A
1980 dystopian, sci-fi, biblical-allegory rock opera about an
evil, all-powerful media mogul, the
young starlet fallen under his
corrupting influence and the
all-Canadian baby-faced hero determined to get her back out of his evil clutches. Trying to
follow the success of
Saturday Night Fever and
Grease, it's outlandish premise probably has more in common with
Brave New World,
Nineteen Eighty-Four,
All That Jazz and
Xanadu, with a little
Godspell thrown in hastily at the last minute. It proved a major flop concurrent with
the sharp decline of Disco.
Despite some rather heart-pumping music and dance numbers, the prosaic lyrics,
trippy aesthetic, and off-the-wall script place it squarely in
Camp territory.
This film contains examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: Bibi and Alphie
- Big Bad: Mr. Boogalow
- Big Good: Mr. Topps.
- Depraved Bisexual: Shakes, implicitly Boogalow as well
- Deus ex Machina: A-near literal example with Mr. Topps, who is not only a seemingly all-powerful Messianic Archetype, but is never mentioned until moments before he arrives to rescue the heroes.
- The Dragon: Shakes
- Corrupt the Cutie: BIM's efforts to control Bibi.
- Evil Brit: Bibi's bodyguards/captors are the thuggish, Cockney-esque type.
- Evil Is Stylish: In universe at least.
- Fire and Brimstone Hell: An entire (imagined) musical number takes place there.
- High Heel Face Turn: Bibi and later Pandi
- Louis Cypher: Mr. Boogalow
- Lyrical Shoehorn:
- Mega Corp: BIM. Eventually they become so powerful, the government requires everyone to wear their logo and stop all activity to listen to their music for an hour each day.
- New Age Retro Hippie
- Jewish Mother: Alphie's landlady.
- Rape as Redemption: Bizarrely inverted. At one of the party scenes Pandi orders two (presumably drugged) drinks for her and Alphie, but he drinks down both of them while she smiles sheepishly. Later she has sex with him while he's under the influence. The next day, she, the possible rapist, is the one who is redeemed, and finally decides to help Bibi escape.
- Sissy Villain: A huge portion of Shake / Buoogalow's inner circle fits one overblown Camp Gay stereotype or another. Unfortunate Implications abound.
- Slipping a Mickey: happens at least once.
- Twenty Minutes into the Future: Made in 1980, set in the future dystopia of 1994.
- World of Ham
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