The Rocky Horror Picture Show Collection

Tim Curry

Susan Sarandon

Barry Bostwick

Richard O'Brien

Patricia Quinn

Nell Campbell

Jonathan Adams

Peter Hinwood

Meat Loaf

Charles Gray

Jeremy Newson

Hilary Farr

Pierre Bedenes

Christopher Biggins

Gaye Brown

Ishaq Bux

Stephen Calcutt

Hugh Cecil

Imogen Claire

Tony Cowan

Sadie Corre

Fran Fullenwider

Lindsay Ingram

Peggy Ledger

Annabel Leventon

Anthony Milner

Pamela Obermeyer

Tony Then

Kimi Wong

Henry Woolf

Hyma Beckley

Ernest Blyth

Rufus Collins

Victor Harrington

Mark Johnson

Juba Kennerley

Petra Leah

Frank Lester

Koo Stark

Michael White

Jim Sharman

Graeme Clifford

Sue Blane

Lou Adler

Terry Ackland-Snow

Richard Hartley

John Goldstone

Graham Freeborn

Ernest Gasser

Dick Frift

Peter Robb-King

Pierre La Roche

Peter Suschitzky

Brian Thomson

Mike Lockey

John Comfort

Mike Gowans

Bobby Howard

Ian Whittaker

Jane Royle

Ramon Gow

Joel Thurm

Helen Lennox

Mike Roberts

Fred Anderson

Celestia Fox

Doug Ferris

John Jay

Roy Spencer

Rodney Glenn

Peter Glossop

John Bundrick

Colin Chilvers

Phil Kenzie

John Leuenberger

John Siddall

Dave Wintour

Don Bradburn

Ron Barron

Bryn Siddall

Dennis C. Lewiston

B.J. Wilson

Wally Veevers

Norman Dorme

Bob Spencer

Mike Grabham

Ken Sheppard

Jack Roche

Count Ian Blair

Ronnie Fox Rogers

Nigel Galt

Susanna Merry

Terry de Havilland

Maureen White

Ron Swinburne

Robin Demetriou

Gillian Gregory

Charles Cox

David Toguri

Alan Ladd Jr.

Geoff Freeman

Janette Scott

Comedy

Science Fiction

Fantasy

Horror

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Michael White Productions

20th Century Fox

United Kingdom

United States of America

Moving on from the riotous cult stage show which was born in a small studio theatre in the early 70s, this movie version is a well-cast, outrageous romp showcasing the absurdity and sci-fi obsession of Richard O'Brien's inventive musical.

The small cast - the wonderful Tim Curry as Frank 'n Furter (the sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania'); Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as the odd science students Brad and Janet; Patricia Quinn as Magenta ('a domestic'); Little Nell as Columbia ('a groupie'), Jonathan Adams as Dr Scott; Meat Loaf as Eddie; Richard O'Brien himself as the handyman Riff Raff; Peter Hinwood as the muscle man Rocky, created by Frank in a spoof on Frankenstein; and Charles Gray having a great time as the Criminologist - are all really good, and the songs are terrific, from the madness of 'The Timewarp' and 'Sweet Transvestite', to the ethereal 'There's a Light' and 'I'm Going Home', by way of the rocky 'Whatever Happened To Saturday Night?' and the film-reference heavy 'Science Fiction Double Feature'.

Great, great fun and the floor show sequence in particular, showcasing Frank's obsession with Fay Wray and the RKO cheapies, is exceptional, with its statues in basques and its huge swimming pool. Trash, yes, but classy trash, and most enjoyable.

Filipe Manuel Neto

**As a film, it could be better, but it's funny and bizarre enough for us to see it at least once in our lives.**

This is one of those films that everyone should see at least once in their life. It's a pretty good comedy musical where satire meets nonsense intensely, in a film adaptation of an English play that had been successful at the time. I don't know much about the stage version, I don't even know if there are any concrete differences, but I can say that the film gives us exactly what it promises.

The story told is probably the film's biggest weakness: anyone who likes logic and a story with some consistent structure will be disappointed with this purposefully disjointed, sloppy and surrealistic script, where an innocent and foolish engaged couple ends up lost in a storm and ends up in a gothic mansion. There lives the bizarre Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a kind of mad scientist who is proudly gay, transvestite and from “Transsexual Transylvania”, presumably another planet or dimension. He has just created a man for his sexual pleasure and is celebrating this effusively with other strange characters, such as his enslaved servants.

From the moment the couple enters the mansion and meets its owner and his guests, the film stops and starts to hiccup a lot: the director had no good ideas to present from then on and limited himself to recreating the play in a cinematic environment. Obviously, the film has an intense sexual energy that challenges us to awaken our sexuality, to explore our bodies, pleasure and sexual identity. Sexual maturity, sexual identity and homosexuality are strong themes that underlie the script and fit well into the era in which the film appeared (remember, the Sexual Revolution was still leaving its marks at this time). Furthermore, the Counterculture was experiencing an intense moment at the time and made its aesthetic and visual contribution, which was very noticeable in the sets and costumes.

The film has some anthology-worthy scenes, such as Frank-N-Furter's personal introduction at the beginning of the film, and a very strong cast dominated by actors with unquestionable talent. Tim Curry, in his film debut, is gigantic in the lead role and absolutely dominates every scene. He's sexy, he's provocative, he's malevolent, intense and sometimes cruel. The actor gives himself completely to his work, without fear, and offers us work of absolute value. Susan Sarandon, still exuding youth, is perfect as a modest, sexually repressed and docile young woman, and Barry Bostwick seems an excellent choice for her romantic partner. Richard O’Brien and Charles Gray also do a good job, while Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell work very well on the songs, but have little to add when the music stops. On the negative side... Jonathan Addams added very little to the film, Meat Loaf makes only one unnecessary appearance and Peter Hinwood, whose character could have been more central, is quickly discarded.

On a technical level, the film has several quality aspects that deserve our analysis and a positive comment, starting with the colorful, clear and impactful cinematography, and the elaborate and bizarre sets. The makeup and costumes are impressive, with a strong “punk” inspiration, but they look cheap. The castle where much of the film was made is beautiful and fits well into the story. Being a musical, the soundtrack is crucial and works very well. Even the less interesting songs work well from a narrative point of view, moving the film forward, with sung dialogue and the action advancing to the rhythm of the music. The opening credits song is iconic, as is “Sweet Trasvestite” which introduces us to the main character, but I confess that I especially liked “There’s a Light”. It's a very beautiful song and full of hope.

CinemaSerf

I'm afraid to say that seeing this very recently on the big screen without an huge degree of audience participation showed the film up rather poorly for what is has has now become - tame! Barry Bostwick ("Brad") and new wife Susan Sarandon ("Janet") find themselves stranded in the kooky manor house of "Dr. Frank N. Furter" (the excellent Tim Curry) just as he is about to unveil his newest invention - the epitome of sexual perfection; every person's wet dream... "Rocky Horror" (Peter Hinwood). It doesn't take long for the corrupting influences to dazzle our naive newlyweds, and soon just about nothing is off limits. The superbly written, catchy songs are the stuff of movie legend, as it the marvellously camp contribution from Richard O'Brien ("Riff Raff") but 45 years on, the innuendo-ridden script and gender-bending routines have lost almost all of their punch. As a cinema experience without good company, loads of noise, fishnets and red wine - it's all just a bit flat now.

English

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