DO YOU KNOW?
A seminal moment in fashion history has occurred – the 1975 film
Mahogany starring
Diana Ross has been released on DVD. A landmark in camp, it holds a very special place in the
Kweenie Klassix Hall of Fame.
Mahogany tells the story of a lowly display assistant [[Ross) who dreams of becoming a fashion designer but accidentally becomes an international supermodel instead. Along the way, she begins and ends a love affair with a smarmy but dedicated neighborhood activist [[
Billy Dee Williams) and is embroiled in a relationship with a psycho fashion photographer [[
Psycho's
Anthony Perkins, natch), eventually returning to the activist after learning that "success is nothing without someone to share it with." Absolute undiluted but highly entertaining dreck.
The story, coupled with all the most drag-queen-ish gowns you could ever dream of, creates a sense of visual biliousness laced with dread. La Ross' approach to acting involves lots of screaming, gnashing her teeth, and popping her eyes as she struts across the screen in a parade of garishly colored luxe ensembles from the Seventies. From the Kabuki scene that opens the story to the modeling montage to the fashion show of
Princess Irene Galitzine's gowns to the wax-dripping dance at the party in Rome,
Mahogany is such a hot mess [[on par with Valley of the Dolls and Showgirls) that you'll be craving antibiotics.
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