The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

I was still a teen in the summer of 79, during my first (and so far only) visit to California. My friends and I took a road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco, stopping over at Monterey for a day. While at San Francisco, we also visited Berkeley. On that evening, August 31st, 1979, I watched for the first time the film that will be today's subject.

The following week we were back in LA and we watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show again, a late show at the Tiffany. I have since watched the film once in London, three times in Paris, four times on VHS and twice on DVD. I have also watched the play and I have the soundtrack, both in vinyl as well as CD, which I have listened to a few dozens of times. You'd be safe to say that I really like this film.

Only 3 of those 12 times did I view the film with the audience participation show. So, for me it's more than the cult event: it's the film itself that I find great.

So much has been written for the film, but this time I have decided not to impart second hand knowledge. What you are going to read are purely my own impressions and opinions. Feel free to disagree.

Before I get into it, I have to warn you: there will be spoilers. In my opinion, that's not important, because you will be able to appreciate the movie more, if you know a few things about it. Still, if you're one of the few who haven't seen it and you don't want to be spoiled for the story, stop reading now.

The look of the film: in a decade when films used mostly faded, de-saturated colors in yellow-greenish hues, Rocky Horror uses bold, saturated colors, sharp contrasts and lighting that exaggerates the campiness of the whole thing. The scenery and costumes have a deliberately (?) false and cheap air about them, like they a belong to a community theater production. No Academy Award nominations were to be given, but the whole thing works much better than it would with slicker production values.

The references: picking up the numerous references, both visual as well as in dialogue and song, is part of the fun in watching this film. As the film titles appear, the fun begins: two lips, in bright red lipstick, appear in black background and start singing the opening song, Science Fiction/Double Feature, a torrent of sci-fi film references. The song is coy and sensual and self assured and you'd think that it's sung by a woman - but no, it's a man: the film's first subversion. Other references, in other parts of the film: the invitation to watch a Steve Reeves movie, the Mona Lisa, the Titanic, American Gothic, Faye Wray, King Kong, Dr. Strangelove, etc, etc. Some are obvious, others are slyly "hidden in plain view". Here's the title song, for your enjoyment:

The story: the story in itself is a bagfull of references. It begins as a rom-com from the early 60s, the kind that Sandra Dee would fall in love with John Gavin. The song Dammit Janet nails it:

Then they travel to tell the good news to their college professor and mentor, Dr. Scott. It's raining, they have a flat tire and go to the nearest habitation they find, a castle that looks quite haunted:

They are let in by a weird duo: man-servant Riff Raff, with the obligatory hump, and the vampish maid, Magenta. Their entrance is quite spectacular:

I did forget to mention the narrator, Shakespearean actor Charles Gray (also Blofeld in a Bond film) who deliciously fills in the gaps.

After their introduction to tap dancing Columbia and the rest of the guests, it's time to meet the host: this is one of the two best scenes in the film: Tim Curry is truly resplendent, channeling Mick Jagger better than Mick Jagger himself.

It seems that they arrived at a special night: Their host, Dr. Frank-N-Furter is making his own creation come to life. Although it's not a monster, it's a blond hunk of a man, in a golden speedo:

There is the subplot of Eddie, played by pre-Bat Out Of Hell Meatloaf:

Then everybody retires for the night: Frank-N-Furter, after a wedding night with his creature, Rocky, visits Janet and then Brad and manages to seduce them both (he's certainly had a busy night).

Rocky escapes his chains and is found by Janet (Susan Sarandon's first starring role). Janet, her sensuality awakened, has "tasted love and wants more":

They are joined by wheelchair bound and heavy German accent carrying Dr. Scott, Brad and Janet's mentor, Eddie's uncle and Frank-N-Furter's arch-nemesis. Everybody sits down for dinner and secrets are revealed:

Then there's a chase and all the guests are shot with special laser guns that turn them into statues. They are placed on stage, then they are re-animated and the floor show begins:

The Floor Show scene and its playing out to the film's finale is a very crucial one, in my opinion. Its theme is sexual freedom. A verse goes:

Give yourself over to absolute pleasure

Swim the warm waters

Of sins of the flesh

Erotic nightmares beyond any measure

And sensual day-dreamers

To treasure forever

Can't you just see it...

Don't dream it, be it

This feeling absolutely resonated with the sexual politics of the 70s, especially among the LGBTQI community.

Sadly, the feeling does not last. And this is when the film (made in 1975) becomes chillingly prophetic: the symbol of this sexual revolution, Frank-N-Furter, along with his creation/lover, are betrayed and killed by the alien servants. Brad and Janet, once innocent and now lost and torn in the turbulence of change (AIDS?) sing:

And super heroes

Come to feast

To taste the flesh

Not yet deceased

And all I know

Is still the beast is

Feeding

The narrator sums it up:

And crawling on the planet's face

Some insects called the human race

Lost in time, and lost in space

And meaning

Finally there is a reprise of the opening song, it is coy and sensual and self assured no more. In fact, it's sad, almost funereal. It never fails to give me goosebumps and occasionally a good cry.

Science Fiction, Double Feature

Frank has built and lost his creature

Darkness has conquered Brad and Janet

The servants gone to a distant planet

Grade: 10/10