T His warts and all Richard O’Brien’s beloved cult classic opens with a card that briefly explains its origins and a short quote familiar to many fans of the musical: “It was great when it all started.” And wasn’t that just it? Sane Inside Madness delves deep into Rocky’s early days, upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, and goes on to detail the development of the cult following and how the film came to be, including various bits of sharp practice and incompetent acting by a few different people.
This unofficial documentary, made up of stage shows, old photos, archival footage, and talking heads, rivals the official version produced by O’Brien’s son (Strange Journey: The Rocky Horror Picture Show), both released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film adaptation. In addition to the likes of Little Nell and Barry Bostwick, the talking heads here include actors, fans, and producers from the original stage version, one of whom really nails why Rocky is such a joy: “Rocky was an accident. You can’t try to be an accident.” It gets to the heart of what makes this particular phenomenon special, and why so many imitators and projects intended to be “cult entertainment” have been doomed to failure – including the 2016 reboot/remake on US TV, which is being distributed with all the scorn it deserves.
It’s a poignant, entertaining, and detailed piece of work whose success seems inexplicable to anyone who hasn’t fallen under its spell. Speaking of which, this doc gets into it too — the way Rocky shouldn’t work, in fact, with one talking head even conceding the film: “It’s a terrible fucking movie.” But for all its clear-eyed analysis, Andreas Zerr’s film is ultimately a feast of mind-numbing, pantyless children, and pelvic thrusting that really makes you a crazy, fan-made fan.
