Give Yourself Over To Absolute Pleasure
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released in 1975. It stars a then unknown Tim Curry in his debut role of Dr. Frank-N-Future, a mad transvestite scientist from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, Susan Sarandon as Janet Wise, and singer Meat Loaf as Eddie. The movie still runs in a limited release 35 years after its premier. It is, and remains to be, one the longest running movies in history. It continues to play and collect revenue off of its midnight screenings that can be found around the world. I have wanted to go to a midnight showing for years. It is possible one of the coolest movie experience one could ever have.
What you suppose to do is this: your suppose to come dressed as your favorite character, whether it be Brad Majors (The Hero), Janet Wise (The Heroine), Eddie (The Ex-Delivery Boy) or Frank-N-Furter (The Mad Scientist). Once the show begins, it turns into an all out party with audience participation. And I mean audience participation.
There are all these things you’re supposed to bring too: rice, toilet paper, toast, a water gun. Why? Here’s where audience participation comes in. At certain points in the movie, these items are called for. For example, at the beginning, there’s a wedding and you throw your rice at the screen. When Dr. Everett Scott appears, you throw your Scott’s toilet paper at the screen and so on and so on.
There are also things you suppose to say back. It’s called call-backs and there one of the best parts. When Riff-Raff (A Handyman) begins to sing the Time Warp he opens up a coffin ad the audience yells “Show us your mother, Riff-Raff” at the screen. And if you’re a true Rocky fan, you literally know all the words to the movie (sadly, I kind of do).
But there’ so much more going on in the film that it’s just too much to write about. This is probably one of the only films in history to become what it has become: a cult classic and a cultural phenomenon. The iconic red lips singing the opening song “Science Fiction/Double Feature” are widely known throughout the world. The Time Warp can be heard every Halloween. The movie even got its own dedication episode on one of the hottest new shows on TV, Glee. It has also been preserved by the U.S. National Film Registry for being a “”culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant film” along with movies like Citizen Kane and The Lady Eve. Did I mention that it pays homage to the old RKO Picture shows of the 30s and 40s (something we learned about in class lol).
But the movie is a lot more than just what it may seem. It’s a story about love, lust, acceptance, envy, part comedy, part horror, part musical and part cultural satire. The Time Warp was made to make fun of all the dance songs introduced in the late 60s and early 70s.
The movie also sends out a great message: to be comfortable with whom you are. You “don’t judge a book by its cover” as Frank-N-Furter would say. It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, gay, straight, or a sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania, you’re perfect the way you are.