Lust in the Dust (1985)

Lust in the Dust (1985)

“Those who lust in the dust, die in the dust.”

Synopsis:
A portly dancehall singer (Divine) accompanies a taciturn cowboy (Tab Hunter) into the small western town of Chili Verde, where they learn that the busty owner (Lainie Kazan) of a saloon may hold part of the secret to the location of hidden gold.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cesar Romero Films
  • Hidden Treasure
  • Satires and Spoofs
  • Tab Hunter Films
  • Westerns

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary accurately notes that “considering that this western parody was directed by Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul) and has a truly bizarre cast…, it should be much wilder than it is.” He asserts that the “lifeless script by Philip John Taylor shouldn’t have adhered so much to the westerns it spoofed”, and instead “should have shot down the conventions of the genre and given us something new”. Regardless of where exactly the film’s faults lie, it’s most definitely a disappointment (though not all agree; according to IMDb comments, it has a coterie of devoted fans). Divine is a hoot as always, but the material simply never goes to the extremes we expect, given her outsized presence; instead, we’re left with a rather standard tale of romantic jealousy (Divine and Kazan go at it like hissing cats) amidst a frantically competitive search for hidden treasure. Most film fanatics will likely be curious to check this one out once, given Bartel’s credentials, but it’s not must-see.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Divine as Rosie

Must See?
No; this one isn’t must-see.

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