Rocky Horror Picture Show

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show began its claim to fame by being one of the most nebulous movies of the 1970’s. Stretching the mind through its many themes of romance, comedy, horror, science fiction, and with all of this, being a catchy musical through its odd showtune-esque songs, RHPS (Rocky Horror Picture Show) pokes at minds of its watchers in a strange and unsettling way. Not only this, but RHPS is a quality social critique, using its tongue-in-cheek dialogue and characters to draw its audience in with provoking thought. RHPS breaks down the walls of love in a traditional concept not only through having its main characters cheat on each other (with a transgender man in fact), but also through Dr. Frankenfurter’s building of a man, “His…show more content…
There is no greater example to this aspect than looking at the transgender, promiscuous, and objectifying Dr. Frakenfurter. The pristine, naive, and stereotypical character, Janet, even goes as far as to call the Doctor, “Unnatural” as she is talking to her significant other. The Doctor breaks all of the socially acceptable standards of what a man should be. The couple is obviously uncomfortable in the world that is not like their own. They, and the audience, which has seen the action from their naïve perspective, are then introduced to Dr. Frankenfurter. When he is introduced, the camera pans up his fishnet-clad legs, reminiscent of the gratuitous male gaze present in so many other films. However, this time the object of that gaze is a “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania,” as he introduces himself in song. Moral standards are thrown out the window in just one character introduction, and they continue not only to be thrown out the window, but completely blown up and away as the film progresses. Frankenfurter defies the classic rules of love and relationships by creating himself a robotic boyfriend – so to speak – only for his sexual desires. He completely objectifies his robotic man, who is, in fact, fully equipped with emotional capabilities. Towards the end of the film, Frankenfurter is accused of using his power only to please himself, because of this accusation; he turns…show more content…
Each death has the, here-today-gone-tomorrow feel attached to it. There is no reason for the death of characters, they taught nothing, they learned nothing, and they simply existed and died. The first and most obscure death in the film is the death of Eddy. Eddy is the love interest of the quirky tap dancing girl named Columbia. He was locked in a freezer for years by Frankenfurter due to his reckless behavior. When he finally escapes, he is alive just long enough to finish one song and dance number before he is violently pushed back into the freezer and killed by Frankenfurter. Columbia mourns the loss of her love, showing that things will never last and love will prove to disappoint and result in heartbreak. The last most mentionable death is the death of Dr. Frankenfurter himself. After his robot man finally gets attached to him, the doctor is killed off in the last scene of the film. Frankenfurter realizes he is going to die towards the film’s end and accepts his fate without care when he says, “and I realize, I’m going home.” After his death, the Doctors creation is left in a painful state of remorse, thus proving once more through the nihilist theme that love is only temporary and will lead to heartbreak. Not only do the deaths in this movie crush the classic presumption of love with realistic and slightly morbid examples, but they also show the viewer that death is something meaningless and void. The

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