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Today, 22 November 2009

› SACP attacks Malema

› Govt settles with Pikoli

› Meteor 'flash' in Gauteng

› Malema attack 'racist'

› Store cards booming

Yesterday, 21 November 2009

› SACP attacks Malema

› Match-fixing stuns Europe

› JZ hails Miss World effect

› Henry offers replay

› No armchair ride for Boks

Welcome to the second edition of Cult de Sac and thanks to everyone who responded to the first one. It is very gratifying indeed to see such a rejoinder. For those of you who made suggestions, thanks so much and they have all been worked into the mix. This is, after all, your column too.

I’m also in the process of compiling a list of top ten favourites, so why not send me your top ten cult films, actors, directors, soundtracks… in fact your top ten anything. We’ll work through them and see what we have.

Now it’s been a suspicion for a while but I can confirm it: the world has indeed gone completely stark-raving mad! The proof? Unbelievably Fox recently announced that 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', that stalwart of cult film history, is to be remade into a television film.

Andrew's obsession with cult films began at midnight at the age of ten, and involved a bowl of popcorn, an old television set and John Carpenter's Halloween. Little has changed since then, besides age, the popcorn and the fact that he can now climb dark stairwells after a horror movie by himself. Andrew is a published writer of horror fiction, a screenwriter and a freelance journalist. His time is spent largely in pursuit of a truly original horror film. Failing that he has threatened to make his own.

The justification for this utterly illogical move? To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the stage show which debuted in London in 1973.

I may be well off base here, in fact I may have completely missed the boat, but surely you commemorate such a prestigious event with respects and reflections, rather than remake the whole film?

Despite the promising choice of director Stephan Elliot ('The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert') to steer this one, the question of "‘what the hell is the point?" remains.

According to Elliot the 'Rocky Horror Birthday Show' (as it has been tentatively titled), will make the show “more accessible to a 2003 audience”. He hopes to achieve this with a modern approach, particularly in the costume department. At the risk of sounding repetitive - what is the point?

This “reimagination”, as it has been described, has apparently received O’Brien’s blessing and he is rumoured to be writing a new song for the show. It is also to be produced by Lou Adler (in the big chair for the 1975 film).

The 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' represents a flash of inspiration and oddball, wry humour that was simply ahead of its time. You don’t attempt to recreate it, you simply tip a deserved nod, then don your best underwear, grab someone close (anyone will do) and discover that it is indeed the pelvic thrust that drives you insa-ya-ya-ya-ya-yane.

The 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' is one of those rare examples of a film that manages to pay homage to popular culture gone-by, while still managing to poke good humoured fun at it, and all done in spellbinding fashion.

Don’t get me wrong, contemporising a film is fine and it can work – (see John Carpenter’s 'The Thing', an excellent take on the story 'Who Goes There?' (1938) written by John W Campbell Jr.), but within this trend there are certain exceptions. 'Rocky Horror' is one of them.

Apart from these objections, the sexual tone of the original is as trapped in time as Brad and Janet are caught in the rain. Much of the strength of 'Rocky Horror', lies in its ability to cast a sardonic eye at the suppressed sexual expressions of the 50’s B-movies it is steeped in. How this will translate to a generation typified by open sexuality is debatable.

Which leads to me to an interesting point – how will it be cast? Could we see Eminem as Riff Raff? Or Britney Spears and Shakira as Magenta and Columbia? How about Marilyn Manson in the role of Eddie? Dr. Everett Scott’s chair could be filled by Gary Oldman and Rocky could be played by Arnold Schwarzennegger. As for Frank ‘n Furter… well the mind boggles.

You can describe 'Rocky Horror' in any number of ways, but perhaps O’Brien had it when he wrote: “We're a wild and an untamed thing/We're a bee with a deadly sting/You get a hit and your mind goes ping/Your heart'll pump and your blood will sing/So let the party and the sounds rock on/We're gonna shake it 'till the life has gone”.

Still sound like something that needs Britney Spears and Diesel Jeans to make it accessible? All I know is that time travel enables you to travel into the future or into the past, but if I must do the Time Warp, then I know which direction I’ll be headed in.

Feel free to disagree with all of the above and contact me with ideas, suggestions and abuse. I’m open to all three, although I do prefer qualified abuse.

Until next time…