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The Rocky Horror Picture Show
(25 Years Of Absolute Pleasure!)
review by Anthony D.
Running Time: 100 minutes
Studio: Fox
Starring: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick,
Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell (Campbell),
Meat Loaf , Charles Gray, Jonathan Adams and Peter Hinwood
as Rocky
Music & Lyrics by Richard O'Brien
Directed by: Jim Sharman
Retail Price: $29.99
Features: Disc One: Seamless Branching Film
Presentation (U.S. and U.K. versions), Commentary by Richard
O'Brien and Patricia Quinn, "virgin" prompter, "The
Theatrical Experience:" audience participation shots from
various theaters, Audience Participation Track, Fully
Animated Menu Screens
Features: Disc Two: VH1 Behind the Music Excerpts
featuring Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Patricia Quinn,
Meat Loaf and Richard O'Brien. VH1 Pop-Up Video "Hot
Patootie," "Making of "Documentary, Deleted Musical Numbers,
Outtakes, Theatrical Trailers
Specs: 1.66:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, English Captions, Spanish
Subtitles, Chapter Search (36 Chapters)
TWICE upon a time, 20th Century Fox had a small budgeted
film adaptation of a small rock-n-roll musical. On initial
release, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" failed to find an
audience.
Brad Majors and his only-recent fiancee, Janet Weiss - -
a couple of innocent kids from that "home of happiness,"
Denton embark on a journey that will alter their lives
forever. On a dark and stormy night, when caught with a
flat, they set off for a castle they had passed along the
way. Before they get to place a call to the AAA, they are
greeted by Riff-Raff and his sister, Magenta, servants at
the castle who introduce Brad and Janet to a band of
revelers dancing the night away. Convinced that they have
entered a hunting lodge for rich weirdos, they promptly
attempt to exit, only to be confronted by the master of the
house, one Dr. Frank-N-Furter (the inimitable Tim Curry, in
a career defining role) who just happens to be a "Sweet
Transvestite." A transvestite of course being the inhabitant
of Transsexual, Transylvania - - a world light years away
from Denton. Instead of offering Brad and Janet a chance to
use a telephone, he invites them instead to visit his
laboratory to see his latest creation; it seems that Frank
has been building a muscular man for his own sexual
cravings. Before they have a chance to refuse this very
fortuitous invite, the servants strip them down to their
underwear, force them into an elevator and it's up to the
lab for Brad and Janet.
Faced now with a surgically attired Frank, our innocent
pair witness the "birth" of Frank's creature, a monosyllabic
talker, who can sure belt our a rock-n-roll song, but a
beautiful specimen of manhood who carries "The Charles Atlas
Seal of Approval." Everyone revels in celebration of Rocky's
(for that is this creature's name) birthday, until one of
Frank's previous experiments, Eddie (Meatloaf), defrosts and
crashes the party on his motorbike. Frank dispatches him to
oblivion and resumes the partying.
Now forced to spend the night, Brad and Janet are shown
to separate bedrooms - blue for boys, pink for girls - which
Frank enters in disguise and shows both of them the absolute
pleasures of the flesh! Rocky escapes from his own bedroom
when tormented by the servant Riff- Raff. Chases and chaos
ensue, ending up with the now non-virginal Janet seducing
Frank's perfect specimen of manhood, Rocky. Suddenly Brad
and Janet's science teacher arrives at the castle, searching
for his lost nephew, Eddie! Dr. Scott's arrival does not sit
well with Frank, who thinks that Dr. Scott has a hidden
agenda for visiting the castle. When dinner is announced,
most of the plot threads have been introduced, although
Frank still has unforseen plans for his guests.
This lengthy synopsis only reminds us of the elements
that it takes to make a phenomenon. Clocking in at a very
brief 100 minutes, and shortened further for American
audiences, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is a plot-heavy
vehicle, with an emphasis on music and sexuality. On it's
own merits, of which there are a few: the joyful innocence
of youth portrayed by Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, the
unbeatable, unforgettable performance of Tim Curry, the
tongue in cheek nods to Universal Horror films, as well as
the far-too-obvious nod to RKO's "King Kong"; the film tends
to bog down in its own excesses. Misdirection from
first-time film director Jim Sharman allowed astute audience
members to begin talking back to the screen characters and
armed with suitable quips for shouting, "The Rocky Horror
Picture Show" took of as a midnight movie for the masses.
Never before, and never again has a film attained the cult
status attributed to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." The
cult may have started small, but soon cinemas across the
country were screening "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at
midnight on weekends, as well as adding character costume
contests which would lead to the once inconceivable, now
inevitable actual audience participatory cash cow that "The
Rocky Horror Picture Show" had become for 20th Century Fox.
A musical unlike any other, but more importantly AN EVENT
unlike any other "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is bound to
baffle some, bemuse others, possibly even offend anyone not
familiar with either the film or the phenomenon. (Are there
truly any RHPS virgins out there?) FOX has justifiably
issued a deluxe home video treatment of its highest grossing
musical film in a package designed to please fans and
non-fans alike. Whichever category you fall into, "The Rocky
Horror Picture Show" on DVD is bound to have something in
its exhaustive contents to bring you absolute pleasure.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" arrives on DVD with as
positively pristine print unlikely to be disputed as one of
the best home video incarnations, ever. From the opening
lips of "Science Fiction/Double Feature" the colors are
unbelievably accurate, and hold true for the remainder of
the film. This is easily verified when viewing the clips
used in the Making of Documentary on disc two, there the
print is wanting in color, faded and speckled, but even in
"Rocky Horror Picture Show's" most difficult moments of
color ("Rose Tint My World," Chapter 29) reds are not
bleeding, and the contrast is right on the money! Details
rarely seen since 1975 are lovingly preserved. The quality
of this print is further enhanced when watching the "Easter
egg" version of the film. This "Easter egg" is a conceptual
cut of the film, with an all-too obvious nod to "The Wizard
of Oz," wherein Brad & Janet's strange journey to the
Frankenstein Place is made even stranger when their balck
and white (!) world suddenly erupts into a blaze of colors.
Richard O'Brien's concept is presented in a glorious
hi-definition black and white print until Riff opens the
door to the Transylvania's "Time Warp" (Chapter 7), which
makes the stunned expression on Janet's face ever so much
more meaningful. The "Easter egg" cut of the film is easily
accessable through the Main Menu Screen. While we're on THAT
subject, these are far and away the most entertaining menus
I have ever encountered!
Audiophiles delight! FOX has not only produced a brand
new Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but has also included "The
Rocky Horror Picture Show's" original mono soundtrack,
cleaned up and presented in Dolby Digital as well. As much
as I like the rawness of the mono track, the 5.1 mix really
rocks with bass and a very active .1 channel. Ambient sounds
abound, not limiting the surrounds to the music alone. FOX's
mixer deserves credit for creating a spacious, often
directional soundtrack all taken from various sources. As
expected, Meatloaf's "Hot Patootie" (Chapter 14) makes the
most of the new mix, enveloping the viewer with
multi-directional effects, and a bad-ass bass. Dialogue is
clean in both formats, but the 5.1 track is quite a
breakthrough, sonically speaking.
Many of the bonus features on Disc Two are holdovers from
the Laser Disc 20th Anniversary Edition: the outtakes, the
sing-a-longs, the trailers and the documentary. The new
material, though is very pleasant: VH1 interviews with
Richard O'Brien (one with him strumming his guitar and
revisiting "The Frankenstein Place"), Patricia Quinn,
Meatloaf, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon. Meatloaf is
quite the raconteur, Quinn details her role's shortening
from the stage production, O'Brien basically covers material
in the documentary, Sarandon estimates the values of the
film experience and Bostwick advises everyone to get on with
their lives.
O'Brien and Quinn offer up a wickedly funny, and often
ribald commentary track; unlike the movie however, the
commentary would be rated "PG-13," for language.
Though not billed as a "bonus feature," the seamless
branching allowing the viewer to choose from THREE versions
of the film, the third being the hidden "concept cut,"
should be considered a very special feature.
Rounding out the already bountiful bonuses are three
worthy audience participation additions. Like "The Matrix's"
"Follow the White Rabbit" feature, "The Theatrical
Experience" allows viewers to watch real Rocky Horror
Participants doing their thing in theaters across the
country. When accessed for the first time, these clips are
introduced by "The Rocky Horror Picture Show's" number one
fan, Sal Piro, himself. Rocky Horror "Virgins" are given
their due as well, with an on-screen prompter advising
would-be participants what to do with their plethora of
props. This feature should come in handy for all those
upcoming Rocky Horror Halloween party - - though I would
advise guests NOT to throw rice or squirt water in MY
viewing room! An another available audio option is the
audience participation track, mostly confined to the rear
speakers, with a theater full of Rocky-philes shouting the
standard audience/film repartee. It's one of the features
that wears out its welcome quickly.
"Whew!" Enough is as good as a feast, and FOX has served
up quite a banquet of bonus material; not to mention the
packaging - - like "Fight Club's" cardboard fold-out, "The
Rocky Horror Picture Show" is on high gloss cardboard,
enclosed in a high gloss cardboard case, complete with a
twelve-page collector's book.
Is it the movie or is it the phenomenon that the movie
spawned that makes converts of "Rocky Horror Picture Show"
virgins? It's obvious from FOX's packaging that this dvd is
aimed directly at those of us who have ever participated in
the "don't dream it, be it" world of Rocky. For nearly two
years, in my not-so-distant youth, twice a week I was a paid
participant in the midnight run of "The Rocky Horror Picture
Show" for the King's Court Theater in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. So for those two decadent years, I rarely had
the opportunity to actually VIEW the film - -I was part of
it! So, naturally when The Rocky Horror Picture Show was
first released on videotape, and later, laser disc, I had my
copy the very day it was released. Viewing "The Rocky Horror
Picture Show" on its own merits, in the confines of one's
home theater, it is easier to be critical of the film's
major flaw: it's pacing. This musical needs to move at
lightning speed, and sadly, it doesn't. At times it
virtually crawls across the screen, leaving a casual viewer
to wonder what all the fuss was about. The songs from the
original stage musical have all been slowed down
dramatically, as anyone who has ever heard either the London
Cast Recording, or the definitive Ode Recording of "The
Rocky Horror Show"s" Roxy Cast will confirm. Richard
O'Brien's three-chord songs are over so quickly that the
listener doesn't have the time to tell that it's the same
three chords over and over again. The opening credits of the
film, visually stunning as they are - - those ruby red lips
against a solid black background - - telegraph the pacing of
the rest of the film with it's slowed-down, string oriented
arrangement of a solid little rocker like "Science
Fiction/Double Feature." Sure, at other times the
arrangements do work brilliantly - - "The Time Warp" and
"Sweet Transvetite" being the best use of new orchestrations
- - but for the most part lay dead in the water, so to
speak, and use an image from the film.
Nor does the acting do much to liven the pace, save for
Tim Curry, who had done the role so many times onstage, that
he could more than likely perform the role in his sleep,
likewise this hold true for MeatLoaf, whose solo of "Hot
Patootie," breezy as it is, has been emasculated by a
slowed-down arrangement. Patricia Quinn relates an
interesting anecdote in her VH1 interview, where she states
that she was asked by a fan IF they had filmed the movie
with its deliberate pauses and pacing SO THAT THE AUDIENCE
COULD talk back to it!
So, in the final analysis, what is it that draws us into
the world of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show?" When the film
was initially released, we were a naive lot. There were no
spectres of AIDS looming over our heads, no sexual misdeeds
occurring the White House - -hell, we were just trudging
through the aftermath of Watergate, as mentioned in the
film, there was no readily available porn on the world wide
web, no high speed chases through Beverly Hills in a white
Bronco, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" entered the nation's
consciousness fortuitously at a time it was most needed. The
whole "Don't dream it, be it" philosophy in the 80's, when
Rocky was at its peak, applied to a citizenship of sexual
adventurers; unafraid to let their hair, and their
inhibitions down for a midnight rendez-vous or two. "The
Rocky Horror Picture Show" enabled a generation to bravely
plunge into the pool, swim with the sharks, and emerge
dripping with new-found sexual identities. In today's world
of Matthew Shepherds and Brendan Teena's, a release of "The
Rocky Horror Picture Show," fresh from the camera as in
1975's initial release, would not be met with the same
enthusiastic audiences needed to make it a cult film. We've
grown up, and as Barry Bostwick puts it, "It's time to hang
up the stockings and get on with life."
An important film? Undoubtably, any film that has such a
positive message cannot be written off as UN-important. Any
musical film that has made as much money, cannot be written
off, either. Next to "The Sound of Music," this is FOX's
highest-grossing musical film, as well as it's longest
running. A film for the ages? No. "The Rocky Horror Picture
Show" belongs to a specific era that no matter how many
extra bells and whistles - - as great as they are - - can
ever hope to duplicate. As Frank-N-Furter so neatly puts it,
it's "One from the vaults."
Target audiences be damned! This is a brilliant disc,
crafted into the digital domain with loving care, a stunning
revisit to a film near and dear to many a heart, a journey
to where there's always a light, and a sweet transvestite
scampering from bedroom to bedroom, urging virgins to not
dream, but BE! If you've not seen "The Rocky Horror Picture
Show" before, prepare yourself for a ride unlike any other;
if you are one of the lucky ones ("He's lucky! You're lucky!
I'm lucky!" We're all lucky!") to have been a part of "The
Rocky Horror Picture Show's" phenomenon - - as audience, or
performer - - FOX's illustrious DVD will keep you dancing
"The Time Warp," and reliving all those moments of rapture
that brought you to the Frankenstein place to begin with.
Don't dream it, BUY IT!
 (3.5/5, NOT included in
final score. The film ranks a 5/5 phenomenon-wise.)
 (5/5)
(5/5)
(5/5)
(5/5,
NOT an average)
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