Review of John Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972)

Divine Dog Shit: John Waters and Disruptive Queer Humour in Film (Issue 80, September 2016)

by Stuart Richards

Pink Flamingos also features the most notorious scenes in Waters’s career. In the famous dog-shit sequence, the moment is filmed on a Baltimore street. With the sequence shot as a documentary long-take that confirms what we see is real as we hear: “You know somebody filthier? Watch as Divine proves that not only is she the filthiest person in the world but also the filthiest actress in the world. What you are about to see is the real thing.” The scene features close-up shots of Divine licking her lips and Crackers and Cotton smirking. It is in this lowly space that he finds his authority. He scoops, sniffs and consumes it. Taking this grotesquery further, he swallows, winks, smiles and licks his lips – and also gags. Played over this scene is Patti Page’s novelty pop song “The Doggie in the Window.” While standing out as the grossest scene in the film, the humour is at the same time consistent with what has preceded it – everyday cuteness juxtaposed with obscenity.

http://sensesofcinema.com/2019/20-years-of-senses/divine-dog-shit-john-waters-and-disruptive-queer-humour-in-film-issue-80-september-2016/

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