Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic Among Classics ... Only Crazier, February 1, 2006
If one were to ask a film critic what they consider to be the greatest movie ever made, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" would most likely not be a popular answer. If you look at this madcap rock 'n' roll musical from a purely cinematic point of view, it's easy to understand why: an amateurish attempt at a story, less than stellar performances, virtually nonexistent production values, and some of the cheapest special effects ever captured on film (even for the year 1975). When caught up in technicalities and a longing for mainstream purity, then one would have a perfectly good argument for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" being one of the worst movies ever made.
But if one were to ask a fan of the film why they love it so much, I guarantee you that their reason has nothing to do with production values or mainstream desirability. Quite the opposite--it's a film that's shunned by most audiences. This hasn't stopped it from becoming one of the most successful cult films ever made, grossing to date over $100 million (this is over a thirty year period, mind you; it's initial release was a disaster). This is because "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is not just a motion picture. It's a pure social and cultural experience, one that has liberated numerous people labeled by society as "misfits" or "outcasts" with its message of, "Don't dream it, be it."
It's also a ritual that warrants midnight gatherings on Fridays and Saturdays dressed as one of the film's characters. The fun is enhanced through the use of props (such as rice, water pistols, and toilet paper, all of which are used on cue) as well as by the act of shouting vulgar lines back to the screen. This trend of audience participation has remained a staple in "Rocky Horror"'s successful history and only adds to its appeal. Can you imagine how uninteresting it would be to view this film in the privacy of your own home?
Above all else, it's an opportunity to have fun, allowing for (and often encouraging) the release of the party animal within us all. Only at a "Rocky Horror" showing would no one blink when seeing an audience decked out in fishnet stockings, glittering corsets, and pasty makeup plastered on their faces. Everyone is uninhibited and no one cares what others may think. What a great excuse for a year round Halloween party.
"Rocky Horror" is also about the music, with some of the most classic songs ever recorded, including the show stopping "Sweet Transvestite," the delightfully sappy "Dammit Janet," and "The Time Warp," the film's signature song (which prompts the audience to get up and dance along with it). In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the very fabric of the film's greatness depends on the music. And why not? The oddball mix of science fiction, horror, sex, and comedy just aren't enough; all that can be seen in plenty of other cult films. Give us something more, something that would leave a lasting impression on the ones who took the time to see what this movie was all about. Through music, "Rocky Horror" does that, and does that well.
Of all the performances in this film, Tim Curry as the transvestite mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter is the most memorable. His decadence and sexual overdrive hits us like a ton of bricks and never lets up. (And who really wants it to?) In the tradition of Frankenstein's Monster (who has just come out of the closet), Frank actually creates a muscle man named Rocky for the sole purpose of "relieving his tension." The Middle American, wholesome young couple Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) couldn't be more out of place in the world Frank lives in, which makes the situation they're in all the more entertaining. Things only get weirder when you throw in a houseful of servants with quirks of their own, such as hunchbacked butler, a voyeuristic maid, and a tap dancing groupie. Top that off with the film's sinfully twisted story about the night that Brad and Janet spend in Frank's castle, and you have all the ingredients for a cult classic.
Like such offbeat films as "Forbidden Zone" and "Pink Flamingos," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is a film that is experienced, not seen. From its humble beginnings as a London stage play to the creation (and initial failure) of the movie we all know today, "Rocky Horror" has given story creator and Riff Raff portrayer Richard O'Brien a godlike status among fans. The film is pure camp from start to finish: fun, cheesy, and entertaining. Whether you've seen it 1,000 times (some have actually seen it more than that) or are seeing it for the first time (which would label you as a "virgin"), it remains to this day a very unique piece of celluloid history.
Well, what are you waiting for? Pop in the DVD. Don your garter belt, spiked heels, and party hat. Get your water pistols, newspapers, and lighters. And above all else, let's do the Time Warp again!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I've Tasted Blood And I Want More!, March 20, 2005
Well, here you have it, people. The greatest cult phenomenon of all time, a film that will shock you and surprise you, a film you will never forget as long as you live - "The Rocky Horror Picture Show".
When this silver screen classic was released in 1975 after being performed onstage in London and New York, it was a big flop. However, the film slowly gained popularity when some local New York movie theaters started showing it at mdinight, and the reaction was wild. Audiences brought their own props, they came to the theaters dressed as their favorite characters, and even made up their own dialogue for the film and shout it at the screen.
Now, 30 years later, you can experience this timeless filmon dvd. Digitally remastered by the good people at Fox, you can now experience it all over again. Some people may call this film tacky and even offensive, but don't judge a book by its cover until you look athese features:
See! The huge stars in this film before they were famous. Susan Sarandon (as Janet), Barry Bostwick (as Brad), Meatloaf (as Eddie) and, of course, Tim Curry (as transvestite Dr. Frank - N -Furter) lead the pack of a talented bunch of actors in this inspired combination of comedy, musical and science - fiction.
Hear! The classic songs that are mong the best in musical history. Get ready to do dance "Time Warp", bop to Meatloaf's "Hot Patootie" and be "touch - a, touch - a, touched" by the sweet romantacism of "Dammit! Janet".
And last but not least, gawk at the outrageous taboos that were still unheard of in movies from 1975, including homosexuality, lesbianism, tranvestism, nudity, violence and sex. Best not to watch it with kids under 12.
This dvd also comes with intriguing special features. You can watch the film in two different versions, the U.S. and U.K. version (the U.K. version has an alternate ending), audio commentary by cast members Richard O'Brien (who wrote the play) and Patricia Quinn (who played Magenta, the sister of O'Brien's sinister Riff Raff). You can also watch the film with the audience participation. It's as if you were in the theater! PLus, there's much more.
Basically, what I'm saying is to pick up this dvd. I'm sure that anyone with even the slightest bit of good taste will enjoy this film classic.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Musical Dream Come True, December 5, 2004
After quitting the London cast of Jesus Christ Superstar over creative differences, actor Richard O'Brien needed an activity to fill some idle time. He started tinkering with an idea for a rock musical play that would combine all the things that "give you a buzz," from horror and science-fiction films to comedy and glam rock. Impressed by the media coverage of Alice Cooper's recent concert assaults on London, O'Brien created what he initially called an "Alice Cooper type Frankenstein" character named Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who would build a blond muscleman for his own pleasure. The rough idea for "Rock Horroar" went into rehearsals as "They Came From Denton High," and was finally retitled "The Rocky Horror Show" before opening an intended three-week run (expanded to five) at the 63-seat Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in June 1973. It transferred to larger theatres and ran for seven years before being revived.After winning major London theatre awards, The Rocky Horror Show was staged in America with Tim Curry at Lou Adler's Roxy Theatre in L.A. in March 1974. During its ten-month run there, Lou Adler teamed with producer Michael White to produce a film version in England, using most of the English cast (Curry, O'Brien, Nell, Quinn, Adams) and singing discovery Meat Loaf from the Roxy cast. After the play's failed month on Broadway, The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London on August 14, 1975, and struggled to find its audience. The film closely follows the satiric tone of the play, deriving its humor from stilted, deadpan sci-fi dialogue mixed with gender-bending imagery and loud rock and roll. It subverts classic science-fiction films by having the innocent Brad and Janet incredulously confront an outrageous alien mad doctor in place of a bug-eyed monster, as though Alice Cooper had renovated Dr. Frankenstein's lab for a musical version of It Came From Outer Space. The cast is a wonderful collection of cartoonish eccentrics: Tim Curry's androgynous Frank; Richard O'Brien's weird, balding hunchback Riff Raff; Little Nell's squeaking, pink-haired groupie Columbia; Meat Loaf's tenor-voiced biker Eddie; Peter Hinwood's perfectly pumped beefcake Rocky Horror.The film is worth seeing on the big screen, for the "audience participation" and Jim Sharman's detailed use of the frame, but holds up equally well on DVD. Before audiences celebrated their love of the film by vocally including themselves in the experience, there was the film. By turns energetic when introducing the alien dance craze "The Time Warp," ponderous when satirizing the pomposity of over-serious 50s sci-fi films, and sexually challenging when Tim Curry's Joan Crawford-esque Frank gazes into the camera (in tribute to Jean-Luc Godard, Jim Sharman's favorite director), The Rocky Horror Picture Show works as a strangely seductive musical fantasy, cleverly blending Richard O'Brien's pop culture obsessions into a multicolored collage that holds the secret- to life- itself!
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