As part of our See Change initiative, we strive to showcase the work of women and non-binary individuals and their behind-the-scenes involvement in a production.
This film is edited by Janice Hampton and produced by Rachel Talalay.
This Reel Talk is presented with Purris Stilton and Heartland Pride. Stay after the film for a panel discussion and don't miss Heartland Pride on July 18!
Film Information
After decades of pushing the boundaries of bad taste with his underground provocations, John Waters found surprising mainstream success with this infectiously irreverent rock-and-soul comedy. Costarring the inimitable Divine in a fiercely funny double role, Hairspray finds Waters marrying his wildly subversive sensibility with a newfound bubblegum sweetness for what may be his most irresistible film.
It’s 1962, and the only things bigger than the bouffant hairdos are the popular dance crazes sweeping the nation. When Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) shoots to stardom on a local TV dance party, her radical self-confidence and support for racial integration launch a movement that takes the city by storm.
Reviews
"About as near to ‘family entertainment’ as the director has ever come: it is kitsch but never decadent, its characters’ rebelliousness is directed towards a socially redeeming end and, apart from a brief zit-squeezing sequence, it does not dabble in the baser bodily functions." – BFI
Film Stills
