Polyester - DVD Review

MOVIE
VIDEO
AUDIO
EXTRAS
OVERALL

Two Discs (See Desperate Living review for second disc)
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English Dolby Digital 2.0
English
Theatrical Trailer
Audio Commentary
Odorama Scratch & Sniff Card
Run Time: 86 Minutes
Foldout Case

MOVIE
Rated R for language and a veritable cornucopia of Waters perversion.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about Polyester for me is that I will forever associate it with the John Goodman Flintstones movie. Now, I'll wait for the collective "What?" The night I rented Polyester for the first time was the same night my family rented The Flintstones (which shows the vast difference in our movie taste) and I watched them both much later that night. Maybe it's because I was tired, maybe because I'd just watched The Flintstones, but, like Pecker, I initially didn't care much for Polyester. This was still long before I'd seen Pink Flamingos, so my only Waters experience was Serial Mom and Hairspray, both glossy, slick and, while perverted, higher budgeted.
Polyester is the story of Francine Fishpaw (Divine) alcoholic wife of Elmer (David Samson), the owner of a porno theater who is cheating on Francine with his secretary Sandra Sullivan (Mink Stole). Francine's daughter Lu-Lu (Mary Garlington) is pregnant with a local hooligan and is sent to a convent. Francine's son Dexter (Ken King) is a foot fetishist who spends most of his time stomping ladies feet at the local grocery store. Just as Francine's life falls apart, her friend Cuddles (Edith Massey) has a debutant ball and Francine meets Todd Tomorrow (former idol Tab Hunter) and begins a passionate affair of her own in standard, yet odd, soap opera fashion.
Polyester hit a strange note with me, it was low budgeted, starred Divine and the strangely lovable Edith Massey (a staple of early Waters films.) Also, it was shot in a surreal way, like a soap opera, and had the most bizarre film gimmick I'd ever seen. I had not yet discovered William Castle, all I knew of film gimmicks I learned from watching Matinee, and here was Odorama. In the original theatrical release of Polyester, the audience was given a scratch and sniff card with numbers corresponding to various scents in the movie, including flatulence and roses. Sitting at home, however, in front of my nineteen incher, I had no such card so, while the fake Doctor explaining the Odorama process at the film's opening was amusing, I couldn't participate every time a number flashed on the screen. I can now, but now that I've grown up a little, I have started to appreciate Polyester for what it is, a send up of soap operas taken to the worst possible degree. It's still not one of my favorite Waters movies, but it's pretty enjoyable in its own right.

VIDEO QUALITY
The movie was shot for $300,000 and it's impressive how good it looks for that kind of money, yet, with the digital quality there to show you every bit of grain and scratch, it does look quite low budget. The movie is older and hasn't been well preserved so it does show its age. That being said, the pastel colors of the seventies are fairly well produced and look pretty good. The movie is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

AUDIO QUALITY
Like the video, the audio hasn't aged well either, but they've cleaned it up pretty well with only a few pops still audible. The sound is 2.0 which is where it should be. The dialogue is clear and the score by Michael Kamen is reproduced well, his few songs are well rounded and deep. Oddly enough, one of the songs was performed by Bill Murray.

EXTRAS
As with the other films in the John Waters Collection, the extras are slim but worthwhile. This disc is basically the same with an original theatrical trailer showing its age and another delightful commentary by John himself. He's a natural storyteller and his commentaries reflect that personable attitude. He interjects stories from his life and filmmaking past along with technical details and set stories. He also points out all the cameos from his staple group of actors. (Cookie Muller, Jean Hill and Mary Vivian Pierce standing out) The standout extra on this disc is the inclusion of an Odorama card. The scratch & sniff scents are all right on the money repulsive. I no longer feel like there's a joke I can't participate in.

CLOSING THOUGHTS
Polyester is fun and light and sick, but sick in a more mainstream way. If you're taking people down into John's underworld of perversity and filth, take them through Polyester before going back before it. It's more filthy than Serial Mom and, after this people might be ready to go on to other filth, i.e. early Waters.

Go to The John Waters Collection, Volume 2 (Part II - Desperate Living)