |date=1 December 2017 }}. Discogs

Original music for the soundtrack was composed by Guy Gross, with choral and instrumental arrangements by Derek Williams, and released separately on CD.[https://www.discogs.com/Guy-Gross-The-Adventures-of-Priscilla-Queen-of-the-Desert-The-Priscilla-Companion-Dialogue-from-the-/release/11174361 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The Priscilla Companion: Dialogue from the film & Original Music Score by Guy Gross] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042509/https://www.discogs.com/Guy-Gross-The-Adventures-of-Priscilla-Queen-of-the-Desert-The-Priscilla-Companion-Dialogue-from-the-/release/11174361 |date=1 December 2017 }}. Discogs

In April 2024, director Stephan Elliott announced that work on a sequel was underway, with the original main cast reprising their roles.{{Cite news |last=Saarinen |first=Nelli |date=21 April 2024 |title=Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sequel announced 30 years after beloved film's original release |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-21/priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-sequel/103750672 |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia}}

On 14 November 1995, the film was released on VHS. On 7 October 1997, it was released on DVD with a collectable trivia booklet.

In 2004, a 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition was released on DVD in Australia with the following special features: a feature-length audio commentary with writer/director Stephan Elliott, three deleted scenes, two featurettes: "Behind the Bus: Priscilla with Her Pants Down" and Ladies Please, cast and crew biographies, the original Australian theatrical trailer, US theatrical and teaser trailers, and a number of hidden features

In 2006, it was re-released on DVD in Australia with the following special features: a feature-length audio commentary with writer/director Elliott, "Birth of a Queen" (featurette), deleted scenes, tidbits from the Set, "The Bus from Blooperville" – Gag reel documentary, a photo gallery, and US theatrical and teaser trailers.

On 5 June 2007, it was re-released in the United States as the "Extra Frills Edition" DVD. This edition includes the same special features as the Australian 2006 re-release. On 7 June 2011, it was released for US Blu-ray.

On August 24, 2024, it was announced that Imprint Films will release a 4K collector's edition of the film, restored from the 35mm print. It will host both new and legacy special features, including the 2015 documentary Between a Frock and a Hard Place that details the lasting impact of the film.{{cite web | url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=35089 | title=The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 4K Blu-ray }}

• Cinema of Australia
• List of cult films
• Transgender characters in film and television

{{Reflist}}

;Bibliography

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |title= Australian Screen Classics: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert |last= Brophy |first= Philip |year= 2008 |publisher= Currency Press |isbn=978-0-86819-821-7 |ref=Bro08}}
• {{cite book |title= Bisexual Characters in Film: From Anaïs to Zee |last= Bryant |first= Wayne M. |year= 1997 |publisher= The Haworth Press |location=Binghamton, New York |ref=Bry97 |isbn= 978-0-7890-0142-9|doi=10.4324/9781315869971}}
• {{cite book |title= Making Priscilla |last= Clark |first=Al |year= 1994 |publisher= Penguin |location= New York and London |isbn=978-0-452-27484-6|ref=Cla94}}
• {{cite journal |title= Stephan Elliott |last= Epstein |first= Jan |date= October 1994 |journal= Cinema Papers |issue= 101 |pages=04–10 |ref=Eps94 |issn= 0311-3639}}
• {{cite book |chapter= Race, Nationality and Gender in The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert |last= Miller |first= Helen |editor= Asia Pacific Research Group |year= 1998 |title= Gender in Asia: Gender, Culture and Society in the Asia Pacific Subgroup. |publisher=Central Queensland University |location= Rockhampton, Queensland |ref=Mil98 |isbn= 978-1-875902-84-2}}
• {{cite book |title= Australian National Cinema |last= O'Regan |first=Tom |year= 1996 |publisher= Routledge |location=London |ref=O'R96 |isbn= 978-0-415-05730-1}}
• {{cite book |title= Priscilla, (White) Queen of the Desert: Queer Rights/Race Privilege |last= Riggs |first=Damien W. |year= 2006 |publisher= Peter Lang |location= New York |isbn=978-0-8204-8658-1 |ref=Rig06}}
• {{cite book |title= Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s |last= Turner |first=Alwyn W. |year= 2010 |publisher= Aurum Press |location= London |isbn=978-1-84513-525-6 |ref=Tur10}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite journal |last=Padva |first=Gilad |year=2000 |title=Priscilla Fights Back: The Politicization of Camp Subculture |journal=Journal of Communication Inquiry |location= Thousand Oaks, California |publisher=Sage Publications |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=216–243 |issn= 1552-4612 |doi=10.1177/0196859900024002007|s2cid=144510862 }}

{{refend}}

• {{IMDb title}}
• {{Mojo title}}
• {{Metacritic film}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180314042225/https://aso.gov.au/titles/features/priscilla/ The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert] at AustralianScreen Online
• [http://www.ozmovies.com.au/movie/adventures-of-priscilla--queen-of-the-desert The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert] at Oz Movies
• [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-02/priscilla-bus-gifted-to-broken-hill/4105722 "Iconic Priscilla bus given to Broken Hill"] – by Margaret Paul at Australian Broadcasting Corporation

{{Stephan Elliott}}

{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert}}

Category:1994 films

Category:1994 comedy films

Category:1994 independent films

Category:1994 LGBTQ-related films

Category:1990s Australian films

Category:1990s adventure comedy films

Category:1990s buddy comedy films

Category:1990s comedy road movies

Category:1990s English-language films

Category:Australian buddy comedy films

Category:Australian independent films

Category:Australian LGBTQ-related films

Category:Australian road movies

Category:BAFTA winners (films)

Category:Drag (entertainment)-related films

Category:English-language comedy films

Category:English-language independent films

Category:Films about anti-LGBTQ sentiment

Category:Films about buses

Category:Films about trans women

Category:Films adapted into plays

Category:Films directed by Stephan Elliott

Category:Films scored by Guy Gross

Category:Films set in deserts

Category:Films set in the Northern Territory

Category:Films set in the Outback

Category:Films set in South Australia

Category:Films set in Sydney

Category:Films shot in New South Wales

Category:Films shot in the Northern Territory

Category:Films shot in South Australia

Category:Films shot in Sydney

Category:Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award

Category:Gay-related films

Category:Gramercy Pictures films

Category:LGBTQ-related buddy comedy films

Category:PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films

Category:Race-related controversies in film

Category:Roadshow Entertainment films

Category:Uluru

Category:English-language adventure comedy films

Category:English-language buddy comedy films

Category:LGBTQ-related independent films