Owing to the whole transsexual theme, The Rocky Horror Picture Show had been banned in Singapore all these years. Recently, it was un-banned, and I attended the premiere around Halloween. We did the entire audience-participation thing, flung rice, yelled epithets and all the rest of that. A good time was had by all.
I knew nothing about this movie when I went in to see it. Sure, I’d heard the name, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. So there I was with my friends when this ridiculously campy show began. Songs segued into awful dialogue, costumes were…interesting, and absolutely nonsensical anarchy abounded. But I liked it, I enjoyed it, and thought I would watch it again given the opportunity.
Then I came home and found out it wasn’t “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” I just watched…it was “The. Rocky. Horror. Picture. Show”!!! It was a phenomenon! It was big! It was iconic! It was a historical watershed!
Huh. Dancing transsexual aliens in tight, spangly clothes having lots of sex. A phenomenon.
Hmm. I don’t quite get it.
Did it spawn a genre? Don’t think so. Haven’t seen too many alien-sex movies lately.
Did it spawn the whole musical-movie theme? Nope. Julie Andrews got there before them.
Was it the amazing acting/singing/dancing? Thinks about Meatloaf Err…nevermind.
So what o what was the ‘it’ factor for this movie?
It’s the quinessential cult movie. It failed miserably at the box office when it first came out, but had a small group of loyal fans.
One day, someone shouted something back at one of the characters and the rest is history.
I saw a few times in the theater and had a great time. My brother bought the video for me when it came out and I watched it alone. Really really boring. For me, it’s the audience participation that makes it fun. The soundtrack is good too.
Yeah, it’s just not the same without the audience participation. Otherwise it’s just another cheesy movie.
As for what “it” is, beyond the soundtrack (maybe not a masterpiece, but full of good, catchy songs that stay in your head forever), there’s Tim Curry. I first saw RHPS on video with a bunch of friends, some of whom had seen it before, most hadn’t so any audience participation was the absolute bare bones (mainly just yelling “Asshole” and “Slut”), and I was definitely starting to get bored. Then Frank 'N Furter appeared. I had a great time the rest of the movie, managed to see it in a theater as soon as possible, and the rest is history. In fact, this year was the first time I didn’t make it to see RHPS at the theater on Halloween since I was 17.
In my opinion, the “it” is the fun of a semi-interactive movie, thanks to the AP. I’ve seen some good stagings of the show, and also the one on Broadway, which was tame. But it’s just not as much fun without the audience participation. The “it” also might have to do with the fact that the film came out in 1975 and is thus tied in with some sexual politics and things.
I used to be director of a Rocky cast in Northern NJ. I spent about five years of my life prancing around in my underwear in front of a group of strangers, most of whom hadn’t even been born yet when the movie first premiered.
And let me tell you, it was so much fun.
Undoubtedly, seeing the movie in a theater, with a cast and audience participation, is the only way to go about it. The whole Rocky scene has always been about sarcasm, debauchery, and just having a good time. Most of my closest friends are people I met at the theater years ago. I’m glad to hear that people are still “discovering” it around the world.
It must be the participation experience, because when I saw it on video, I thought, “feh.” It struck me as trying to be as outrageous as the early John Waters films, but coming off as too self-consciously, “oooh, aren’t we naughty?”