casarino
When Brian DePalma shot "Phantom of the Paradise," the name of Swan's(Paul Williams) record label was "Swan Song." Signs with the record label name were everywhere, as much of the action takes place in Swan's theater, production office, and lair.Unfortunately, "Swan Song" was already in use - they were Led Zeppelin's label, among other bands. And thanks to an unfortunate coincidence between an event in the movie and the sad, shocking real-life death of Les Harvey, who had ties to Swan Song, the owner of the "real" label promised to sue the pants off Brian DePalma and the studio if they didn't change it.Problem is, Phantom of the Paradise was already in the can at this point, and in 1974, it was nearly impossible - and way too costly - to fix the signs in some moving shots. So any shot with "Swan Song" in it had to be carefully edited out, ruining several long tracking shots by DePalma. I bring this up because the only real flaw of Phantom of the Paradise, a goofy, strange, funny, satiric, unsettling, all-around wonderful midnight movie is the omission of these long, gorgeous shots, shots that remind you that DePalma is a visual artist who took this material very seriously. Fortunately, that's the only way stuff like this could possibly work. The story itself is a complex merger of Phantom of the Opera, Faust, and Picture of Dorian Gray, with several other threads, twists, and homages thrown in for good measure, and it works because it has so much heart. Nobody ever winks to the audience, even when things get incredibly weird.This aesthetic can be seen in the wonderful, juicy lead performances that flirt with the top but never climb over. William Finley, as the hapless Winslow Leach, blends theatrical flourishes with operatic emotion to create an unforgettable Phantom. We're with him, all the way, even when he does some fairly unpleasant things. Paul Williams gives a "delicious" performance as Swan, the evil Phil Spector-like impresario - watch how he turns the tide on the Phantom in their first scene together, mesmerizing his attacker with the promise of employment (and a healthy assortment of drugs). Jessica Harper plays it completely straight as Phoenix, as she must - any unnecessary flourishes would have broken the spell. But best of all is Gerrit Graham, stealing every scene (as he would later in Used Cars) as Beef, the flaming, paranoid, diva-in-the-making, hand-picked by Swan to sing Winslow's music just to irritate him. No need to say another word about the plot. Sure, there are moments that could have been tweaked a bit - a revelation about Swan, based on an old photograph, would have a stronger impact if it opened the movie, rather than showing up in the third act. But the point is it HAS a plot, and a point. It's stunning, how thoroughly DePalma has seen this nonsense through, finding a line to the end that satisfies the romantic, operatic, classic horror movie, and even satiric setups. You'll want to stand up and cheer at the end. Then there's the music. If you only know Paul Williams for his emotional ballads - "Rainy Days and Mondays," "The Rainbow Connection," "I Won't Last a Day Without You" - you'll be surprised by the range he shows here. Sure, there are his trademark ballads, like the maybe-too-slow "Old Souls" and the song that first captures Swan's attention, the stunning "Faust." But there are also satirical throwbacks ("Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye," "Upholstery"), glam rockers ("Somebody Super Like You, Life at Last"), even country-rock ("Special to Me"), and they all matter. This isn't a characters- burst-into-song-and-dance kind of musical - the numbers are naturally woven into the story, into stage shows and auditions, into the heads of characters. But the music is crucial to the success of the film, and Williams nails it. The songs aren't quite as fun on their own, but it's still a kick to play the soundtrack and remember the scenes. "Rocky Horror" gets all the rock n' roll midnight-movie love. But great as "Rocky" is, "Phantom of the Paradise" is its superior in every way; it's funnier, more satisfying, a lot more moving. If you haven't seen it, get yourself a copy, wait until midnight, and fire away.
Michael_Elliott
Phantom of the Paradise (1974) ** (out of 4)The talented but hot-tempered composer Winslow Leach (William Finley) agrees to hand his masterpiece, an adaptation of Faust, over to hot-shot music legend Swan (Paul Williams) who of course ends up stealing it. Leach goes to get his music back when he face is horribly burned so he takes shelter at the Paradise where he plans to get revenge as well as make Phoenix (Jessica Harper) a star.Brian DePalma's take on The Phantom of the Opera is a film that I admire and respect more than I actually enjoyed. Over the past four decades the film has gained a huge cult following and it's easy to see why. It's just so goofy, over-the-top but extremely well-made that it's easy to see why so many people enjoy it for what it is. With that said, if you don't "get" what's going on then you're going to be left scratching your head, which is pretty much where I was. Again, I thought the performances were great, the direction wonderful and visually the film is impressive. With that said, it just didn't click with me to the point where I was fully engaged with the film.Again, there's a lot to admire in the film including the wonderful visual style. DePalma certainly knows how to keep the camera moving and cinematographer Larry Pizer is constantly busy with the camera floating around picking up countless strange but beautiful shots. The set design is another major plus because you really do feel as if you're watching and seeing things for the first time. The alternate universe created really does come across like a new world and this here helps push the story as well. The costumes, of course, are one of the more memorable aspects including the Phantom's look but also the various looks given to the musical performers whether it's a spoof on The Beach Boys or a take off on KISS. The performances are another major plus with Finley and Williams perfect in their roles. I thought Finley was extremely good at bringing across the temper but there's also a part of you that feels sorry for the guy and his broken dreams. Williams, who appears to be acting like Phil Spector, is also excellent in how much of a cold snake he is but he never goes over-the-top and instead plays it pretty cool. Harper is also a delight as the love interest but the real start here is Gerrit Graham as a Queen-like prima donna who easily steals the show. Some might be offended by the type of performance he gives but hey, this was the 1970s. I found him to be extremely entertaining in the part and managed to give the film the shot of energy it needed.So, I've just praised just about everything in the film yet I've given it two stars. That might not make much sense but the film simply didn't entertain meant outside the technical department. Again, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE is an extremely well-made movie and a very impressive one but it just didn't connect with me. If you are able to connect with it then obviously you're going to be in with a large group of people that see this as a cult classic.
Scott LeBrun
This viewer feels obliged to point out that his hometown - Winnipeg, Canada - is one of the two cities in the world to truly embrace Brian De Palmas' operatic spoof of the glam rock era. (The other being Paris, France.) Therefore, it's mystifying that it should have taken me so long to finally watch it, but now I'm glad that I have.It's a thoroughly flamboyant, marvelously designed and decorated rock musical that combines the themes of Phantom of the Opera, Faust, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. William Finley stars as Winslow Leach, a naive, trusting singer-composer who is taken advantage of by conniving producer Swan (who's played by real-life singer-composer-actor Paul Williams). Several circumstances later, the disfigured Leach seeks revenge against Swan while falling madly in love with aspiring pop star Phoenix (the radiant Jessica Harper).The late, great character star Finley and the engaging Williams were never better than in this funny and fast paced exercise in style. It gets off to a great start with opening narration by none other than Rod Serling. Well shot, by Larry Pizer, and designed, by Jack Fisk, it features some thoroughly catchy ditties by Williams. The parodies of such performers as Sha-Na-Na and the Beach Boys are spot on. De Palma is also most effective at capturing the insanity of the emerging shock-rock trend, especially with the effeminate rocker Beef, one of the all- time best roles for top character actor Gerrit Graham.Harper is beautiful and extremely appealing and it's a shame that neither she nor Graham nor anyone else here ever became big stars. Williams is great fun, and Finley fully embraces the tragic arc of his character. Heavy set George Memmoli is also solid as Swans' gopher Philbin.This film manages to maintain that feeling of fun throughout while also being rather sad at the same time.Trivia note: Fisks' wife, actress Sissy Spacek, who went on to play the title role in De Palmas' next film, the feature adaptation of Stephen Kings' "Carrie", was the set dresser here. And look for such familiar 70s actresses as Jennifer Ashley, Janit Baldwin, Janus Blythe, Robin Mattson, Patrice Rohmer, and Cheryl Smith among the groupies.Eight out of 10.
