Jeri Jacquin
This week on 4K HD, Bluray and Digital from director Jim Sharman and 20th Century Studios comes a film celebrating its 50th Anniversary and remains the longest-running theatrical release in film history is THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.
At the wedding of their friends, Brad Major (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) have a celebratory moment and decide they need to go see their teacher Dr. Scott (Jonathan Adams) who is the reason they met. Along the way, a strong storm makes their drive a bit dangerous but even more so is when their car blows a tire (I knew I should have gotten that tire fixed – B). Wondering what to do, he remembers a castle a bit back and the couple make their way to the light in the fireplace.
Greeted at the door by Riff Raff (Richard O’Brien), they are invited in and meet domestic Magenta (Patricia Quinn). Brad seems to be casual about the strangeness around them but Janet has her bad thing-senses tingling as she should. They are both startled by the arrival of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) who invites the couple into his lab to see what’s on the slab. Escorted by the unimpressed Columbia (Little Nell), all arrive at the lab to hear that the scantily clad Dr. is about to create his own personal Rocky (Peter Hinwood).
Just when he’s found his joy, it is all interrupted by Eddie (Meat Loaf) who has a few bars to sing to the glee of Columbia. But, all good things come to the dinner table, including Dr. Scott who shows up looking for someone but Frank, Magenta and Riff Raff are about to turn all their worlds inside out considering it is all upside down already!
Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter is disarming, charming, hilarious and underhanded but does it all with perfect makeup and heels. There is no doubt that no one but Curry could have ever played this role and to think otherwise is pure insanity. His performance felt then and now as if he embodied this role to the hilt. Starting this role on stage before it ever hit screen, it was extremely smart to put that expressive face on the big screen.
Sarandon as Janet is naïve, also charming, endearing and a bit of a vixen for sure. Watching her character go from Gidget (Goggle it kids) to a bit of Elvira is touching (yes, I said it) in all the best ways possible. I love that Sarandon embraces what she did all those years ago and even finds humor in what they accomplished. Bostwick as Brad is just an oblivious male portraying a bit of machismo but doesn’t hesitate to be corrupted for absolute pleasure. Bostwick just jumped right in and his final outfit needs to be totally applauded because, if anything else, he looked damn good in it.
O’Brien as Riff Raff is a disgruntled handyman upset that the candy man hadn’t shown up according to his master. The reality is, he isn’t happy in the castle and putting up with Frank’s nonsense is pushing him to the limits. I just love O’Brien’s portrayal and as the creator of the play and knowing the history behind it there is one thing to say – he is a mad genius. Quinn as Magenta is a domestic that isn’t quite as domestic as one would hope. I mean I couldn’t have her cleaning my house no matter how well she dances. She watches, listens and waits but also has a good time being bad. I just love her character. Little Nell as Columbia is colorful, a spitfire, and more opinionated that she probably should be. The love of a motorcycle man is something she hasn’t gotten over and why should she. That being said, she is torn between Eddie and Frank so there’s that.
Adams as Dr. Scott is a scientist in his own right and clearly knows that Frank is up to something. The problem is, once inside the castle lair, he has his own story to tell and don’t let the wheelchair fool you. Meat Loaf as Eddie might have a small role but it is a showstopper and I just absolutely loved it. Nothing better than a motorcycle man who can play the sax after bursting out of a freezer. Well done sir! Hinwood as Rocky is there as total cute gold-colored undies decoration with no lines whatsoever yet, there wouldn’t be a story if he wasn’t there. I mean, his name IS in the title of the film.
Shout out to Charles Gray as the criminologist for not only telling the tale step by step but jumping up on a desk to dance to the Time Warp. Absolute fire!
Other cast include Jeremy Newson as Ralph Hapschatt and Hilary Labow as Betty Monroe. Unconventional conventionalists include Perry Bedden, Christopher Biggins, Gaye Brown, Ishaq Brux, Stephen Calcutt, Hugh Cecil, Imogene Claire, Tony Cowan, Sadie Corre, Frank Fullenwider, Lindsay Ingram, Peggy Ledger, Annabel Leventon, Anthony Milner, Pamela Obermeyer, Tony Then, Kimi Wong, Henry Woolf and Rufus Collins.
Twentieth Century Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.20thcenturystudios.com.
What can be said about THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW that hasn’t been said by anyone who was there from the beginning. First, let me say the perfection companion to this film is Linus O’Brien’s documentary STRANGE JOURNEY: The Story of Rocky Horror because it literally takes fans through the creative process of his father Richard O’Brien’s ideas and how it finally came to the big screen.
My sister Ellen and I spent most of the 1975 and 1976 at the Strand Theatre in Ocean Beach. Our Friday and Saturday nights were spent standing in line enjoying the sights, sounds and camaraderie there was to be had waiting to get into the theatre. People dressing up and dressing down, bringing props (like rice for the wedding scenes) and gearing up to yell back at the screen some of the most infamous comebacks that are still uttered to this day. One of the best memories was talking our dad into seeing the film with us. Now, granted, it really wasn’t a 1970’s parents cup of tea but he went open minded and, I think, curious as to what we were always up to so late on a Friday night. After what I am sure was an initial shock of it all, he saw us having fun – REAL fun. Not out causing trouble, not doing anything wrong, just being in a theatre with a huge crowd of our closest friends singing, dancing, throwing rice and yelling at the screen. Afterwards we went for breakfast and he laughed at how giddy the film made us. He never said he hated the film or was against the film, no, instead, he thought we were nutty (we were) but never had a problem with us seeing it again and again.
That’s what THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW did for us, gave us a weird and fantastic freedom that it also gave so many others. Returning again and again to share an experience with strangers in a way that is so very memorable. Every person in the theatre was able to be who they wanted to be – you like Frank? Full of Frank. You like Magenta? Full on Magenta. It didn’t matter because every person accepted every person for their reasons, their costumes and how so very cool it was to be part of something as extraordinary as the film was.
Released in August of 1975 – here we are 50 years later and although most of us that were in theatres in 1975 couldn’t possibly do the Time Warp again, a new generation is discovering Frank and the gang in their own unique way thanks to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW now available on so many platforms. I do feel a bit sorry for them though; they will never know the joy of being pelted by rice!
In the end – let’s do the time warp again!
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