essay ONE smurfs NOTHING
There are five little words that have helped shape mt into the person that i am today: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a movie, made nine years before I was born. In the year 1975, this movie, the brainchils of Richard O'Brian, who also plays "Riff-Raff", was little more then a flicker on the radar of hot movies to be released. When it was released, few people had interest in a movie in which the main character was a drag queen named Dr. Frank-n-Furter, who leads a young couple named Brad and Janet on a journey of sexual discovery. Over the years though, it slowly became what some would say is a "cult classic." Many people still attend midnight showings of the film, all over the world. But what is a "cult classic for many, for me has been a platform that has helped to transform me into the person that I am today. I feel that through this movie, and the atmosphere that it creates, I have gained a better idea of who I am, that I had not before, and have matured a great deal.
I first attened a showing of the movie when i was fifteen years old. A friend had meantioned to me this movie that I should see. She told me how people shouted things back at the screen, and threw things like, rice, toilet paper, and toast right there in the movie theater, as well as acted the movie out in costumes below the screen. I would imagine that most teenagers would be drawn to the thought of getting to do something chaotic, and slightly destructive. I told my dad that I was spending the night at a friends house, and went to with my friend to the midnight showing of what I know affectionately just call “Rocky.”
After seeing the film, I was hooked. Watching people act out the movie, plus the amount of obscene and often very witty lines being shouted back at the movie as it was being played, completely mesmerized me. For example, there is a line in the movie, said by the character Dr. Frank-n-furter, who is played by Tim Curry. He says, “I see you shiver with antici…pation.” During the pause that is stressed for about five seconds in the middle of the word “anticipation”, someone shouts out “This movie would suck with out audience partici…”, so that Frank’s saying “…pation” lines up with what was just said. There are also several times in the movie where the audience seems to create an ongoing “war” between Smurf’s and the movie. At several points, an actor in the movie will slap, or kick an object. Perfectly timed before they do this, someone will quickly shout out the beginning of the old 80’s Smurf’s cartoon theme, and then say, depending on the number times objects have been hit through out the movie, “Movie ONE! Smurf’s NOTHING!”
Hearing these lines, and many more, made me want to come back and see the show as much as I could. I began to idolize the people that I saw perform every weekend. They were a group of people that called themselves “Sins of the Flesh.”
I had been attending the show for about two and a half years before I worked up the nerve to ask to join this group of people I so admired. I wanted to be up underneath the movie screen. I wanted to be just like them. To me, they were the epitome of “cool.”
Now, suddenly I had become one of those people that I had looked up to for all of this time. It was somewhat overwhelming at first, but also very gratifying. For the first time that I could remember, I was surrounded by people that had a passion for the same thing I did.
When I joined cast, I felt like I was giving a certain type of responsibility. I am not talking about the type of responsibility, like say, doing household chores, but the kind when you feel you have a piece of information, or knowledge you are meant to share with the world. I was part of the “in crowd” as far as I was concerned, and I did not want that to slip away. Everyone that I had met who was in the cast had instantly accepted me. I began to learn my part, Columbia, who was my favorite character in the movie. I wanted to perfect my performance, as well as my costume. Something that takes a lot of time, and even more effort. I did try my hardest. I practiced with people who offered to teach me, I watched the movie on my free time to try to learn the gestures of the character. I even went online and looked up movie stills to see the costumes close up, so I could better my own. This was the first time I had taken time or effort to really try to learn something new. Before this, I never really can remember putting effort into anything more then I had to.
I also met a group of people, the cast, who have helped me find myself, even to this day. I refer to them as my “family”, and I truly believe that they are. Mommy, Pookie, Jess, Pugzley, Big Rob, Katie, Ray, Poe, Spleen, Bubbles, Krisden, Jersey Dave, Rich, Heather, Tara, Kevin, Sparky, General, and many more. Whether it was watching them perform, getting to perform with them, or just hanging out at a diner in the middle of the night, the movie brings back all the good memories that I have made with these people.
With out Rocky, I would have never found these amazing people. I truly believe I would not be as outgoing as I am today. It was as if I found something that made me truly happy, and made me want to succeed in it. As I got better, in my performances, and as I gained the friendship of the great people that I mentioned above, I gained confidence to do so many more things. For example, I had dropped out of college last year. The encouragement from my friends, I had met through the show, gave me the courage to reapply myself, and to want to succeed and graduate.
Since Rocky, I find myself having a more positive outlook on the outcome of things. Instead of questioning what will happen, I am move willing to “take a dive.” Rather then to “sit on the water’s edge”, so to say. Life is a giant swimming pool, and I believe I finally got wet.
If it wasn’t for this movie, I do not believe that I would be the person that I am today. It has by far been the most positive influence on my life. It has introduced me to things and people that I would have never known otherwise. And I have to say, I am quite proud of who I am become, because of it.