A bold and humorous musical, which combines many elements to shape this cult carnival: 1. LGBT culture: rainbow/transgender/transvestite/bisexual/gay; 2. Film and music elements tribute: F. Lankenstein/Vampire Dracula/Flying Disney/Elvis/Alien Arrival/an rko radio picture; 3. Classic paintings and sculptures: American Gothic/Mona Lisa/Venus/Creation of Adam; 4. Movie and music genre: Musical/Rock; 5. Halloween…
In the class, the teacher talked about a documentary about Midnight Movies, Midnight Movies: From the Margins to the Mainstream (Stuart Samuels, 2005), which showed in detail the unfavorable reactions of Western society to the Rocky Horror Show. Mainstream movie attitudes and moviegoing craze. Also in a paper, Mathijs & Sexton (2011, p. 15) stated: " The midnight movie highlights the key characteristics of a cult reception trajectory : films lumped together in a lively and 'counter cultural' exhibition context imagery, subcultural audience groups , and to elicit performances of fandom and obsessions with the interconnectedness of elusive details intrinsic as well as alien to the films that enables allegorical and political interpretations that position themselves outside the realm of normalcy. A brief escape from this "crazy and correct" world " I think sums it up perfectly The meaning of "Rocky Horror Show" to the audience. To a certain extent, the audience made the "cult film", or "subculture film" (the audience made the film a cult film)
"Rocky Horror Show" has become one of the representative works of "Midnight Movie", so understanding the characteristics and value of "Midnight Movie" will also help to understand the cultural value of this movie. elements to share.
Characteristics level (Characteristics):
- “ Provocative aesthetic attitudes , and shocking or politically radical imagery . […] A constant reference in the receptions of these films was that of physical and mental liberation from repression The liberation of the body and mind from the walk – a function similar to that of ancient rituals . […] The underground repertory was complemented with exploitation films with kaleidoscopic and apocalyptic motives, revivals of previously banned films, new and explicit horror, films pushing the boundaries of sexual permissiveness, and exotic and surreal foreign films .” (Mathijs & Sexton, 2011, p. 13)
- Aesthetic and stylistic transgression (Grant, 1991) walks on the fringes of mainstream culture both in terms of aesthetics and style
- Sexual excess (Studlar, 1991 )
- Subversive racial politics (Kinkade & Katovich, 1992) Radical political intentions (sexual minorities, upper class, bourgeoisie, etc.)
Value Level: Cultural practice Watching and sharing cult films can also be seen as a "cultural practice"
- Affective/Partly-imagined Communities: Because this kind of behavior can form a kind of emotional expression, semi-imaginary group, only in this group people can release themselves to the fullest
- Collective, participatory experience This is an experience of collective participation : "the most social form of cinemagoing." (Hoberman & Rosenbaum, 1983, p. 301) "The midnight movie should be a shared collective experience in the cinema, not in your own couch."
- Counterculture against mainstream culture : people isolated from mainstream art or social reality because of the social reality (gender, race, class, politics).
- Ritualistic experience (Western society) sense of ritual (like going to church) ("midnight mass").
"The Rocky Horror Show" became a movie theater carnival, and the bold lines made everyone on and off the show put down all pretense and prejudice, "Don't dream it. Be it!", enjoy these two to the fullest Hour of nonsense. Maybe everything here is a "phantom" and "imagination", but in such a "sanctuary" isolated from the world, people can temporarily leave preaching and traditional concepts behind and find the most liberating self. From this perspective, the meaning of "The Rocky Horror Show" is achieved.
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