Rocky Horror Picture Show Analysis Essay Example
Andrew Gonzalez
10/30/10
Theater Arts 7B
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
For many movies, a tagline can simply sum up what a movie is all about in a few words, along with leaving an impression on whoever is reading the tagline. Sometimes this impression could be distasteful, funny, or possibly thought-provoking. In the case of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the tagline is certainly one you have to read twice. “A different set of jaws” is the tag line found on the poster of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and from the first time I read it I was intrigued. If one were to take into account that the film was released the same year as the film Jaws, it makes sense that the tag line is poking fun at the commercial box office hit, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. The poster alone suggests that this is not a musical like any other, and the now iconic pair of lips symbolize the mystery behind the film.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released in 1975 as an adaptation of the British musical The Rocky Horror Show, which was written by Richard O’Brien. It was directed by Jim Sharman and co-written with O’Brien. The premiere of Rocky Horror was held at the Westwood Theater in Los Angeles, in late September of 1975. Despite being released in a handful of theaters, the film was deemed as a failure which in turn kept the film from receiving a wide release. It was not until April Fools' Day of 1976 that the film was picked up again for another chance at the box office by Tim Deegan, a young advertising executive at 20th Century Fox. Deegan’s plan was to persuade Bill Quigley of the Walter Reade Organization to reconsider the film and have it advertised at their midnight show at the Waverly Theater in New York. At the time, the Waverly had already built a reputation for being the heart of midnight movies, along with having great success from showing El Topo and Night of the Living Dead. From that day on, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was “born” and the immense
10/30/10
Theater Arts 7B
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
For many movies, a tagline can simply sum up what a movie is all about in a few words, along with leaving an impression on whoever is reading the tagline. Sometimes this impression could be distasteful, funny, or possibly thought-provoking. In the case of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the tagline is certainly one you have to read twice. “A different set of jaws” is the tag line found on the poster of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and from the first time I read it I was intrigued. If one were to take into account that the film was released the same year as the film Jaws, it makes sense that the tag line is poking fun at the commercial box office hit, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. The poster alone suggests that this is not a musical like any other, and the now iconic pair of lips symbolize the mystery behind the film.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released in 1975 as an adaptation of the British musical The Rocky Horror Show, which was written by Richard O’Brien. It was directed by Jim Sharman and co-written with O’Brien. The premiere of Rocky Horror was held at the Westwood Theater in Los Angeles, in late September of 1975. Despite being released in a handful of theaters, the film was deemed as a failure which in turn kept the film from receiving a wide release. It was not until April Fools' Day of 1976 that the film was picked up again for another chance at the box office by Tim Deegan, a young advertising executive at 20th Century Fox. Deegan’s plan was to persuade Bill Quigley of the Walter Reade Organization to reconsider the film and have it advertised at their midnight show at the Waverly Theater in New York. At the time, the Waverly had already built a reputation for being the heart of midnight movies, along with having great success from showing El Topo and Night of the Living Dead. From that day on, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was “born” and the immense