I admit I'm too lazy to read through all the reviews here and see if I'm the only one who loves this classic not only for its music, its cast and costumes, or its insane collection of cinematic references. Just in case I'm the only one, I post this comment to perhaps give you a new view to this wonderful film.
Under all its noise and gaudiness, I think the RHPS is profound, touching and tragic.
A German critic (sympathetic to the film) called it "utterly immoral". This is ridiculous, as the RHPS is one of the most deeply moral films of all times.
Why do Brad and Janet let themselves so easily be seduced by Frank N'Furter? Because they never spent a thought on the rules they want to live by. They think, you don't have sex before marriage because that's just the way how decent people should live. Obviously no one has told them that there could be a real understandable REASON for living this way. They have no clue. Trying to live by a moral without understanding the foundation of this moral must lead to tragedy.
Frank N'Furter is a fascinating figure, one of the most memorable villains in cinematic history. There can be no doubt that what he does, to Brad, to Janet, to Rocky, to Eddie, is not only rude, but evil. Not before the "Floor Show" at the end we get a glimpse at the human core in this monster. There he sings about how he wanted to be dressed like Fay Wray when he saw her in "King Kong". I suspect that he not only wanted to be dressed like her, he wanted to BE her -- a longing that could not be fulfilled. Wearing women's clothes tragically didn't made him an angelic figure like Fay Wray, it made him a freak. And it seems to me that all he wanted in the first place was to be loved and be accepted for what he was. When he sings "I'm going home" and imagines an audience, this audience doesn't consist of weirdos like the Transsylvanians who are present when Frank is introduced into the film. Instead they are ordinary old people who friendly applaud his performance. Frank makes you think about how unfulfillable desires can torture people and make them outsiders. I don't think Frank wanted to be an outsider.
For me, the most beautiful scene is when they sing "Don't dream it, be it" in the pool. The other four people in the pool are dressed like Frank; there are no boundaries any more, no distinction between the sexes, no gravity. This is pure bliss, the single truly utopian moment of the RHPS. Makes you want to believe that it could really be possible to be in love with the whole world, caress and be caressed back, without jealousy and pain, beyond time and space, beyond good and evil. Not even Dr. Scott can resist (great performance in his monologue, magnificent actor!).
But is this more than a dream? Could it be real? The scene could go on for ever, I wish it would, but it is short and is abruptly ended by Frank himself when he jumps out of the water and starts singing "Wild and untamed thing". Why? Doesn't he trust his own utopia? Earlier in the film, we have seen how Janet imagines different people replacing the face of her lover, Rocky, during her orgasm. This is basically the same utopia, but here the way it is presented doesn't make it look very tempting, but bizarre and disturbing. I suspect this scene is closer to our reality outside of the cinema, outside of our dreams: When you love with your body but not with your soul all you can hope for is a moment of frantic pleasure, but no real fulfillment.
The ending of the RHPS cannot be mistaken in its moral. Brad and Janet spell it out when they sing the sad last song "Super Heroes". What is left for them from the big party? Nothing but pain and disillusion. They have not been loved, they have been used, and now they are scarred for life. This is not a happy ending.
The epilogue by the narrator is very pessimistic. But are we really "insects", crawling on this earth, without hope, without meaning? I don't think so. We could decide to live a different life. A life without deliberately or thoughtlessly hurting other people. Respecting and accepting other people for what they are. Living not by an empty moral, but by a real one, with love and compassion.
Under all its noise and gaudiness, I think the RHPS is profound, touching and tragic.
A German critic (sympathetic to the film) called it "utterly immoral". This is ridiculous, as the RHPS is one of the most deeply moral films of all times.
Why do Brad and Janet let themselves so easily be seduced by Frank N'Furter? Because they never spent a thought on the rules they want to live by. They think, you don't have sex before marriage because that's just the way how decent people should live. Obviously no one has told them that there could be a real understandable REASON for living this way. They have no clue. Trying to live by a moral without understanding the foundation of this moral must lead to tragedy.
Frank N'Furter is a fascinating figure, one of the most memorable villains in cinematic history. There can be no doubt that what he does, to Brad, to Janet, to Rocky, to Eddie, is not only rude, but evil. Not before the "Floor Show" at the end we get a glimpse at the human core in this monster. There he sings about how he wanted to be dressed like Fay Wray when he saw her in "King Kong". I suspect that he not only wanted to be dressed like her, he wanted to BE her -- a longing that could not be fulfilled. Wearing women's clothes tragically didn't made him an angelic figure like Fay Wray, it made him a freak. And it seems to me that all he wanted in the first place was to be loved and be accepted for what he was. When he sings "I'm going home" and imagines an audience, this audience doesn't consist of weirdos like the Transsylvanians who are present when Frank is introduced into the film. Instead they are ordinary old people who friendly applaud his performance. Frank makes you think about how unfulfillable desires can torture people and make them outsiders. I don't think Frank wanted to be an outsider.
For me, the most beautiful scene is when they sing "Don't dream it, be it" in the pool. The other four people in the pool are dressed like Frank; there are no boundaries any more, no distinction between the sexes, no gravity. This is pure bliss, the single truly utopian moment of the RHPS. Makes you want to believe that it could really be possible to be in love with the whole world, caress and be caressed back, without jealousy and pain, beyond time and space, beyond good and evil. Not even Dr. Scott can resist (great performance in his monologue, magnificent actor!).
But is this more than a dream? Could it be real? The scene could go on for ever, I wish it would, but it is short and is abruptly ended by Frank himself when he jumps out of the water and starts singing "Wild and untamed thing". Why? Doesn't he trust his own utopia? Earlier in the film, we have seen how Janet imagines different people replacing the face of her lover, Rocky, during her orgasm. This is basically the same utopia, but here the way it is presented doesn't make it look very tempting, but bizarre and disturbing. I suspect this scene is closer to our reality outside of the cinema, outside of our dreams: When you love with your body but not with your soul all you can hope for is a moment of frantic pleasure, but no real fulfillment.
The ending of the RHPS cannot be mistaken in its moral. Brad and Janet spell it out when they sing the sad last song "Super Heroes". What is left for them from the big party? Nothing but pain and disillusion. They have not been loved, they have been used, and now they are scarred for life. This is not a happy ending.
The epilogue by the narrator is very pessimistic. But are we really "insects", crawling on this earth, without hope, without meaning? I don't think so. We could decide to live a different life. A life without deliberately or thoughtlessly hurting other people. Respecting and accepting other people for what they are. Living not by an empty moral, but by a real one, with love and compassion.