Shock Treatment

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For the British reality documentary show, see Shock Treatment (reality show).
For the medical treatment, see Electroconvulsive therapy.
Shock Treatment

25th Anniversary DVD Cover.
Directed by Jim Sharman
Produced by John Goldstone
Written by Richard O'Brien
Jim Sharman
Starring Jessica Harper
Cliff De Young
Music by Richard O'Brien
Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Release date(s) 1981
Running time 94 min
Language English
Budget $1,000,000 (estimated)
Preceded by The Rocky Horror Picture Show
IMDb profile

Shock Treatment is a follow-up to the classic cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show -- "Not a prequel, not a sequel, but an equal" according to making of featurette on the new DVD release. It was released in 1981, written by Richard O'Brien who had also written The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film features sixteen songs by O'Brien, some of which were originally written for Rocky Horror Shows His Heels, a planned sequel that was eventually scrapped in favor of Shock Treatment.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Shock Treatment features several characters from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and some actors appeared in both films, but in different roles. Continuing from The Rocky Horror Picture Show are the characters of Brad and Janet, originally played by Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, now played by Cliff de Young and Jessica Harper. Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, and Charles Gray return, but in new roles: O'Brien and Quinn play manipulative character actors (pretending to be brother-and-sister doctors), Campbell is a seductive nurse, and Gray's character is a judge, similar to his Narrator character in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film takes place in Brad and Janet's hometown of Denton, which has been taken over by fast food magnate Farley Flavors. Flavors has turned the entire town into a TV station: residents are either stars of a show or audience members. Brad and Janet's romance is on the rocks, so they go on the game show Marriage Maze, hosted by the blind Bert Schnick (Barry Humphries). The show is fixed, and as a "prize", Brad is imprisoned on Dentonvale, a soap opera that centers around the local mental hospital run by Cosmo and Nation McKinley (Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn).

Janet is given a taste of show-biz as Farley Flavors (also played by Cliff de Young) molds her into a singing diva superstar in an attempt to take her away from Brad. Her compliance is assured through the use of drugs supplied by Cosmo and Nation.

Betty Hapschatt (Ruby Wax)and Judge Oliver Wright (Charles Gray) investigate Farley and other people involved in DTV, eventually discovering that Cosmo and Nation are not doctors, but merely character actors, and Farley Flavors is Brad's jealous, long-lost twin brother, seeking to destroy Brad and take Janet for himself.

Betty and Oliver help Brad break free, confront his nemesis, and escape with Janet as the studio audience (all of Denton) commits themselves to Farley Flavors' Faith Factory, donning logoed straight jackets and joyously singing the anthem.

Spoilers end here.

The film is shot entirely in a sound studio. The original intent had been to make the film in Denton, Texas, but time constraints coupled with the 1979 Actors' Strike forced the change.[citation needed]

[edit] Cast

  • Cliff De Young as Brad Majors / Farley Flavors
  • Jessica Harper as Janet Majors
  • Richard O'Brien as Dr. Cosmo McKinley
  • Patricia Quinn as Dr. Nation McKinley
  • Nell Campbell as Nurse Ansalong
  • Rik Mayall as "Rest Home" Ricky
  • Charles Gray as Judge Oliver Wright
  • Ruby Wax as Betty Hapschatt
  • Jeremy Newson as Ralph Hapschatt
  • Wendy Raeback as Macy Struthers
  • Manning Redwood as Harry Weiss
  • Darlene Johnson as Emily Weiss
  • Barry Humphries as Bert Schnick
  • Christopher Malcolm as Officer Vance Parker
  • Betsy Brantley as Neely Pritt
  • Perry Bedden as Neely's Crew
  • Rufus Collins as Neely's Crew
  • Imogen Claire as Wardrobe Manager
  • Gary Shail as Oscar Drill
  • Donald Waugh as Glish Davison
  • Claire Toeman as Brenda Drill
  • Sinitta Renet as Francine "Frankie"
  • Sal Piro as Guy on payphone

[edit] Songs

  • 1. Overture
  • 2. Denton U.S.A. (Neely, Vance, Harry, Emily, Ralph, Macy, Brenda, Frankie, & Company)
  • 3. Bitchin' in the Kitchen (Brad & Janet)
  • 4. In My Own Way (Janet)
  • 5. Thank God I'm a Man (Harry & Company)
  • 6. Farley's Song (Farley, Cosmo, Nation, Ricky, & Ansalong)
  • 7. Lullaby (Janet, Cosmo, Nation, Ricky, & Ansalong)
  • 8. Little Black Dress (Cosmo, Janet, Nation, & Bert)
  • 9. Me of Me (Janet, Brenda, & Frankie)
  • 10. Shock Treatment (Cosmo, Nation, Janet, Ricky, Ansalong, Harry, Emily, & Bert)
  • 11. Carte Blanche (Janet)
  • 12. Looking for Trade (Janet & Brad)
  • 13. Look What I Did to My Id (Harry & Emily, Cosmo & Nation, Ralph & Macy, Ricky & Ansalong)
  • 14. Breaking Out (Oscar, Glish, Brenda, Frankie, & Company)
  • 15. Duel Duet (Brad & Farley)
  • 16. Anyhow, Anyhow (Brad & Janet, Betty & Oliver)

[edit] Trivia

  • Although several Rocky Horror cast members returned for this movie, only Jeremy Newson reprised his role as Ralph Hapschatt.
  • Tim Curry was offered the role of Brad Majors and Farley Flavors, but declined because he didn't think his American accent would be convincing.
  • Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon were unable to reprise their roles as Brad and Janet due to other filming commitments.
  • Cliff De Young modeled his performance of Farley Flavors after Jack Nicholson.
  • Shock Treatment's original working title was The Brad and Janet Show.
  • Founder and long-time president of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club, Sal Piro, has a cameo role as the guy using the payphone during the opening sequence.
  • Several of the costumes and props from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, including Frank's throne (painted red), can be seen in Shock Treatment.

[edit] DVD Chapters

(* = Song)

  • 1. Main Titles
  • 2. Overture*
  • 3. Denton U.S.A.*
  • 4. Interviewing Judge Wright
  • 5. The Glorious Bert Schnick
  • 6. Bitchin' in the Kitchen*
  • 7. Dentonvale
  • 8. In My Own Way*
  • 9. Happy Homes
  • 10. Thank God I'm a Man*
  • 11. Conspiracy
  • 12. Farley's Song*
  • 13. The Next Episode
  • 14. Lullaby*
  • 15. The Wardrobe Room
  • 16. Little Black Dress*
  • 17. Janet's Debut
  • 18. Me of Me*
  • 19. Written Out
  • 20. Shock Treatment*
  • 21. We Want Janet! (Carte Blanche is hidden within this chapter)
  • 22. Looking for Trade*
  • 23. Sanity for Today
  • 24. Look What I Did to My Id*
  • 25. Twin One and Twin Two
  • 26. Breaking Out*
  • 27. Farley Flavors
  • 28. Miss Mental Health
  • 29. Duel Duet*
  • 30. Macy Struthers
  • 31. Anyhow, Anyhow*
  • 32. End Titles

[edit] Reactions

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Shock Treatment never reached the popularity of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, though there is fan club (whose founders provided the commentary track on the 2006 DVD release), and there are theaters that "Shadowcast" the movie in the same way audiences have been acting out The Rocky Horror Picture Show for decades.[citation needed]

The idea of a town as one large TV studio was far more unusual in 1981, when reality TV had not yet hit the ascendency it found in later years, but audiences in 1998 more readily accepted this premise in The Truman Show and Pleasantville. In the twenty-first century, the reality TV craze has made the film seem prescient: in 1981 it would seem improbable that a wife would have her husband committed for television ratings - in the early 21st century, it would seem rather plausible in light of reality television stunts in recent times.

Now that the DVD has been created for audiences all around the world, there is a progressing rise in fans, fan clubs and websites. This progression ranges from the countries Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom among others.[citation needed] A few years ago there was even talk about arranging a Shock Treatment convention. This did not come about but the convention idea is still 'up in the air' and is very possible in the near future.[citation needed]

[edit] DVD releases

DVD cover.
DVD cover.

In early 2006 fan-site The Shock Treatment Network reported that they had been in touch with 20th Century Fox and the film was actually backlisted for release in their catalogue.[citation needed] The first official release for Shock Treatment on DVD was announced for release in Italy February 28, 2006,but is now unavailable as quoted on www.unilibro.it .[1] The first English language DVD release is as a double movie edition with The Rocky Horror Picture Show released in the UK on May 22, 2006.[2] Shock Treatment will be released on DVD in Germany on January 8, 2007. This Release is actually in English with German subtitles as quoted on amazon.de on.[3]

A Special Edition DVD was released in the United States, on September 5, 2006. Included is a 1:85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround 2.0, and Spanish Mono audio tracks, with Spanish, French and English subtitles. Bonus materials include audio commentary with fan club presidents Mad Man Mike & Bill Brennan, a making-of featurette, a music retrospective featurette, and domestic and international trailers.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.unilibro.it/find_buy/dvd/20th_century_fox/shock_treatment.asp?sku=12231114&idaff=0
  2. ^ http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=title&r=R2&title=912317&p=57&g=72&pa=sr
  3. ^ http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004RVXF/qid%3D1142398898/303-1278846-1330611
  4. ^ http://www.davisdvd.com/news/news.html

[edit] External links

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