Rocky Horror Picture Show
If there was ever a situation where an average or mediocre movie somehow managed to become a full blown phenomenon that allows it to persist to this day as being an undisputed motion picture classic, it would be this 1975 release, an utterly insane, at times tepid, but overall completely over the top tribute to B grade science fiction and sexual liberation fueled by the legendarily outrageous lead performance by Tim Curry. But a closer look at the phenomenon reveals some curious mores other than the dismissive attitude some people have for it such as “that gay movie” or “that movie that gay people like”. First written for the stage and performed in London starring Curry, one must start by looking at creator Richard O’Brien (by all known accounts a straight male who was married to a woman and had a child with her). Not only did he write and compose the music for the original production, but he also starred both onstage and in the movie as the pivotal role of Riff Raff (in many ways the one character whose cult of popularity rivals that of Curry’s Frank N Furter). O’Brien to this day appears to be a skinny, almost skeletal looking fellow who would also have a late career triumph playing an alien character (without much makeup) in 1998’s Dark City, successfully stealing that particular movie from an array of big name stars on hand. But Rocky Horror remains his baby and greatest triumph in the entertainment industry and as the movie came together with Jim Sharman at the helm (and fighting to keep most of the original stage cast even after Mick Jagger lobbied for the role of Frank N Furter), O’Brien would see his creation absolutely tank at the box office upon its initial release, but at that time the rather quaint concept of theatres doing midnight showings of movies which in turn would engender a more raucous and wilder atmosphere for the audience members would lead to the executives at Fox to say what the hell and just dump the film onto the midnight circuit to see if anything would come of it. The first known (and documented) midnight showing of Rocky Horror would be on April 1, 1976, at The Waverly Theatre in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The response was almost instant and groundbreaking in its impact. For the first time ever, audience members suddenly started “talking back” to the movie screen, literally interacting with the characters and events in the story. Eventually this (completely unintentional by the filmmakers) development was catching on both nationwide AND worldwide with New York City going so far as to have several theatres running it at midnight on Friday and Saturday with Boston having possibly a more rabid following and then it escalated from there with fans dressing up in character and literally PERFORMING in front of the screen, creating a surrealistic “this is actually coming to life and happening right in front of me” effect on the viewer. What’s even more amazing is that (despite several known attempts) no other surreal or otherwise “cult” type movie has EVER managed to recreate the entire “shadowcast” or audience interaction techniques to this day. So, what is it about this film that has made it such a literal communal experience for so many? Certainly a strong case can be made that Tim Curry has a lot to do with it, letting it all hang out in a flamboyantly scorched earth performance that almost has to be seen to be believed and leaving the distinct impression on the viewer that of all the entertainers to ever live it was him and him alone in that particular area of time and space who ever could have possibly pulled it off without a hitch. But let’s not discount the contributions (acting wise) of O’Brien as well, if anything contrasting with Curry by underplaying his Riff Raff but yet remaining fairly magnetic whenever he’s onscreen, making the most out of every reaction shot as well as relishing his own onscreen highlights including being the lead off man in the hugely popular Time Warp number and his unforgettably moving and haunting solo during Over At The Frankenstein Place and at times it seems like he’s quietly competing with Curry for being the coolest and most compelling character in the whole movie. The film of course starts proper by introducing us to our “hero” and “heroine” in Barry Bostwick’s Brad (known as “asshole” to the fanbase) and future Oscar winner Susan Sarandon as Janet (commonly referred to as “slut” by the fans and with good reason) as they’re attending a wedding. The ironic thing about Brad and Janet is not necessarily that they are “heroes” but rather that both of them are just so straight and upright that they’re almost morbidly fascinating to watch in the early scenes complete with awkward marriage proposal followed by the decision to go visit their old high school science teacher (why??) before their car breaks down near an old castle and well, you probably know the rest. What happens to Brad and Janet basically amounts to a breakdown of their own social mentality and general sense of morality as they become uneasy at the mere presence of Riff Raff and his maid sister Magenta (Patricia Quinn) but once Curry’s Frank makes his grander than grand entrance to Sweet Transvestite, all hell breaks loose. It just so happens that he is conducting his own Frankenstein type experiment (hence the name Frank N Furter) in order to create his own blonde, muscle bound plaything named Rocky Horror (Peter Hinwood, who has tried to avoid any association with the film since), but even though Frank appears to be the gayest of gay transgender types, that still doesn’t stop him from pursuing Sarandon’s Janet (no shame there since Sarandon was in her prime) and he gets her too, bedding her down and robbing her of her virginity as well before Brad could get a chance to do so on their wedding night. But Brad doesn’t go ignored (or untouched) either, getting seduced separately by Frank in what amounts to being his first ever previously unheard of homosexual act with another male in what is the film’s most hilarious plot twist, complete with Curry’s Frank wildly chasing Sarandon around his castle, apparently triggered and challenged by her sensuous femininity. All the while, Riff Raff, Magenta and their fellow servant Columbia (Little Nell) watch it all rather disgustedly on the castle’s extensive surveillance system and we also get surprise visits from Eddie (Meat Loaf, coming in from out of nowhere to sing the movie’s best song and also inject the proceedings with a shot of adrenaline that nearly carries the movie through to the end before departing just as abruptly) and his scientist uncle Dr. Scott (Jonathan Adams, even though Meat Loaf played both roles on the stage) while former Bond villain Charles Gray (infamous for appearing to have no neck which the fanbase would make gravy out of for years) occasionally drops into the frame with some forboding narration under the guise of being a criminal investigator type (which would indicate that an extensive police investigation was conducted regarding this whole affair). Despite some uneven shifts in tone (and the second half definitely not being as good as the first) this remains most notable for the aforementioned contrasts between Frank N Furter and Riff Raff (with the fanbase also divided even as Curry THE ACTOR has been elevated by some to having an almost godlike stature for this role) as Curry’s Frank is at times equally funny, grotesque and almost always incredibly charismatic while O’Brien’s Riff is a bit more composed and reserved, playing the role of Frank’s butler and servant who also suffers the brunt of a lot of his abuse but yet also appears to be more interested in his own sister than anybody else even as that marks the literal extent of his own depravity, leading to the concluding betrayal (or takeover) of the entire operation on his part which seems to indicate that Riff actually disapproved greatly of Frank’s complete lack of restraint or morality (might it be said that he was a tad more conservative?) and perhaps it is that very contrast that helped make this be more than just a “gay movie” and instead become one that to this day still appeals to people from all walks of life, provided that they give it a chance and just let themselves enjoy it for all of its absurd charms and rousing musical numbers…
8/10