ARTS The Michigan Doily Wednesday, March 9, 1988 Page 5 Cult star Divine dies at 42 LOS ANGELES (AP) - Divine, the outrageous 300 pound female impersonator who starred in such cult classics as Pink Flamingos and Lust in the Dust, died at age 42 on the verge of acceptance as a legiti- mate character actor, his manager said. Divine, whose real name was Harris Glenn Milstead, was a gar- ishly made-up, loud and foul- mouthed character who was intro- duced in 1972's Pink Flamingos as "the filthiest person alive." Milstead made the same campy character suit- able for a wider audience in the cur- rent movie Hairspray. . "He was finally getting respect within the industry," said manager Bernard Jay. "He was getting the le- gitimate screen and television offers that showed the industry had finally accepted him as the very good char- acter actor he always knew he was." Milstead, found in his bed at the Hollywood Regency Plaza Hotel on Monday, apparently died of asphyxi- ation in his sleep, said publicist John West of PMK. The Los Angeles County coro- ner's office said it was investigating the cause of death. Last Friday, a doctor declared Milstead in excellent health, other than his weight, "which has been a constant problem throughout his life," said Jay. Milstead said in a 1985 interview he grew up fat and was taunted by classmates in the Baltimore suburb of Lutherville. Milstead told an in- terviewer he had a fantasy life re- volving around female movie stars and dreams of becoming a celebrity. Milstead was made a celebrity, at least among fans of after-midnight art films, by one of his few friends from high school, director John Wa- ters. Waters cast Milstead in trashy and bizarre roles as the female- impersonating star of Pink Flamin- gos, Lust in the Dust, Polyester, and Female Trouble. Despite his dressing in drag for acting roles, Milstead wasn't a transvestite at heart, Waters wrote in his book Shock Value. "'He says he sometimes dreads getting into drag but realizes these flamboyant outfits are his work clothes,"' Waters wrote. With each film, Waters and Mil- stead found a wider audience. The Waters-directed Hairspray, a spoof of the '60s, was rated number 16 last weekend in the box office, earning $577,258 at 79 theatres. In Hairspray, Milstead played dual roles. In men's clothing, he was a television station operator deter- mined to keep Black and white youngsters from appearing together on a dance show. As Divine, he starred as the stage mother of a chubby, teenage dance show contes- tant. "The character is a real person," Milstead once said of Divine. "Sometimes she's just too bold, but she has socially redeeming qualities, no matter what she does. She's her own person and a lot of people like that. The camp element is something out of the ordinary, this big man playing a sexy woman.' Besides film roles, Milstead also used the Divine persona in a night- club act. Doily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY Female impersonator Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as his onscreen persona Divine, sings at a 1985 Nectarine Ballroom performance. 'Manon' : A successful sequel of By Andrea Gacki Revenge is, as they say, sweet - but does it also make a movie? Claude Berri's Manon of the Spring, the second part to Jean de' Florette, is the tale of young, beautiful Manon's revenge for her father Jean's death at the hands of the greedy Soubeyrans. Or, rather, it's her revenge for his death due to the rock that fell on his head due to the dynamite blast which was due to his pursuit of water which was due . . . well, anyway, it's the Soubeyrans' fault. Obviously, any film which requires this much reliance on another film to tell its story cannot hope to equal, let alonel surpass, it. Manon of the Spring' does approach, however, the' splendor and charm of Jean de Florette, and that's enough to' guarantee a very good film. It is 10 years after the tragic death of the hunchback Jean. The brutal Papet Soubeyran (Yves Montand) and his weasel of a sweet revenge nephew Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) now have a flourishing carnation farm on the once barren land that was Jean's, for surprise, surprise, it now has quite a bountiful spring. Manon (Emanuelle B6art) roams the countryside with her herd of goats; she's a proud, mystical creature, who refuses to live with her mother who has since returned to the opera. The revenge of Manon begins when Ugolin encounters her dancing and playing her father's harmonica while she dries in the sun after bathing. Needless to say, he is smitten. Manon could never love, let alone stomach, Ugolin; instead, she loves the young teacher in the village. Nevertheless, Ugolin persists, going even so far as to sew one of her hair ribbons to his chest. One day, Manon by chance discovers the source of the village's water supply. Her desire for vengeance is overwhelming, and she corks the source. Out of the misery of the drought comes the required punishment for the death of Jean de Florette, and the mystery of Florette's and Papet's relationship is finally unveiled. This is all very fine, and one genuinely wants to see this crime brought to some justice, but the entire film exists almost as a court's sentence for the death of Jean. The tremendous sympathy that was felt for Jean in the first film is all but missing for Manon; you already know that she will exact her revenge and gain retribution, so there's nothing to worry about. As a result, Manon of the Spring cannot quite achieve the substance of Jean de Florette. Nevertheless, Manon of the Spring is a necessary and anticipated sequel; it still possesses endearing characterizations and the melodramatic charm of classic movies. Realistically, it cannot be expected to duplicate Jean de Florette, and, actually, it isn't necessary. As the second part to a magnificent film, much of the splendor and charm is retained, and Manon of the Spring is not to be missed. INFO*FEST WHERE YOU CAN EAT, DRINK, BE MERRY, AND LEARN SOMETHING AT THE SAME TIME X88 TODAY! Mar ch 9 8:00410:0 pm C ouzens Hall ibQr ary..... you. But that's not on. Visit our Study Need to satis- fy your sweet tooth? Like to win prizes? Then you've got a fun eve- ning ahead of all that's going Skills booth, to manage your time. Or take a look at our CD-ROM display, and get a chance to play with a com- puter. We also have campus maps, giveaways, and lots of valuable in- formation on the library. So come on down. Tonight is the night. Come t L to INFO*FEST. -- It's free. 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