The Rocky Horror Picture Show | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jim Sharman |
Written by | Richard O'Brien Jim Sharman |
Produced by | Lou Adler Michael White |
Starring | Tim Curry Susan Sarandon Barry Bostwick Richard O'Brien Patricia Quinn Nell Campbell Jonathan Adams Peter Hinwood Meat Loaf Charles Gray |
Cinematography | Peter Suschitzky |
Edited by | Graeme Clifford |
Music by | Richard O'Brien Richard Hartley |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
Countries | Template:Film UK Template:Film US |
Language | English |
Budget | US$1.2 million |
Box office | US$139.8 million |
- For the original stage play, see The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940's through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the screenplay with O'Brien, who wrote both the book and lyrics for the stage. The film introduces Tim Curry and features Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick along with cast members from the original Kings Road production presented at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1973.
Still in limited release 35 years after its premiere, it has the longest-running theatrical release in film history. It gained notoriety as a midnight movie in 1977 when audiences began participating with the film in theatres. Rocky Horror is the first film from a major Hollywood studio to be in the midnight movie market. The motion picture has a large international following and is one of the most well known and financially successful midnight movies of all time. In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
The story, narrated by a criminologist, tells the tale of newly engaged couple, Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, who find themselves lost and with a flat tire on a cold and rainy, late November evening. Seeking a phone with which to call for help at a nearby castle, Brad and Janet discover a group of strange and outlandish people who are holding an Annual Transylvanian Convention. They watch as the Transylvanians, servants, and a tap dancing groupie dance the film's signature song.
They are soon swept into the world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a self-proclaimed "sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania". The ensemble of convention attendees also include servants Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien), his sister Magenta, and a groupie named Columbia.
Frank claims to have discovered the "secret to life itself". In a scene inspired by the classic Frankenstein films, his creation, Rocky Horror, is brought to life. The ensuing celebration is soon interrupted by Eddie, an ex-delivery boy, partial brain donor to Rocky, and Columbia's lover, who rides out of a deep freeze on a motorcycle. In a jealous rage, Frank corners him and kills him with an ice axe. He then departs with Rocky to a bridal suite off of the laboratory.
Brad and Janet are shown to separate bedrooms where each is visited and seduced by Frank, who poses as Brad and then Janet in order to trick the real Brad and Janet into sex. Janet, upset and emotional, wanders off to look for Brad, whom she discovers is with Frank via a television monitor. She then discovers Rocky, cowering in his birth tank, hiding from Riff Raff, who has been tormenting him. While tending to Rocky's wounds, Janet seduces him, while Magenta and Columbia watch from their bedroom monitor.
After discovering that his creature is missing, Frank, Brad, and Riff Raff return to the lab, where Frank learns that an intruder has entered the building. Dr. Everett Scott, Brad and Janet's old high school science teacher, has come looking for his nephew, Eddie, but Frank suspects that Dr. Scott investigates UFOs for the government. Upon learning of Brad and Janet's connection to Scott, Frank suspects them of working for him.
Rocky and the guests are served dinner, which they soon realize has been prepared from Eddie's mutilated body. Janet runs screaming into Rocky's arms and is slapped and chased through the halls of the castle by a jealous Frank. Janet, Brad, Dr. Scott, Rocky, and Columbia all meet in Frank's lab, where Frank captures them with the Medusa Transducer, transforming them into statues. They are then forced to perform a live cabaret floor show.
The performance is interrupted by Riff Raff and Magenta, who stage a coup and announce their plan to return to the planet of Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. In the process, they kill Columbia, Rocky, and Frank. They release Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott, and then depart by lifting off in the Castle itself.
The narrator then finishes the film by concluding that man is alone—insects crawling on the planet's surface.
Cast
- Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter: A scientist. Main antagonist. Frank is a flamboyant, hedonistic transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania; a pansexual mad scientist.
- Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss: A heroine. Sweet and somewhat naïve. Janet, recently engaged to Brad, succumbs to temptation.
- Barry Bostwick as Brad Majors: A hero. The clean-cut fiancé of Janet Weiss. Awkward and out of step, he finds himself in situations never before experienced.
- Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff: A handyman. Frank's minion and Magenta's brother.
- Patricia Quinn as Magenta: A domestic. Riff Raff's sister.
- Nell Campbell (credited as Little Nell) as Columbia: A groupie. A tapdancer. Self-proclaimed lover of Frank, and formerly involved with Eddie.
- Jonathan Adams as Dr. Everett V. Scott: A rival scientist. Brad and Janet's high school science teacher, now a government scientist searching for extraterrestrial life.
- Peter Hinwood as Rocky Horror: A creation. Blond-haired and tanned, Rocky is mute except for his musical numbers. Rocky's singing voice was dubbed over by Trevor White.
- Charles Gray as The Criminologist: An expert. The film's narrator.
- Meat Loaf (credited as Meatloaf) as Eddie: An ex-delivery boy. Columbia's former boyfriend, partial brain donor for Rocky, nephew to Dr. Scott, and eventually, Dr. Frank-N-Furter's dinner.
Production
The original American productions of the stage musical were both produced by Lou Adler, who is best known for his Cheech and Chong series. Adler brought the production to the US in 1974 and later became executive producer of the film version.[1]
Many of the original cast and crew-members from the stage production returned to work on the film. Director Jim Sharman, production designer Brian Thomson, and costume designer Sue Blane collaborated on the original London production with many of the cast that made it into the film version. Tim Curry reprised his role from the London and Los Angeles stage productions. After the film, Curry also did a short run on Broadway as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Creator Richard O'Brien (Riff Raff) also returned for the film from the British stage team, as did Little Nell (Columbia) and Patricia Quinn (Magenta).[2] Jonathan Adams, the narrator from the original cast, also returned for the film, instead playing Dr. Scott.[3] Meat Loaf also returned; he had played the role of Eddie/Dr. Scott in the Los Angeles production at The Roxy.
The film was shot at Bray Studios and Oakley Court, a country house in Berkshire, from October 21, 1974, to December 19, 1974. Filming of Rocky's birth occurred on October 30, 1974, the 82nd anniversary of the birth of Charles Atlas.[4]
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is slightly different from its original theatrical production. In the film, many of the original aspects from the stage show changed, as did characters and dialogue. All of the title character's lines were cut, making Rocky a mute who only sings during musical numbers. Eddie pops out of a Coca-Cola machine on stage, but rides out of a deep freeze in the film. Scenes were added for continuity, and characters only mentioned in the musical were now in the opening scene.
Several ideas from the original conception of the film were dropped before production. The original stage production was set in a derelict cinema and began with a lone usherette singing the opening number ("Science Fiction Double-Feature"); to retain this device, designer Brian Thomson initially suggested setting the scene in an abandoned drive-in cinema, but this was rejected.[5] During the song, the film was supposed to include images from all the films mentioned in the song "Science-Fiction Double Feature".[6] Producers discovered quickly that obtaining the rights to all the various film clips would be very costly, and cut the idea. Inspired by a Man Ray painting, Thomson devised the concept ultimately seen on screen, in which the song is performed by a disembodied mouth seen in close-up (using Patricia Quinn's lips and Richard O'Brien's voice).[5] Another idea was to parallel The Wizard of Oz (1939) by having the first 20 minutes of the film in black and white and Academy ratio until the doors burst open showing the Transylvanians in widescreen and then to full color at Frank's entrance.[6] This effect would have been prohibitively expensive, so the idea was discarded. On the 25th anniversary DVD, there is an easter egg that allows the viewer to see the original black-and-white idea, with the colour coming in when the doors open to the Transylvanians. On the 35th anniversary Blu-ray, it is presented as a viewing option in the bonus materials section. The film was ultimately shot in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio throughout.
The film's plot, setting, and style echoes that of the Hammer Horror films, which had their own instantly recognizable style (just as Universal Studios' horror films did), re-using sets and props through many of their films. Production designer Brian Thomson and director Jim Sharman chose locations, sets, and even props for The Rocky Horror Picture Show that were, in many cases, used in Hammer productions. The "Creation" scene in Rocky Horror is so reminiscent of Frankenstein films because it uses the tank and dummy from a Hammer production of The Revenge of Frankenstein starring Peter Cushing.[7]
The castle is Oakley Court in Berkshire, known for a number of Hammer films. A great deal of location shooting took place there. At the time, the manor was in a very dilapidated condition. Filming took place during autumn, which made conditions harsh. During filming, Sarandon fell ill with pneumonia; she recovered after a few days. In 1979 refurbishment began on Oakley Court and the building is now a luxury hotel.[8][9]
In the stage productions, actors generally did their own make-up, but for this film the producers chose Pierre La Roche to redesign the make-up for each character (he had previously designed make-up for David Bowie).[10] Production stills were taken by 1970s rock photographer Mick Rock, who has published many calendars and photo books from his Rocky Horror work.
Release
The film is considered to be the longest-running release in film history.[11] It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and it continues to play in cinemas 35 years later. Some cinemas showing the film have run it for decades at a time. There are two basic versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, known as the US and UK releases. The UK version contains the original ending with the full version of the musical number "Super Heroes". The US version, created after the film hit the midnight circuit, omits "Super Heroes", as the studio thought it was too depressing.[12]
A Super 8 version of selected scenes of the film was made available[13] and the full feature was released on VHS in 1990 as a 15TH anniversary edition, using the stereo soundtrack recording originally released on vinyl.[14] On August 2, 2010, The Rocky Horror Picture Show Official Fan Club announced the release of the 35th Anniversary edition Blu-ray in the US for October 19, 2010. The disc included a newly-created 7.1 surround sound mix, a mono sound mix, and a 4K/2K image transfer from the original camera negative. Alsolso included, was new content featuring karaoke and shadow cast peformance.[15]
Reception
The film opened in the US at the UA Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, on September 26, 1975. It did well at that location, but not elsewhere.[16] The cult following did not begin until the film began its midnight run at the Waverly Theatre in New York on April 1, 1976.[17]
Before the success of the midnight screenings, the film was withdrawn from its eight opening cities due to very small audiences, and its planned New York opening (on Halloween night) was cancelled.[3] Fox re-released it around college campuses on a double-bill with another rock music film parody, Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise, but again it drew small audiences.[3] With Pink Flamingos (1972) and Reefer Madness (1936) making money in midnight showings nationwide, RHPS was eventually screened at midnight, starting in New York City on April Fools' Day of 1976.[3] By that Halloween, people were attending in costume and talking back to the screen. By mid-1978, RHPS was playing in over 50 locations on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight, newsletters were published by local performance groups, and fans gathered for Rocky Horror conventions.[3] By the end of 1979, there were twice-weekly showings at over 230 theatres.[3]
The Rocky Horror Picture Show has taken in US$139,876,417 at the US box office since its release.[18] The length of its run in cinemas (weekly for over 30 years), combined with its considerable total box office gross, is unparalleled by any other film.[19] The original budget for the film was US$1,200,000 (estimated).[18]
The American television network Fox Broadcasting aired the film's much-publicized US television premiere on October 25, 1993. The film's popularity breathed new life to the stage production, which had had a 45-performance run on Broadway early in 1975 at the Belasco Theatre.[20]
Sequels and scripts
In 1981, Jim Sharman reunited with O'Brien to do Shock Treatment.[21] This standalone feature was not a direct sequel to the original film; it told the continuing story of Brad (Cliff DeYoung) and Janet (Jessica Harper) following their marriage. Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Charles Gray, and Nell Campbell appeared in the film, playing different characters. Only Jeremy Newson appears in the sequel as the same character, Ralph Hapschatt. The original script was titled Rocky Horror Shows His Heels and began as a direct sequel, until the idea was changed because of the unavailability of some of the original cast. The story was changed as well as the title, becoming first The Brad and Janet Show and finally Shock Treatment.
A few years later, O'Brien wrote another script intended as a direct sequel to the cult classic entitled Revenge of the Old Queen. Producer Michael White had hoped to begin work on the production and described the script as "... in the same style as the other one. It has reflections of the past in it."[22]
MTV Films and Sky Movies were planning to remake The Rocky Horror Picture Show.[23] The network was planning a two-hour-long remake to be based on the original screenplay and featuring songs not included in the original. The film was initially anticipated to have been released sometime around Halloween 2009. O'Brien was not involved; he has said that while he has no opinion on whether the film should be remade, the MTV production did not have his blessing.[24][25]
Music
The soundtrack from The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released in 1975 by Sanctuary Records, produced by Richard Hartley. The album peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 in 1978.[26] It reached No. 40 on the Australian albums chart[27] and No. 11 on the New Zealand albums chart.[28] William Ruhlmann of Allmusic gave the album a star rating of five stars out of five and described it as the "definitive version of the [Rocky Horror] score".[29] Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 the week of October 27, 2010, with 48,000 copies sold, the lowest debut and sales for the cast in the United States.[30] This debut made Glee the first television series to have six or more soundtracks chart in the chart's top ten, and marked the highest position ever reached for a Rocky Horror album.[31] As of April 2011, the EP is Glee's lowest-selling in the US, with 160,000 copies.[32]
See also
References
- ^ "Lou Adler Biography". Musician Biographies. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
- ^ "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Samuels (1983), p. 11
- ^ Henkin (1979), p. 16
- ^ a b Patricia Mossisroe interview with Brian Thomson, 1979
- ^ a b O'Brien, Richard, Sharman, Jim (1 January 2005). "The Rocky Horror Picture Show (original shooting script)". www.godamongdirectors.com. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Harpole, Charles (5 November 1999). History of the American cinema. Charles Scribner's Sons; 1 edi. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-0684804637.
- ^ "Welcome to Oakley Court". Retrieved 13 June 2007.
- ^ "Berkshire History". Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Pierre La Roche". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
- ^ "Fox Celebrates 25 Years of Absolute Pleasure, Pop Culture Phenomenon and Midnight Classic" (Press release). RHPS Official Fan Site. 24 August 2000. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
- ^ "Alternate versions for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
- ^ Piro & Hess (1991), p. 77
- ^ "Alternate versions for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-9-11.
{{cite web}}
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at position 23 (help) - ^ "RHPS Official Fan Site: News: Press Release". Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ^ Henkin (1979), p. 25
- ^ Henkin (1979), p. 26
- ^ a b "Box office / business for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "The Numbers – Top 50 Movies Never to Go Into Wide Release". The Numbers. 13 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
- ^ "The Rocky Horror Show". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
- ^ Winters, Hughs, Jessica, Loyd. The Rough Guide to Film. Penquin publishing. p. 506. ISBN 9781405384988.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (13 September 1991). "'Rocky Horror' to 'Queen'". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- ^ Frankel, Daniel (23 July 2008). "MTV Readies 'Rocky Horror' Redux". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
- ^ "Rocky Remake Leaves O'Brien Cold". BBC News. BBC. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- ^ Frankel, Daniel (15 September 2009). "MTV Nixes 'Rocky Horror' Remake". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ "The Rocky Horror Picture Show > Charts & Awards", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 3 October 2010
{{citation}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help) - ^ "The Rocky Horror Picture Show (album)", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 3 October 2010
{{citation}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help) - ^ "The Rocky Horror Picture Show (album)", New Zealand charts portal, Hung Median, retrieved 3 October 2010
{{citation}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help) - ^ Ruhlmann, William, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show > Review", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 3 October 2010
{{citation}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help) - ^ Caulfield, Keith (27 October 2010). "Sugarland Tops Kings of Leon on Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ Grein, Paul (27 October 2010). "Week Ending Oct. 24, 2010: Place Your Bets". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ Grein, Paul (27 April 2011). "Week Ending April 24, 2011. Albums: Real Or TV?". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
Bibliography
- Hallenbeck, Bruce (2009). Comedy-Horror Films. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 9780786433322.
- Harpole, Charles (1990). History of the American Cinema. New York: Scribner. ISBN 9780684804637.
- Henkin, Bill (1979). The Rocky Horror Picture Show Book. New York: Hawthorn Books. ISBN 9780801564369.
- Leitch, Thomas (2002). Crime Films. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521646710.
- Piro, Sal; Hess, Michael (1991). The Official Rocky Horror Picture Show Audience Par-tic-i-pation Guide. London: Stabur Press. ISBN 094161316X.
- Samuels, Stuart (1983). Midnight Movies. New York: Collier Books. ISBN 002081450X.
- Sandys, Jon (2007). Movie Mistakes Take 5. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 9780753511138.
External links
- Official website
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show at IMDb
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show at AllMovie
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Box Office Mojo
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Rotten Tomatoes