indefinite articles

Mea Patafria is the author of the movie criticism blog Cinemango. You can find her reactions to the oeuvre of John Waters, as well as impressions of other films, there as well as on Indefinite Articles.

In 1964, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart officially stated that obscenity is impossible to define, but added, “I know it when I see it.” He was referring to what is protected under the First Amendment, and his statement officiously took the power out of the hands of moviemakers and artists; judgment of their art would be at the discretion of the authorities. The very same year, Susan Sontag wrote “Notes on Camp,” wherein she defines camp through a list of examples, exceptions and anecdotes. Camp, like obscenity, belongs to the realm of the intangible and unspecific.

Along comes the 1970’s, and with it came a new face in cinema. If there was ever a person who wanted to put a fine point on both camp and obscenity, it is John Waters. With his films that seem to portray the absolute worst of society, he lays the foundation for the Church of Camp, and the Camp Bible is none other than Pink Flamingos. In this film, he pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable, what is tolerable, and what you can portray in film. Pink Flamingos is not his first film, but it is the first that is readily available via Netflix. It is also arguably his most well-known and notorious film, which people discuss in shocked whispers. “This is the one where Divine eats shit!” “This is the one where she puts a steak under her skirt!” “This is the one with the Egg Man!”

There is actually a plot here, but it’s so improbable that it only serves to provide an excuse for showing some of the most outrageous acts committed to film. Divine, John Waters’ muse and the queen of camp herself, is hailed in the local paper as the “filthiest person alive,” much to the chagrin of the local filth, Connie and Raymond Marble (played by Waters regulars Mink Stole and David Lochary). They take it upon themselves to usurp the title from Divine at any cost, which starts a war of filth and licentiousness, and which Divine predictably wins. There are other characters, Divine’s entourage and the servants that the Marbles employ to do their dirty work, but it is Edith Massey’s role as Edie, Divine’s mother and egg enthusiast, who gives the most memorable performance. Who, having seen this film, can forget the be-girdled woman in the playpen, bleating for “Mr. Egg Man?” Kudos to John Waters for realizing that eggs are the most disgusting food ever to be binge-eaten.

While 1970’s film had taken great strides in breaking cultural norms and depicting things that had previously been considered taboo, Pink Flamingos took it to a whole new level. Other films were fiercely anti-war, toying with political disaffection and breaking down sexual mores, but this one depicted absolutely everything that people had not yet wanted to face. Public murder, cannibalism, incest, rape, mutilation, animal cruelty, voyeurism, exhibitionism, fetishism, and that’s just off the top of my head. It was extremely controversial, protested by almost every single political advocacy group, and was banned in several countries. On top of it, Waters added a very ironic, bubble-gum pop soundtrack, with such hits as “The Girl Can’t Help It,” “(How Much is) That Doggie in the Window,” and “I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent,” which play over various acts of lewdness and vulgarity.

John Waters knew exactly what he was doing in making this film. He employs all sorts of cinematic devices to get his point across, from the aforementioned irony, to his encyclopedic knowledge of film clichés to abuse and exploit. At one point, he even breaks down the 4th wall, referring to Divine as not only playing the character of the Filthiest Person Alive, but actually being the Filthiest Actress Alive, when she famously eats the dog feces. He made quite possibly the filthiest film ever made, and he could very well be the filthiest director alive. But you have to know the rules to break them, and he takes obscenity and camp to the far reaches of the imagination, doing better to define them than any theoretician ever could. The country may not like it, but John Waters made his impression on American society in a way that could never be reversed.