Polyester (1981) Blends in Nicely on the Criterion Collection

On September 17, 2019, the Criterion Collection released Polyester on Blu-ray. John Waters directed the film which starred Divine, Tab Hunter, and Edith Massey.

‘Polyester’ Criterion Summary

For his first studio picture, filth maestro John Waters took advantage of his biggest budget yet to allow his muse Divine to sink his teeth into a role unlike any he had played before: Baltimore housewife Francine Fishpaw, a heroine worthy of a Douglas Sirk melodrama. Blessed with a keen sense of smell and cursed with a philandering pornographer husband, a parasitic mother, and a pair of delinquent children, the long-suffering Francine turns to the bottle as her life falls apart—until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow (vintage heartthrob Tab Hunter). Enhanced with Odorama™ technology that enables you to scratch and sniff along with Francine, Polyester is one of Waters’ most hilarious inventions, replete with stomach-churning smells, sadistic nuns, AA meetings, and foot stomping galore.

Criterion Features

• New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director John Waters, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary featuring Waters from the 1993 Criterion laserdisc release of the film
• New conversation between Waters and critic Michael Musto
• New program featuring interviews with Waters collaborators Tab Hunter, Dennis Dermody, Pat Moran, Vincent Peranio, Mink Stole, Mary Garlington, and Greer Yeaton
• Interviews from 1993 with crew members Moran, Peranio, and Van Smith
• Archival interviews with Waters, Moran, and actors Divine and Edith Massey, featuring footage from the making of the film
• Twenty minutes of deleted scenes and alternate takes
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by film scholar Elena Gorfinkel, a foldout poster of the cover, and a scratch-and-sniff Odorama™ card

Available on Amazon.com and iTunes