Stephan Elliot Movies
Bursting onto the scene with his eccentric, flamboyant, and undeniably affecting musical drama The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Australian director Stephan Elliot crafted one of the most acclaimed efforts of the 1990s. Though he may have subsequently stumbled with the Ewan McGregor/Ashley Judd flop Eye of the Beholder, one shouldn't write the persistent filmmaker off quite so quickly. A Sydney native who jokingly claims that he got into filmmaking to be loved, the acknowledged homosexual remains steadfast in his determination not to be pigeonholed as a "gay director" despite the thematic presence of such issues in some of his cinematic endeavors. Though it was a grueling eight years before his entry into the film world and his directorial debut, Frauds, the involving psychological crime comedy gained the director positive notice in the film world, and he followed up quickly with Priscilla the very next year. A free-spirited romp that won awards across the globe (including a Best Costume Design Oscar) and provided actor Terence Stamp with a poignant role that would breath new life into his career, Priscilla proved a worldwide phenomenon, and all eyes were on Elliot for a strong follow-up.On the heels of Priscilla, Elliot was courted by several Hollywood studios and offered the opportunity to direct such future hits as Twister and The First Wives Club (both 1996). Though the temptation to enter into the Hollywood elite was nearly overwhelming, Elliot stayed true to form and opted to retain his independent status with the little-seen comedy Welcome to Woop Woop. A fish-out-of-water laugher concerning a none too bright New York con man who ends up among the quirky inhabitants of the land Down Under, Welcome to Woop Woop retained the quirkiness of Priscilla but lacked the subtle emotional depth that had made the previous effort so endearing. His subsequent Hollywood bow with Eye of the Beholder didn't prove any more successful. Though some saw it as a thoughtful thriller, most responded that the film was an incomprehensible mess. Once again stepping behind the camera for the made-for-television remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 2003, Elliot subsequently began preparation for the Ashley Judd drama The Husband I Bought and the romantic comedy Venetian Wedding. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2009
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert writer/director Stephan Elliot examines the curious life and gruesome death of B-movie icon Susan Cabot, a favorite of producer Roger Corman and the star of such features as Machine Gun Kelly and The Wasp Woman. Inspired by writer John H. Richardson's article in Premiere Magazine, Black Oasis stars Rose McGowan as the ill-fated actress and 300's Rodrigo Santoro as her husband. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2000
A filmmaker with three films to his name -- including one huge hit and one enormous flop -- attempts to get his career back on track and direct a stylish thriller in this behind-the-scenes documentary by costume designer Lizzy Gardiner. Australian director Stephan Elliott made a huge splash with his sophomore film, the 1994 drag-queen epic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. But his follow-up, Welcome to Woop Woop, failed miserably at the box office and with critics. Gardiner, the costume designer on both of those films, also worked on Eye of the Beholder, the Ewan McGregor/Ashley Judd thriller that marked Elliott's follow-up to Woop Woop. Along the way, she directed this making-of film, which tracks Elliott through the years-long process of securing financing, attracting talent, filming and re-filming -- and freaking out when nothing goes right. Featuring both interviews and candid footage of McGregor, Judd, and a host of other performers, filmmakers, and distributors, Killing Priscilla focuses on the charismatic, wacky Elliott's manipulative behavior, emotional ups and downs, and canny observations about the Hollywood game. The film includes epic footage of Elliott shooting an extended dream sequence in which McGregor drives a car filled with water and another in which Judd got drunk for real while the cameras rolled; neither scene even made it into the finished product, which hit number one at the U.S. box office when it debuted in early 2000, but then quickly sank from site. Longtime Oscar viewers may remember director Gardiner from her splashy costume at the 1994 Academy Awards -- a dress made entirely of credit cards. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
Part high-tech spy thriller and part psychological study, Eye of the Beholder was Ewan McGregor's first feature film following his mainstream breakthrough performance in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The Eye (Ewan McGregor) is an agent of the British Secret Service, equipped with the latest in high-tech crime fighting gadgetry and assisted by his indefatigable collegue, Hilary (k.d. lang). The Eye's latest assignment is a surveillance project; the son of a well-known politician has been spending a great deal of money on someone, and they would like to know who and why. A little sleuthing reveals that the mysterious person taking the cash is a woman named Joanna (Ashley Judd), but the trail gets much stickier when the Eye witnesses Joanna pulling a knife and killing the politician's son. Normally, he'd take the shortcut to putting her behind bars, but some time ago he lost contact with his daughter when his wife left him; Joanna reminds the Eye of his daughter, and he's too fascinated with her to bring her to justice. The Eye now follows Joanna obsessively, and discovers that she's also involved with a blind man (Patrick Bergin) and has a history of emotional instability from being abandoned by her father at a young age. Eye of the Beholder was directed by Stephan Elliott, best known for the comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd, (more)
- 1997
- R
In part, filmmaker Stephan Elliott (best known for The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert) made this black, surrealistic and subversive comedy to bid farewell to Australian cultural traditions (i.e. excessive beer drinking, racism and sexism) that are rapidly disappearing due to the increasing infiltration of urban sophistication and political correctness into even the county's most remote regions. Unfortunately, Elliot's outrageous tribute to past 'traditions' is presented with such vulgar abandon that many Australians are sure to be offended, not tickled, even though Elliot did try to tone down the mean spirit of the original script which was first titled 'Big Red.' The story centers on Teddy, a fugitive con-artist who has fled New York and gone into the Australian outback. His troubles begin when he is picked up at a lonely gas station by the blonde and brassy Angie who quickly seduces him and then knocks him out cold. Teddy awakens to find himself in the dusty town of Woop Woop. Surrounded by steep cliffs, the town, which was built near a now-defunct asbestos mine, is ruled by Angie's father Daddy-O, who is as much a warden as he is a local leader, deciding when and who will enter and leave Woop Woop. A weird place that is supported by a kangaroo-meat dog-food factory, it is populated by beer-swilling rednecks, crude eccentrics (and a giant kangaroo named Big Red) who find endless entertainment listening to Oscar & Hammerstein musicals (the town's ramshackle drive-in runs The Sound of Music and South Pacific continuously). Teddy quickly discovers that he is in effect the burg's newest prisoner and is expected to constantly service the sexually insatiable Angie. Not willing to remain a captive, Teddy begins planning his escape. The story's surrealism comes from Elliot's deliberately inappropriate use of musical numbers to punctuate events. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1994
- R
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The usually menacing British actor Terence Stamp does a complete turnaround as Bernadette, an aging transsexual who tours the backwaters of Australia with her stage partners, Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce). Their act, well-known in Sydney, involves wearing lots of makeup and gowns and lip-synching to records, but Bernadette is getting a bit tired of it all and is also haunted by the bizarre death of an old loved one. Nevertheless, when Mitzi and Felicia get an offer to perform in the remote town of Alice Springs at a casino, Bernadette decides to tag along. The threesome ventures into the outback with Priscilla, a lavender-colored school bus that doubles as dressing room and home on the road. Along the way, the act encounters any number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while Bernadette becomes increasingly concerned about the path her life has taken. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, (more)
- 1993
- R
Pop star Phil Collins abandoned his usually sunny persona for a more sinister role in this unusual comedy thriller from Australia. Jonathan Wheats (Hugo Weaving) and his best friend Michael Allen (Peter Mochrie) have a fondness for pranks and a childish sense of humor that is a frequent source of aggravation for his wife Beth (Josephine Byrnes). One night, Beth arrives home in the midst of a robbery. She impulsively grabs a crossbow and kills the masked intruder, who appears to be Michael. While the law clears Beth in what is judged to be an accidental death, Jonathan files the claim on the stolen property including a silver cutlery set. But the insurance company sends out Roland Copping (Collins) to investigate the crime; Copping has a strange kind of wit to rival Jonathan's, as well as a bitter and vengeful streak against the couple who he feels are trying to cheat him. Frauds was the debut feature for writer and director Stephan Elliott, whose next film would be the international hit The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Phil Collins, Hugo Weaving, (more)
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