Rating: B
Dir: Linus O’Brien
Star: Richard O’Brien, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Lou Adler
There’s a case to be made that Rocky Horror is the ultimate cult film. “It’s not a movie, it’s a way of life,” says a fan at the start. They have a point. From a successful stage play (albeit not on Broadway), it became a flop on screen, before inexplicably resurrecting as a midnight movie. Decades later, it’s still playing, to raucous and fully committed audiences. They embrace it with costumes and props, turning film into a fully interactive experience. It’s as if Frankenstein’s monster escaped its creator, taking on a life of its own.
Made to mark the 50th anniversary of the movie, this documentary is directed by the son of creator Richard O’Brien. It traces the origins from Richard’s youth in New Zealand, through his time as an actor in London, and on to the birth of Rocky, first on stage, and then on screen. It’s mostly interviews, with pretty much anyone of importance, and their anecdotes are endlessly fascinating. Curry describing, for example, how Frank was going to have a German accent, until he overheard a woman on a bus, and decided he needed to sound like the Queen. Or producer Lou Adler, telling how then girlfriend Britt Ekland played a part in his involvement. But it’s O’Brien who is most memorable, whether it’s admiring the statue of Riff-Raff in his home town, or playing acoustic versions of the songs, accompanied by musical partner Richard Hartley.
There’s a lot of archive footage too: Chris was particularly nostalgic for the coverage of Rocky screenings in New York during the seventies, which she used to attend as Magenta. [“Good job there were no cellphone cameras in those days,” she adds, enigmatically.] You definitely get the sense the whole event captured lightning in a bottle. Certainly, subsequent attempts by O’Brien to repeat the success were not effective, and understandably are ignored entirely here. Don’t expect much analysis of the appeal either. This is fair enough – none may be possible. Even O’Brien refers to it as an unexpected “pension scheme”, and acknowledges his creation no longer belongs to him. Given this lack of explanation, if you’re outside the cult of Rocky, this probably isn’t for you. But I’ve only been tangentially involved, and enjoyed it enormously.
Though I will say, RHPS fandom isn’t quite the bastion of love and tolerance depicted here. It can be just as toxic as any other fandom. Indeed, I’d say the only group I know riven by more drama and internal politics, might be roller derby. However, this is a celebration, and must be accepted as such. I mean, Curry has infamously been somewhat ambivalent about the film and its more… extreme fans in the past. Here, though? Nothing but nice. Though let’s pause to consider how different the movie might have been, had his part gone to Lou Reed, David Bowie or Mick Jagger, all of whom were interested. And on an individual level there’s no denying its empowering role. That’s covered here too, cascading down from O’Brien through Sarandon (who welcomed the chance to play a character able to embrace her own sexuality) to the fans – straight, gay and every other flavour. There are certainly worse words to live by then, “Don’t dream it, be it”.
[The film is out on VOD, June 2]