The Rocky Horror Picture Show[To the tune of "Science Fiction/Double Feature"]: It was an October night, the place was brimming with light, a mass of fishnets and sequin shod. I can recall the throngs, in their gold lamé thongs, beneath that neon marquee (de Sade). The kids are flinging the toast, Magenta's giving the most on stage at the old Cedar Lee. The late shift ritual's a go, beneath that projector glow, as they roll the one--the only--midnight movie...The Rocky Horror Picture Show. (C'mon, you can't tell me you weren't singing the song in your head, right? And if you haven't seen it, well, this should broaden your horizons...)
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Many would argue that if there is one film which defines a "cult movie"--or is, at least, the most identifiable as one--it would be The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Even if you haven't seen it, you've no doubt been exposed to its unique touch in one way or another. It might be the image of breakthrough star Tim Curry as the mad, maniacal transvestite, Doctor Frank-N-Furter (a scientist), in a corset and leather knee-highs, the infectious "Time Warp" played at parties and weddings for all eternity, or those giant, unmistakable lips floating pendulous in the darkness--"a different set of jaws". Whatever the connection, it's an inescapable part of the zeitgeist. Adapted from a stage musical by Richard O'Brien--who also plays Riff Raff--the movie is chock full of singable, suggestive music, referencing 40's and 50's-era sci-fi/horror celluloid nostalgia, with a distinctive 70's chic in the tunes. Selections like "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" and "Sweet Transvestite" won't get much play among the buttoned up/stuffed shirt crowds--like our criminologist (an expert, played by Charles Gray)--but they will worm their way into your thoughts, with all the seductive subtlety (or lack thereof) of the "good doctor's" nocturnal deception/seduction of our ill-fated hero and heroine, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon). The Rocky Horror Picture Show has several claims to fame (or infamy), setting it apart from more "traditional" musicals. For one, it holds the record for the longest cinematic run in history, thanks in large part to its persistence as an after hours classic--very apropos, given the themes of the film. The movie has become a cultural (sub-cultural?) phenomenon, a midnight movie messiah preaching a twisted--if intoxicating--gospel across the pews of popcorn-littered seats, the floors sticky with cola syrup. For those who don't know, it's true that at these midnight events, crowds of fans dress up in the raucous costumes of the characters--in all honesty, not far removed from a cross between drag and makeup, wigs and fishnets, leather vests and corsets. The fans will "participate" in the film, with key moments a cue to fling toast--when a toast is made--to flinging rice--at the wedding--to flinging toilet paper--"Great Scott!"...basically, there's a lot of flinging. Other performers will even get on stage and act out the roles, putting on a performance in appreciation of the movie's onstage roots. For any other movie, this would be an immense distraction; but for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it is done out of reverence...even if it is irreverent reverence.
Building beyond the limitations of the stage, The Rocky Horror Picture Show gets to play with a few special effects and more elaborate sets than what the upstairs at the Royal Court Theater in Chelsea could provide. But, true to its inspiration, the film made a lot out of its relatively tight budget, and what special effects there are have the charm of a corny B-movie; were they more convincing, it would only deprive from the movie's intrinsic magic. Rocky Horror wears its inspirations proudly, sung so sweetly in the opening ballad, recalling Fay Wray and King Kong, Flash Gordon and more, as though they were Greek gods held up to worship, the pulp, vintage idols, leaving their indelible brand on our psyche. And if you look for the connection--it's not hard if you try--you can see echoes of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" in the wistful remembrance and cosmic persona in Rocky Horror and Frank-N-Furter. Brad and Janet's "awakening" is also a statement, a kind of awakening for people who felt like outsiders for liking something on the fringe, or digging something a little different than the prescribed norm. It would be an understatement to say that The Rocky Horror Picture Show challenges sexual and gender mores, and does so with decadent delight and enthusiasm. The Seventies were a time of "transition", and all that implies. From the moments where Nixon gives his unprecedented resignation speech, to the "trans-everything" icon that Frank-N-Furter embodies, the theme of Rocky Horror is that identity is a state of mind, and "don't dream it, be it". Rocky Horror pokes fun at the all-American white bread couple of Brad and Janet, raised so pure and free of corruption. The movie twists the knife by supplanting them in the virtuous Midwest, an unlikely place to uncover the kinds of depravity housed in the Frankenstein Place. There are even a few nods to suggest that it is set in my home state of Ohio; for example, Janet reads a copy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on their rainy voyage through the woods, which she uses to shield herself from the rain. The aforementioned Cedar Lee (my little lyrics) is a theater in Cleveland, where they still put on performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on the first Saturday midnight of each month. You should check it out; you might see Brad and Janet there, kicking up their heels, taking in the show.
Recommended for: Fans of a highly original musical--often imitated, never surpassed--with an indulgent nostalgia for those B-movie gems of yesteryear, set to the distinctive sound of 70's rock, with at least one dance number you'll never forget. You can enjoy the songs, the camp, and the show with or without participation or drag equally well.
Building beyond the limitations of the stage, The Rocky Horror Picture Show gets to play with a few special effects and more elaborate sets than what the upstairs at the Royal Court Theater in Chelsea could provide. But, true to its inspiration, the film made a lot out of its relatively tight budget, and what special effects there are have the charm of a corny B-movie; were they more convincing, it would only deprive from the movie's intrinsic magic. Rocky Horror wears its inspirations proudly, sung so sweetly in the opening ballad, recalling Fay Wray and King Kong, Flash Gordon and more, as though they were Greek gods held up to worship, the pulp, vintage idols, leaving their indelible brand on our psyche. And if you look for the connection--it's not hard if you try--you can see echoes of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" in the wistful remembrance and cosmic persona in Rocky Horror and Frank-N-Furter. Brad and Janet's "awakening" is also a statement, a kind of awakening for people who felt like outsiders for liking something on the fringe, or digging something a little different than the prescribed norm. It would be an understatement to say that The Rocky Horror Picture Show challenges sexual and gender mores, and does so with decadent delight and enthusiasm. The Seventies were a time of "transition", and all that implies. From the moments where Nixon gives his unprecedented resignation speech, to the "trans-everything" icon that Frank-N-Furter embodies, the theme of Rocky Horror is that identity is a state of mind, and "don't dream it, be it". Rocky Horror pokes fun at the all-American white bread couple of Brad and Janet, raised so pure and free of corruption. The movie twists the knife by supplanting them in the virtuous Midwest, an unlikely place to uncover the kinds of depravity housed in the Frankenstein Place. There are even a few nods to suggest that it is set in my home state of Ohio; for example, Janet reads a copy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on their rainy voyage through the woods, which she uses to shield herself from the rain. The aforementioned Cedar Lee (my little lyrics) is a theater in Cleveland, where they still put on performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on the first Saturday midnight of each month. You should check it out; you might see Brad and Janet there, kicking up their heels, taking in the show.
Recommended for: Fans of a highly original musical--often imitated, never surpassed--with an indulgent nostalgia for those B-movie gems of yesteryear, set to the distinctive sound of 70's rock, with at least one dance number you'll never forget. You can enjoy the songs, the camp, and the show with or without participation or drag equally well.