Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



Lust in the Dust (1985)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

Title Screen
Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
Screenshots

Lust in the Dust (1985)

In Paul Bartel's excessively-campy cult, tasteless Western comedy spoof (whose title was inspired by the nickname given to Selznick's Duel in the Sun (1946)), set in the wild New Mexico western frontier town of Chile Verde in the mid 1880s:

  • the opening 'voice-over narration: "Our passions are like fire and water - good servants but poor masters. The legend of Chile Verde tells of men and women who became slaves to their passions. They paid the price here under the blistering, burning, blazing, scorching, roasting, toasting, baking, boiling, broiling, steaming, searing, sizzling, grilling, smoldering, VERY HOT New Mexico sun. For there is a saying in these parts: Those who lust in the dust shall die in the dust"
  • the scene of the entrance (on a mule) of corpulent, black-wigged, saloon dance-hall girl Rosie Valez (transvestite Divine, aka Glenn Milstead) in a Mexican peasant skirt with a dilapidated parasol, who was lost and dying of thirst in the barren desert until she came upon a body of water oasis and went swimming; she was spied upon by an unidentified, Clint Eastwood-like silent lone gunman (Abel Wood (Tab Hunter)); she challenged him: "What do you want? It's me, isn't it? You're going to take advantage of me, you're going to have your filthy way with me under the hot desert sun, aren't you? You're going to ravage me like I've never been ravaged before. Your hot sweat sliding over my body as we roll in the dust. Oh, as you violate my inner-most parts, as you pound against me in the most orgasmic, animal passion - Oh, God, you're disgusting"; after inspecting her underclothes, the gunman shot a buzzard for her to eat before riding off
  • she followed after him, but found herself confronted by a gang of "horny as jackrabbits" outlaws led by Hard Case Williams (Geoffrey Lewis); Rosie was stripped of her blouse - and before she was defiled, she claimed: "No! Stop! Wait! I'm a...virgin" - Hard Case replied: "A virgin, really? That DOES make a difference. Then I'LL go first. I've had carnal knowledge of 215 women and two goats...but none of them have ever made me sneeze before"; allergic to her perfume, he passed off his manly duties to his gang, who were soon exhausted and satiated ("What a bunch of deadbeats!"); before escaping the gang, she accidentally crushed the neck of the midget gang member Clarence (Daniel Frishman) who was providing her with oral sex between her thighs
Rosie Valez (Divine)
Abel Wood (Tab Hunter)
Rosie Stripped
  • Rosie and Abel entered the town of Chile Verde and its saloon-brothel, owned by lusty Marguerita Ventura (Lainie Kazan); she made a dramatic appearance at the door to the saloon with a shotgun aimed at Abel: "Freeze, hombre. Or I'll be wearing your asshole for a garter" - she looked him up and down and then remarked: "Nice pair of jingle-bobs" (spurs); she identified her name to Rosie: "The customers call me 'Marguerita'. The territory calls me 'Marguerita'. My real close friends call me 'Miss Ventura'"
  • other characters included: Bernardo (Henry Silva) - Marguerita's Latino bartender-lover, the saloon's two hookers: (1) sexy Ninfa (Gina Gallego), and (2) Big Ed (Nedra Volz) - a tiny, elderly fragile lady whose only dream was to get to Abilene, and Father Garcia (Cesar Romero)
Ninfa to Abel: "Do you like what you see, senor? I'm the best French-kisser in Chile Verde"
Big Ed (Nedra Volz)
Marguerita
with Bernardo
  • the scene of Marguerita stripping down and joining Abel (with only his boots on) for sex in the makeshift outdoor shower
  • the main goal of the outlaws was to locate hidden gold treasure, described by Father Garcia: ("The legend of the gold keeps this town alive. That is why they are all here. These are ruthless men - and women"); the secret of the gold was found in a limerick puzzle: ("There was a young fellow from Scotland / Who robbed the New Mexico hotland / In a grave situation / Two butes his salvation / He buried the gold / But in what land?")
  • after Bernardo's murder by Abel (almost hanged by a mob), Marguerita's performance of a bawdy, euphemism-filled song "South of My Border" to Abel in the saloon: ("Let me take you south of my border / Just north of my garter / Where everything's on order for you / Where it's sweet like a potion / Feel the heat, feel the motion / Marguerita's hot from head to her shoe /...") - saloon rival Rosie briefly retorted with her own version of one line of the song: ("Let her take you south of her border / If you think you can afford her")
  • the scene of Big Ed untying naked Hard Case from a headboard, and noting his impressive "early morning" stimulated state: "Oh, my goodness!"; when he responded: "Lady, this is no time to be pointing an accusing finger," she quipped: "At least it's only my finger that's pointing!"
(l to r): Rosie's and Marguerita's Butts Revealing A Map of Scotland
and Location of the Gold in Bute Hills, NM
  • the revelation that the gold treasure map was tattooed in two half-sections on the separate ample rear-ends of Rosie and Marguerita - it was a map of Scotland marked "BU - TE" - Rosie figured out the puzzle: "Cactus Kaplan's Grave!" (briefly passed by Rosie in the opening sequence) - (Abel explained the puzzle: "Two Butes, One in Scotland, the Other One Here! Or Two Beauties - the Ladies")
  • the concluding three-way Mexican standoff shoot-out between Hard Case Williams, Wood, and Rosie and Marguerita (teamed up together), to get the gold (robbed from the Las Cruces Bank years earlier) - buried next to Cactus Kaplan's Grave in Bute Hills, N.M.; Rosie used her thighs to grip the treasure box and open it; Father Garcia then appeared and revealed that Cactus Kaplan was the father of both Rosie and Marguerita: ("He devised the limerick - and he put the last, the vital clue, on his infant daughters. He wanted you sisters to have the gold...You girls were brought up by separate foster families") - but then, he went crazy and was shot dead by the others (Hard Case: "If there's one thing I hate, it's a pushy priest!"); next to be shot dead was Hard Case, followed by Marguerita who was mercilessly killed by a spiteful Rosie for bragging about making love with Abel: "When we made love, it was fireworks exploding - big long roman candles shootin' off inside me...we did it in the shower"
  • in the surprise conclusion, from a cliff-top, Big Ed shot Rosie and saved Abel, and the two rode off to Abilene; Rosie survived the shooting, but appeared to commit suicide (a gun-shot was heard off-screen) when she commiserated that Abel had deserted her ("What the use?"); in the ending spoof of Gone with the Wind (1939), Rosie greedily chomped down on a buzzard she had shot and roasted, and mused: "Oh well, maybe he'll be back tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day"

Rosie with Abel

Marguerita: "Freeze, hombre!"

"Nice pair of jingle-bobs"

"My real close friends call me 'Miss Ventura'"

Shower Scene

Abel Saved From Hanging

Marguerita's Song: "South of the Border"

Big Ed Noting Hard Case's Erection

Cactus Kaplan's Tombstone in Bute Hills, N.M.

The Mexican Stand-off at the Gravesite

Father Garcia's Revelation That Bank Robber Cactus Kaplan Was the Father of Rosie and Marguerita

Ending: Rosie Eating A Buzzard: "After all, tomorrow is another day"

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