"Talk about doing a Time Warp!": Two major milestones looming for Canadian Film Institute

The original program page from the 1975 North American premiere of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (source: Canadian Film Institute)

There's a good chance you've seen (or are at least aware of) The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The 1975 film starring Tim Curry famously flopped upon release, before attracting a cult following via midnight screenings. That cult following grew steadily, until Rocky Horror eventually attained the status of cultural icon.

Now here's the trivia question: where did this legendary film debut in North America? TIFF? Sundance? Telluride?

The answer is actually Ottawa! On August 15, 1975, Ottawa's Canadian Film Institute gave North Americans their very first glimpse of the campy Dr. Frank-N-Furter, as well as the opportunity to hear "The Time Warp" for the very first time.

Exactly fifty years later, the CFI is screening Sane Inside Insanity, a documentary detailing Rocky Horror's rise to fame, at the ByTowne Cinema as a fundraiser. The anniversary nearly coincides with another: on August 26th, the CFI will follow-up the 50th anniversary of the Rocky Horror premier with its 90th anniversary as an institute. Friday's screening is meant to mark this major milestone.

"Talk about doing a Time Warp!" remarked CFI director Tom McSorley in a newsletter to subscribers, going on to describe Sane Inside Insanity as "a lively, informative, vastly entertaining look at the evolution of this London musical theatre piece into one of the greatest cult films of all time."

Sane Inside Insanity: The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror will screen on August 15th at 6:30 pm at the ByTowne Cinema.