SHOCK TREATMENT
US, 1981, 94 minutes, Colour.
Richard O'Brien, Barry Humphries, Jessica Harper, Cliff de Young, Patricia Quinn, Charles Gray, Ruby Wax.
Directed by Jim Sharman.
Shock Treatment is a follow-up and an attempt to "cash in" on the cult success of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Writer Richard O'Brien (who plays Cosmo McKinley) worked with director Jim Sharman for the screenplay and joined with Richard Hartley for the music. They had all collaborated on Rocky Horror. The central characters of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Brad and Janet Majors, are presented here as typical suburbanites in Mid-West? Denton, USA. They enter the TV studio with a crowd of people - and it emerges that people in Denton live in the television world, becoming heroes and heroines (and victims) of the soap operas and of the charlatans and moneyed interests which control the programs. This leads to satire on TV consumerism, fascist manipulation of Americans, satire on money, big business - and fast foods. Issues of mental health (noting the title) are also emphasised - with the crowd's ultimately deciding to be straitjacketed in their life in the studio.
While TV consumerism has been a frequent target of satire (TV's Mary Hartman, Soap and films like Polyester, Melvin and Howard), the mode of satire here is the rock musical. There is a range of music from rock songs to ballads. The lyrics are meant to have satirical significance. The cinematic style is that of soap opera and television commercial - and tends to bombard the audience with its style. Cliff de Young appeared in Sunshine, Jessica Harper appeared in offbeat musicals as The Phantom of the Paradise and Pennies from Heaven as well as in Woody Alien's Stardust Memories. Barry Humphries has a large role as Bert Schnick, a charlatan TV compere with pretensions to dabbling in mental health - with echoes of the Nazis. Humphries relies on hamming rather than a skilful characterisation. The satire is more directed towards adults, the modes towards the younger generation. The film did not find box office favour with either group.
1. Impact of the film? Entertainment? Satire? Favourable and unfavourable response to satire? For what audience was the film designed: age, television watchers, Americans, non-Americans, contemporary music fans? Fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
2. The particularly American targets - but relevance to television watchers everywhere? The Australian contribution to the production and direction, the New Zealand contribution in the writing and the music, British production and studio work?
3. The technical aspects of the film: colour photography, the use of light and dark, realistic and contrived colours and sets? Interiors (no exterior colours)? Studio lighting? The garish decor of the studio, the sets, the hospital sets, soap opera homes, the stage for commercials? The kitsch and chintzy aspects of colour? The costumes and their offbeat design? The importance of colour for communication?
4. The shapes and movement: the use of the television box screen shape (for screening, multi-screen images, the studios, the credits, compositions, tableaux, postures)? The importance of postures and tableaux - for the songs? The fluid movement? The contrasts with the hectic pace and editing? Movement within shots? The TV commercial, Countdown style? Audience television visual awareness, response, impact? The need for concentration? The bombardment of images and sound - and how much retained by the audience?
5. The music: popular styles, rock, ballads, the musical comedy traditions, the rock musicals? The invitation to the audience to respond to the beat, the movements? The tunes and their arrangements? The lyrics and their significance? Lyrics to be heard and appreciated? The musical satire: TV commercial targets? The lyrics and the comment on society, individuals, especially Janet? How much carried and communicated by the lyrics?
6. Choreography: the frantic rock opera style, the costumes, decor and camera work of TV musical specials? Janet’s ballads and her walks along corridors? The razzamatazz end postures? How much satire did the choreography carry?
7. The targets of the satire: the United States, Middle affluent-America, the television audience - and their rushing into the studio, willing to stay there and be led, straitjacketed? Consumers and their proneness to believe commercials? The commercial world, easy affluence, peer pressure, glamour, the need to be seen? Soap operas and audiences living at soap opera level, soap opera becoming their life? The effect on behaviour, on mental health? The exploitation of mental health? The differences between the generations? How easy to pick such targets? How probing the satire? How valid?
8. The contribution of the songs and their building up the satire: Denton (and the crowd rushing in, the visuals and the toothpaste smiles, ethnic races, the involvement of the characters etc)? The irony initially for the Denton song? Brad and Janet and Pitchin' in the Kitchen? Janet’s ballads and their plaintive tone, her concern about Brad, her Night song when the camera surveyed the various rooms, Me, Me, Me; I Want Trade (Brad singing that he wanted love)? Harry and his satirical song about being a man? Cosmo and Janet and the Snip, Snip, Snip preparation of the black dress? The shock treatment satire? Farley's manipulative song via the television screen? Brad and Farley singing to each other - with the emphasis on death? The rock and roll group? The supporting cast dressing in white and singing and dancing for the grand finale? The love and freedom ending? The musical themes for Dentonvale, the Dossier, Faith Factory?
9. The world of soap operas? Audiences accepting them, eager voyeurs, identifying, participating, letting soap opera emotions and situations control their lives, cliches, life becoming soap opera, being a star in one's soap opera life? Janet as victim star? Brad as victim? The charlatans and their inane ambitions? The parents? The seeming arbitrariness of the soap opera - yet Janet selected and used by Farley and his assistants?
10. The focus on Farley during the opening credits? His control? His being seen behind the Denton neon heart? His being in a control room, the use of technology and computers, his advertisements for Farley's Flavours (with swastika overtones and the use of children)? His manipulative song to Janet through the television set? His response to Janet and her Me, Me, Me song? His preparation for taking control, his being dressed, coming out, speech about mental health? Janet as Miss Mental Health? The sudden confrontation with Brad? The duet song with the twins? The confrontation of the good and evil? His continuing to lead the group? The fascist rabble-rousing and the control of America and of the world? His leading his followers straitjacketed to TV Land?
11. The contrast with Brad? Brad and Janet coming in, ordinary couple, Brad being out of sync, Pitchin' in the Kitchen, his embarrassment and embarrassing Janet, his being denounced as a mental cripple, his rebelling and being injected, his being transported to the cage, his continually being bound more tightly in the cage, his vision and Janet coming to confront him with her fabulousness, the Shock Treatment song, his being rescued by Betty and Oliver, the confrontation with Farley, engineering their escape and going off in freedom with the group?
12. Janet: the ordinary young housewife, sweet? Initially telling Brad there was nothing to worry about? Her being pressurised by everybody looking to go on the show with Bert? Pitchin' in the Kitchen? Letting Brad go, being concerned, not signing the contract? Being caught up in her parents' soap opera home, the Taiwanese dress? Her wanting to see Brad? The reassurances of Cosmo and Nation? The night sequence? The confrontation with Farley via the TV? Her believing the propaganda - believing she was doing it for Brad who would respond to her high ratings? Her wanting to be star of the breakfast show? Preparations with the black dress? Her being drugged, thinking she was fabulous? Her fans - and aloofness from the group? Her two songs wandering the corridors? The shadow dream: I Want Trade? Her being reduced to a robot? Irony of Miss Mental Health? Her recognition of Brad in Farley? Coming to her senses, making a choice, escaping? Freedom?
13. The McKinleys: their TV reputations, charlatans, suggestions of the incestuous relationship? The Night song and their being together in the room, in Janet’s nightmare? Atmosphere of kinkiness? The control? Being used by Farley? Relationship with Bert? Shock Treatment? Cosmo and the Little Black Dress song? Taking the keys of the car - and ' probably moving on to manipulate another TV world? Symbols of evil and manipulation?
14. Barry Humphries' interpretation of Bert? The satire on the Viennese quack? The symbolism of the blindness - blind leading the blind? The satire on the quiz show, on advertising forthcoming programs? Bert gradually hamming his performance and lines? The satire on marriage breakdown - egging the audience on to want a breakdown? Bert's eccentricity, manipulation of the crowds, sitting on his bed in the Night song sequence? Part of Farley's plan? His seeing? Ever-present with the group - and the irony of his Nazi tones about the Danube at dawn? The pat offbeat remarks eg. saying after Janet's Me song that out of such self comes selflessness?
15. Macey and Ralph and the sweet TV-type personalities? Marital situations? Their being used? Their ambitions? Compere and advertising? Farley kissing Macey instead of Janet? The television interviewer and her comments about depth, her dress for the Faith Factory show, her interview of Janet before the show, her jealousy at the end?
16. The characters around the set: the nasal-voiced nurse and her sexiness? The orderly? Their photographing one another at night during the Night song sequence? The black and white girls dancing in the chorus and wanting promotion? The man at the cafeteria and his support, refusing to serve Betty etc?
17. Oliver and Betty: the satire with the in-depth cliche interview? Their being ousted? Betty leading Oliver on? His pomposity? Being ousted from their show, from their office? Why should they see the truth? Betty getting the information from the computer? Disguising themselves? Saving and reviving Brad? Being taken with Brad and Janet? Participating in the final song and sharing the freedom?
18. Janet's parents, in the Denton song, the quiz about Brad's health, living in the soap opera, Harry's song about being a man, Emily making the dress for Janet? Their disappointment with Janet, rejecting Janet and Brad? Being straitjacketed with the rest?
19. The fans and their genuine admiration for Janet, their rock group, their performance, their decision to help Janet and Brad, taking the car and escaping to freedom?
20. The incidental characters and satire eg. the wardrobe-mistress, the president of the car sales -and his almost-brand-new car, his difficulty in exiting?
21. The crowd, rushing in, shouting, singing in unison, movement? The fat man, the woman in the front with the large wig? The range of men and women watching? Sleeping in the studio? Applauding on cue, admiration, their fickleness, turning against Brad and Janet? Accepting the straitjackets and singing happily the Denton song? Broad satire on contemporary American society?
22. The basic plot and its soap opera origins? Images of manipulation? Old stories about twins representing good and evil (echoes of the Corsican Brothers!, quests for freedom?
23. The impact of satire? How does it work? Choosing targets, exaggeration, black comedy? Risks of bad taste? Shock and jolt effects? Presumed norms about good and evil, freedom, mental health? Black satire as essentially moralising?
24. How well can the influences of contemporary and traditional styles be seen in the film: rock opera, television special, pantomime, farce, ham comedy, morality play? Presented television style? Symbols, characters as "humours", caricatures? Contemporary pop images of good and evil, heroes and heroines? The attendant detail used from costumes, decor and decorations?
