The Rocky Horror Picture Show By Jeffrey Weinstock
This book is obviously designed to be read by Film students. Weinstock has taken on the mission to analyze the Rocky Horror cult phenomenon. So he looks into the movie, its history, its socio-cultural context and most importantly its audience from the beginnings to the present.
Film studies is not my area of expertise but like many other people I think of myself as Frankie fan and, hence, felt up to the task of reviewing this book. The first thing I came to realize was how little I actually knew the movie. This might of course be due to the two facts that a) I’m a foreigner and b) born around the time of the film’s production. So many references to current affairs are somewhat lost on me.
Weinstock painstakingly explains many of these references in their historical context. It makes for a very interesting read but at the same time deconstructs the image of Rocky Horror I’d always had. I’m sure everyone will be able to spot the criticism of traditional gender roles, marriage and homophobia in the film.
Wienstock, however, uses many other smaller clues in the movie to portrait Frank-N-Furter as the mad scientist who is also a victim who is also a psychopathic sadist. While it is easy to follow his arguments it paints a rather disturbing picture. At some point while reading this book I wasn’t even sure if I still liked the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Obviously the audience participation plays an important role in analyzing the film’s cult status. Weinstock quote several sources that suggest how the talking back at the movie tradition evolved. None of them make any particular sense but that is really of no consequence. What struck me was that all the audiences’ lines contradict and ridicule the film in general.
This made me think that the audience really serves to strengthen the status quo, as their replies ridicule the film’s criticism by calling Janet a slut, Brad a bastard and so on. Thinking that further lowered my enjoyment of the film.
Weinstock doesn’t leave the audience uncriticised either. According to him all of us that we were born too late to have been to the midnight showings in the 70s have not had the actual Rocky Horror experience. We just repeat the by now traditionalised audience’ lines and watch the film because it is now regarded at cult. Significantly Weinstock names the annual Halloween showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show as pretty much the only contact that modern audience has with the experience.
He might have a point but it doesn’t sound like the whole truth to me. There is no mention whatsoever of alternative audiences and venues that watch and show the film not just at Halloween.
So would I recommend the book? If you think you know all there is to know about Rocky Horror give it a go and find out if you do. If you know next to nothing pick up the book and get the explanation. If you are a film student you’ll have to read it anyway. If you’re quite happy with your own Rocky Horror experience don’t read this; it might spoil things for you.
