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The Rocky Horror Picture Show
(1975, UK/US)
In director Jim Sharman's ultimate-audience sing-along
participation midnight-movie cult-musical film:
- the opening song "Science Fiction/Double Feature"
was sung by a giant pair of disembodied blood-red lips under the opening
credits (voice of Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff) - it served as
a tribute to Hollywood's sci-fi and B-horror films of earlier decades
- the two main characters were a sexually-repressed
couple: wholesome, strait-laced hero Brad Major (Barry Bostwick)
and his girlfriend Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon); they attended a friend's
wedding in Denton, TX (or Ohio?), in November of 1974, where Brad
was best man for Ralph Hapschatt (Jeremy Newson), while Janet served
as the maid of honor for bride Betty Monroe (Hilary Labow); Brad
and Janet had first met in a science class taught by Dr. Everett
Scott (Jonathan Adams)
- during a wedding photo opportunity - taken on
the front steps of the church, the film foreshadowed three of the
film's future characters - Riff Raff
and Magenta (an "American
Gothic" couple), and Dr. Frank-n-Furter (the Minister)
- following their attendance at the wedding, the romantically-inspired
Brad delivered a musically-vocalized marriage proposal ("Dammit
Janet") to Janet, first in the church cemetery and then in the church
- throughout the film, a Narrator
(Charles Gray) would randomly appear;
he was introduced in an impressive-looking study as a criminologist-expert,
who explained some of the events as a case study; he was suspiciously
viewing a projected slide image of a photo taken at the wedding
on the church's steps; he explained the tale of the film's hero and
heroine with a thick scrapbook of photographs of their misadventures
and experiences, known as "The Denton Affair"
- after the wedding, when returning home on a rainy
night, Brad's car had a blow-out - and Brad and Janet were forced
to walk back to a gothic castle-mansion; as they entered the outer
gate (with a sign: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!), they sang "(There's
a Light) Over at the Frankenstein Place"
The Castle-Mansion's Outer Gate Sign
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"Over at the Frankenstein Place"
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Brad and Janet at the Castle Door
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- the engaged young couple were met at the front door
by tall, gaunt, slightly bald, black-clad hunchbacked butler Riff
Raff (Richard O’Brien) and his sister - domestic maid Magenta (Patricia Quinn); they entered
into the castle where they learned the 'Master's' party was in progress;
they came upon a group of annual conventioneers (aliens from the
planet Transsexual in the Galaxy of Transylvania) who danced and
sang a rendition of the "Time
Warp" - the film's major musical highlight
- during the song/dance, the Narrator helped with a
tutorial by providing a pull-down chart of dance steps for instruction's
sake: "It's just a jump to the left" - and the guests responded: "And
then a step to the right...Let's do the Time Warp again"; part
way through the song, Janet fainted; further chorus verses were sung
by Magenta and red-haired, household groupie Columbia (Laura "Little
Nell" Campbell), Frank's assistant and ex-lover, who
wore a gold-sequined top hat as she tap-danced
- behind them, a black-cloaked
figure descended in an elevator, tapping one sequin-encrusted
high-heeled boot; Brad tried to reassure Janet: "I'm here,
there's nothing to worry about"; when
the elevator opened behind the couple, the figure in the elevator
turned toward Janet, causing her to scream and faint at the
sight of the heavily-made up character
- the couple experienced the dramatic entrance of fishnet and heels-wearing Dr.
Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry) in a full drag outfit, with heavy mascara;
as a greeting, the crazed, mad transexual transvestite sang: "How
do ya do-a" to Brad; then, he strutted boldly forward through
a gauntlet lineup of the revelers; on a stage in front of the banner
reading ANNUAL TRANSYLVANIAN CONVENTION, he dropped his black cloak
onto his throne behind him to reveal his sexy, skimpy, cross-dressed
lingerie outfit: a pearl necklace, a leather draw-string vest, a tight
corset (with leather bikini briefs or panties), fishnet stockings,
black garters, and high-heeled boots
The Dramatic Entrance of Transylvanian Leader Dr.
Frank N. Furter
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"Sweet Transvestite"
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- the Transylvanian leader Dr.
Frank N. Furter seductively sang the campy classic "Sweet
Transvestite" to the newly-engaged couple : "I'm just
a sweet transvestite... from Transssssexual Transylvania-hah-hah!"
- afterwards, he invited the engaged fiancees to stay
the night - ("Why don'tcha stay for the night?") -
Brad and Janet were reduced to their underwear,
and then took an ascending elevator to visit 'mad scientist' Frank's
secret upstairs lab for the unveiling of his artificial Frankenstein-esque
creation; Frank had changed into his laboratory garb - a dark-green
lab coat with long surgical gloves
- Frank proudly showed off his mummified humanoid
suspended in a large vat of water ("I Can Make You a Man");
the creature's bandages were removed to reveal a reanimated, attractive
muscle-bound, whitish-blonde-haired, tanned, beefcake playmate sex
toy or object named Rocky Horror (Peter Hinwood) wearing only a gold
bikini; he had been solely created for Frank's bisexual gratification
- suddenly, a greasy-haired, black leather-clad biker
Eddie (Meatloaf) (with a gash over his forehead) emerged on his cycle from
a DEEP FREEZE cyrogenic refrigerator that had just malfunctioned; earlier,
when Eddie arrived at the castle as a delivery
boy, he became Frank's lover, but then became one
of Frank's experimental lab subjects; he performed a rockin' version
of "Hot Patootie Bless My Soul" (an
ode to rock 'n' roll) with his current girlfriend Columbia; to prove
that ex-boyfriend Eddie no longer meant anything to him, and angry
that he had been upstaged, the wrathful Frank murdered (off-screen)
Eddie with an ice-pick inside the cyrogenic chamber
- Frank then reassured
and comforted Rocky and praised his manly beauty: "Don't
be upset. It was a mercy killing! He had a certain naive charm, but
no - muscle"; during Dr. Frank N. Furter's reprise of "I Can Make You a Man",
Janet unexpectedly piped up: "I'm
a muscle fan!"; Frank's new creation was led away, as in a marital
procession, to a honeymoon bed-chamber
- there were dual suggestive scenes of the two
separated honeymooners Janet and Brad after they were led away to
separate rooms in the castle; both of them ended up engaging in sex
with Frank in his lighted tent: (1) first - Frank (dressed as Brad)
heterosexually coupled with Janet, filmed in reddish light, and (2)
second, Frank (dressed as Janet) engaged in a homosexual pairing
with Brad, seen in in bluish light
The Dual Seductions of Janet and Brad - Both by Frank
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Janet in Red Light
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Brad in Blue Light
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after Janet's sexual awakening (and loss of virginity), she found
Rocky (who had been sadistically tormented by Riff Raff with a torch)
hiding in his tank at the lab and was quickly aroused by him; she
was being spied upon via a bedroom, closed-circuit TV video monitor
by Columbia and Magenta
- seeking revenge, Janet sought to seduce the bi-sexual Rocky (it marked her second time
cheating on Brad), while wearing nothing but a white bra and panties;
she made love to the idealized, male love machine creation, singing: "Touch-a
Touch-a Touch Me" ("I thought there's no use
getting Into heavy petting It only leads to trouble And seat wetting
Now all I want to know Is how to go I've tasted blood and I want more...I'll
put up no resistance I want to stay the distance I've got an itch to
scratch I need assistance Touch-a touch-a touch-a touch me I wanna
be dirty Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me Creature of the night...");
their sexual coupling would be a shock to Frank, after he learned that
Rocky had been initiated into heterosexual love and deflowered by Janet
Janet and Rocky -- "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me"
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- Riff Raff announced the arrival of Frank's wheelchaired,
rival scientist Dr. Everett Scott (Brad's ex-science teacher at Denton
HS) at the castle; Dr. Scott was viewed suspiciously by Frank as
a UFO investigator for the federal government (and he feared that
maybe Brad and Janet were spies also); Dr. Scott claimed he was
only there looking for his missing nephew Eddie
- after Janet and Rocky were discovered under a red
sheet where they had just made love, their names were called out
in the dialogue - in fact, all the main characters
in Frank's laboratory called out each other's names in surprise:
("Janet!" "Dr. Scott!" "Janet!"
"Brad!" "Rocky!", etc.)
- during a cannibalistic dinner
in the grand dining room to celebrate Frank's birthday, Frank carved
up the meat platter - as Dr. Scott memoralized his nephew Eddie
in a song ("Eddie") about how he was a troubled "no-good" youth
after the death of his mother (his only interests were rock-and-roll,
porn, and motorcycles): "All he wanted was rock-and-roll porn. And a motorbike. Shooting up the
junk. He was a low-down, cheap little punk! Taking everyone for a
ride"; the Narrator showed pictures from the scrapbook of Eddie's
life - including dirty photos, his police record of fingerprints,
and his mug shots
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A Scrapbook of Eddie's Life ("Eddie") Shown
by the Narrator
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- after the song, Frank removed the tablecloth and suddenly
revealed Eddie's decomposing corpse under the table, hacked up and framed
in a glass coffin; Eddie's body had been mutilated for the night's
meal - and they had literally eaten 'Meatloaf'
- to cover up for his ghastly crime, and also in fear
that his visitors-guests (Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott) were conspirators,
the mad Frank-N-Furter flipped a switch on his alien technology (a
Sonic Transducer) in the laboratory to freeze Brad, Janet, and Dr.
Scott where they were positioned; then Magenta flipped another
switch on his Medusa, and one by one, the three were transformed
into nude marble-stone statues; with a few more switch pulls, the
rebellious Columbia (who had just given Frank an ultimatum) and Rocky
were also converted into statues
Frank's Sonic Transducer
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Janet's Fear: "You mean he's going to send
us to another planet!"
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Transformed into Living Marble Statues
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- Frank announced that everyone should prepare for a
floor show; on an empty stage, each of the four marble statues (Brad,
Janet, Rocky and Columbia, but NOT Dr. Scott) had been bedecked by
Frank in similar decadent drag garb (singing and dancing versions
of Frank), costumed on stage in stiletto high-heels, fishnet stockings,
heavy makeup, boas and tight black corsets (or bustiers); each of
them was unfrozen, resurrected or reanimated with Frank's de-Medusa
machine, and then performed "Floor Show," "Rose
Tint My World," and "Fanfare/Don't Dream It" as
a preface to Frank's own bizarre cabaret show
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The Statues One by One Came to Life
on the Empty Stage Before the Show - Beginning with Columbia
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- the climactic "floor
show" medley was then presented
in the empty theater in front of an RKO Radio Picture Tower logo (with
emitting sparks); Rocky, Columbia, Janet, and Brad now functioned
as backup singers; the camera zoomed into Frank who was in front of
the tower, and as the lead singer and showgirl, he crooned: ("Whatever
happened to Fay Wray..."); he also sang about
how they could become sexually liberated by giving themselves over
"to absolute pleasure - Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh.
Erotic nightmares beyond any measure. And sensual daydreams to treasure
forever"
- at the end of the performance, Frank encouraged
everyone to follow his example by diving into a swimming pool that
had magically materialized before him; the four others joined him
in the water, a la Busby Berkeley style, and sang, kissed and made
love to each other during the pool orgy, while singing Frank's refrain
for "Don't Dream It": "Don't
dream it. Be it. Don't dream it. Be it...."
- after Frank sang the first verse
of "Wild and Untamed Thing" in the pool, he climbed out and joined the
four others to perform more refrains during an energetic song-and-dance
routine on stage - including kicks in a chorus line: "We're a
wild and an untamed thing. We're a bee with a deadly sting. You gotta
hit and your mind goes ping! Your heart'll pump and your blood
will sing. So let the party and the sound rock on. We're gonna
shake it 'till the life has gone. Rose tint my world, keep me safe
from my trouble and pain"
The Floor Show - "Wild and Untamed Thing"
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- suddenly in the finale, the performance was interrupted
by Magenta (with a Bride
of Frankenstein hairdo) and Riff Raff (with a pitchfork-shaped
laser ray-gun); both wearing futuristic gold and silver costumes, they
announced that they had been promoted to lead the Transylvanians,
and that Frank was now their prisoner: "Frank-N-Furter, it's all over Your mission is a failure Your
lifestyle's too extreme I'm your new commander You now are my prisoner
We return to Transylvania Prepare the transit beam"; Riff
Raff's plan was to return everyone (members of the alien race) back
to their home planet of Transylvania (in the galaxy of Transexual),
but to leave the failed and extremely-decadent Frank behind
- Frank was allowed to sing a farewell song: "I'm
Going Home" in a circular spotlight on stage, but then was eliminated with
Riff Raff's laser-gun weapon ("a laser capable of emitting a beam
of pure anti-matter"), for the crime of killing Eddie; Frank was
struck by a laser blast while attempting to escape as he backed
up and climbed the stage curtain; he fell to the stage floor dead; during
Frank's attempted escape, Columbia was also struck with the ray-gun for
attempting to save him
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The Death of Frank by Laser Gun - The Toppling of
the RKO Tower and Death of Rocky in the Pool
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- enraged but also in pain, Rocky came to Frank's side,
and carried Frank's lifeless corpse to the top of the RKO radio tower
(a parody of the climax of King Kong (1933)),
while blasts struck him; when the tower toppled backwards, Rocky
plunged into the pool and died
- Riff Raff and Magenta revealed themselves
as aliens - incestuous siblings from outer space (from the planet
Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania): (Riff Raff: "Our
noble mission is almost completed, my most beautiful sister, and
soon we shall return to the moon-drenched shores of our beloved planet")
- after Magenta joyfully led a brief reprise of the "Time
Warp" song (with its "dark refrain"), the castle-mansion, doubling
as an alien spaceship, blasted off into space as they were beamed
back to their home planet
- in the conclusion, Brad and Janet (still in drag
costumes) and Dr. Scott were freed, but crawling in the charred dirt
where the castle had once been, as the Narrator iconically declared: "And
crawling on the planet's face, some insects called the human race. Lost in time and lost
in space and meaning"
- the film ended with a reprise of the opening
song - "Science Fiction - Double Feature" - with cast pictures
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The Opening Song: "Science Fiction/Double Feature"
The Suspicious Wedding Photo
Brad's Proposal to Janet
The Film's Narrator - A Criminologist
Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien)
Magenta (Patricia Quinn)
Columbia ("Little Nell" Campbell)
Frank in His Surgeon's Outfit in His Laboratory Greeting
Brad and Janet
Frank's Unveiling of His Mummified Creation in a Vat of Water
The 'Birth' of Rocky Horror
Rocky with Frank
Biker Eddie's "Hot Patootie Bless My Soul"
Frank with Ice-Pick - To Murder Eddie
Janet's Decision to Seek Sexual Revenge
Janet Making Love with Rocky
Dr. Everett Scott (Jonathan Adams)
The Discovery of Janet and Rocky After They Had Sex
The Cannibalistic Dinner Scene - Carving the Meat
The Unveiling of Eddie's Mutilated Corpse Under the Table
The Pool Orgy
The Finale of "Wild and Untamed Thing"
Riff Raff and Magenta Threatening
Spaceship (Castle) Blasting Off into Space
The Criminologist-Narrator's Final Words
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