User reviews

"Phantom of the Paradise" is Brian De Palma's outrageous blend of horror, comedy and rock opera very loosely based on Gaston Leroux's immortal novel "Phantom of the Opera". I know it is hard to think of a musical horror movie without thinking about "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", but De Palma strikes first with this more horror-oriented (although still hysterically funny) satire on the music industry of the 70s.

Swan (Paul Williams) is a powerful and legendary music producer who is making preparations for his greatest triumph in music business: The Paradise, a monster auditorium that will serve him as palace. To inaugurate his palace, he is looking for the perfect sound and he fins it in the music of Winslow Leach (William Finley), a young composer who dreams with presenting his "Faust" cantata to the world. Swan steals Leach's work and in an accident, deforms his face turning Leach into The Phantom. Now, as the masked monster, the Phantom will try to stop Swan's plans by sabotaging the Paradise.

The movie is a visually and musically impressive rock opera with a healthy dose of horror and tongue-in-cheek humor. Brian De Palma cleverly conjures the basic outline of Leroux's novel and add elements of his other influences making the movie a subtle yet moving tribute to the books/movies/music he loves. The modernization and the change from opera to rock work surprisingly good and despite of being a bit outdated by now, the music (by Paul Williams) still makes one of the best soundtracks in a horror film.

De Palma continues improving his technique in this film and like in the previous "Sisters", his style shows maturity and a definitive trademark. Often labeled as a Hitchcock-imitator, I believe that De Palma simply likes to pay constant tribute to his influences, and this film serves a proof of that. Elements of Welles, Hitchcock, Murneau, Whale and Wienne are all over the picture, yet "Phantom of the Paradise" is like none of the works of those directors.

Paul Williams not only composed the soundtrack, he also stars as Swan, the dark and evil genius that leads Death Records and ultimately uses Leach's music for his own purposes. His performance is superb and while not physically imposing he is truly one of the best villains I've ever seen. Finley's take on the Phantom is, like most of the modern interpretations of the character, a romantic tragic figure; but Finley recovers some of the original horror characteristics of the novel creating an attractive but still menacing monster.

Jessica Harper, who would achieve fame in Dario Argento's "Suspiria", gives a good performance as Phoenix, the young singer that captures both Swan and Leach's attention. Like she would do in "Suspiria", she adds depth to the role of the naive singer who wants nothing but to triumph. Something remarkable is the fact that she sang all her songs and did it with credibility and talent. Last but not least, Gerrit Graham portrays a Bowie-inspired Glam rock diva in the unforgettable role of rock superstar Beef.

Sadly, not everything is perfect in Paradise, and neither is in this movie. The odd mixture of musical and horror works very good but at times the movie gets a bit too serious to pass as a musical or too silly to pass as a horror film. It's not a surprise that "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" gained more recognition as it keeps both genres perfectly in equilibrium in all its flamboyant runtime. Still, this is a minor flaw that keeps the movie away from perfection.

Maybe I had low expectations or maybe I was just in the right mood, but "Phantom of the Paradise" was a pleasant surprise that I would not hesitate to recommend to fans of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" or fans of black comedy in general. 8/10

This is an absurd and wildly entertaining glam-rock twist on the "Phantom of the Opera" story. Winslow Leach has his rock opera stolen by music biz icon Swan. After terrorizing the record company, Leach is in an awful (but rather hilarious!) accident that renders him disfigured. He terrorizes the opening night of Swan's new rock'n'roll palace, The Paradise.

This is the best horror film I've seen by De Palma. While it is mostly tongue-in-cheek, it does feature one of the most suspenseful uses of his trademark "split screen." The story is great--a surprisingly clever indictment of the music industry. The music is wonderful if you like glam, though the songs that Jessica Harper (the Christine figure) sings seem out of place and are about as deadpan as her performance. Gerrit Graham is a riot as Beef and steals every scene he is in. I recommend "Phantom of the Paradise" to fans of over-the-top productions such as Rocky Horror, as well as anyone looking for a unique twist on a classic tale that doesn't take itself too seriously. My Rating: 7.5/10

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.

Mix "the Phantom of the Opera" with "Faust" and "the Picture of Dorian Gray", sprinkle it all with 1970's electric glam-rock, Gothic horror and uttermost baroque scenery and costumes. And there you get "Phantom of the Paradise", a picture that has everything to be the perfect cult movie, and would deserve much more attention than its more famous counterpart "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", released one year later.

Whereas "Rocky Horror" remains a farce all the way through, "Phantom of the Paradise" is a real tragedy in the original meaning : the story of a genial but naive musician who gets his work swindled by an evil baby-faced producer who has sold his soul to the Devil. Besides, "Phantom" is more a film about music or a film with songs in it than a proper musical, and it's better so because the story is really interesting. Like "Rocky Horror", " Phantom" is full of parody and incredible gimmicks, but the plot and the soundtrack are far superior, and on the whole, "Phantom" has a lot more class.

Many people who have seen the movie when it was released were teenagers, and it's one of those movies I know many people to have seen ten times or more. Looked at from a mature point of view, it is true that "Phantom" appears somewhat kitsch and not so profound, and it is obvious that the director must have had great fun shooting such a delirious show. But let's say then that as "typical midnight movie", "Phantom of the Paradise" remains a gripping and creative kitsch masterpiece, and still keeps up with its cult movie status thirty years after. That's what classics are all about.

Countless scenes and details would deserve comments, but let's say that two of them are really hard to forget: when the hero gets his face destroyed in a record-press after his escape from Sing-Sing in a toy box, and when he murders the campy music-hall star who usurped his music in the middle of the stage, by shooting a neonlight across his chest as the climax of a hysterical rock concert.

Interesting to know that the same three singers successively impersonate a parody of a sixties group with banana hairdos and falsetto voices, a nutty band in pants and wigs, and finally appear with ominous black and white make-up in a hard-rock performance that reminds of "Kiss". I guess you wouldn't tell if you didn't know.

The casting is very good although none of the actors seemed to have achieved real stardom. You don't get to see so much of William Finley because he wears a mask throughout much of the film, but Paul Williams, who has had a rather mediocre singing career, was perfect for the role as machiavelic producer Swan. The angelic blond face and the malign nature of the character make a very powerful contrast.

However, I found the most impressive performance was given by Jessica Harper. Her big dark eyes and deep voice make her stand out both as an accomplished actress and singer. Her talent has been unfortunately never used any better than in this movie, which was her first star role, and that's "the hell of it".

As for director Brian de Palma, I have not seen many of his films outside of this one, so I'm not too sure, but it looks like "Phantom" really has a place apart in his career. For instance, "Carrie", which got more attention, appeared very disappointing to me in comparison, much more like a B-grade horror flick. Mr de Palma certainly seems to have a fascination for blood, and "Phantom" has of course its fair share of it. Contracts are even signed with blood instead of ink...

Still playing on double-bills with The Rocky Horror Picture Show in England, Brian DePalma's foray into the psychodelic world of the musical excesses that was the 70's becomes more than just another rock musical. With a fusion of Faust, Dorian Grey, Phantom of the Opera, the Twilight Zone (courtesy of an opening narration by Rod Serling)and Psycho, using multiple camera angles cleaved into split screens, we follow the tragic trials and tribulations of one Winslow Leech (William Findley, the scary side splitting surgeon of DePalma's "Sisters"), composer, whose music is stolen by mook henchman Philbin (George Memmoli, Joey Clams of Scorsese's "Mean Streets")on the orders of his boss, rock impresario Swan (song writer Paul Williams, in a role that must have had him giddy) to be used in the opening of his new rock palace, The Paradise.

Attempting to get his music back, Winslow befriends a young, up and coming singer called Phoenix (Jessica Harper, who many have accused of being woefully miscast. Watch for her in "My Favorite Year"). Beaten by Philbin, set up on drug charges by Swan, subjected to stainless steel dentures because of Swan's own campaign to wipe out dental decay in the penal system, Leech escapes prison upon hearing his music on the radio, breaks into the record factory, and when caught, accidentally has his faced mauled by a hot record press, and sent moaning in pain into the East River.

Swan continues his preps for the opening, using his former 50's doo-wop group, the Juicy Fruits, now a surfer band called The Beach Bums (Later, they become a Kiss-like bunch called The Undead. The band is made up of the same three actors, Archie Hahn, Jeffery Commanor and Harold Oblong. Watch for Hahn in many more films, including "Innerspace" as the deadly deliveryman), to perform Winslow's music. A shadowy figure, donning a leather bodysuit, lame lined cape and a hawk-like mask invades the Paradise and starts reeking havoc.

From here, all the cliches play out from Phantom of the Opera, but in one absolutely looney twist is the addition of a fay glitter rock star called Beef (Gerrit Graham, singing voice by Ray Kennedy), who delivers a Hitchcock homage that will never let you look at Janet Leigh in the Bates Motel shower the same way ever again. Toss in a bit of Dorian Grey, with a videotape instead of a portrait taking on the years(and we wonder about Dick Clark's never aging profile!), a strange transformation of several musical themes, all familiar but somehow morphed into different personnas, and you have a cult classic on your hands.

This movie fits into so many different viewer interest groups. First, the DePalma fans, watching his early work before classics like "Sisters", "Carrie" and "Dressed To Kill"; for musicians/soundtrack fanatics, the mutation of a handful of themes into different works, as well as an incidental soundtrack filled with string quartets, classic piano and organ; for movie trivia fans, the appearance of the star of one of DePalma's all time suspense/horror classics as a production associate, not as an actress (I'm not telling you. watch the credits!).

For the rest of us, a great popcorn night movie that will leave you laughing, tapping your feet and wondering "Where was I when this movie came out and how did I miss it the first time?"

My father wouldn't let me see this in 1974 (I was 11) and I recall him reporting a coworker's opinion that the film should have been rated "R."

So finally, in 2005, I see the film at age 42.

The film is disturbing on a variety of levels. First and foremost, I realized that most of the players are now in their late 50's and 60's. Disturbing, why? Well, because there's a band out there called "the Undead" (Bobby Steele, ex-Misfits) who, turns out, stole (or did he?) his name from Phantom of the Paradise's "the Undeads" Likewise, the Undeads in this film were doing in 1974 what Scandinavian death metal bands _started_ doing in the early 1990's. Furthermore, did the Damned's Dave Vanian rip off the Undead's gimmick?

I felt uneasy realizing that, had I seen the movie when it came out, I probably wouldn't have gotten any of the jokes; I wouldn't have laughed out loud at Beef, the lesbian jokes, the parody of self-important wimpy rockers. And I wouldn't have appreciated the successful composite of Phantom of the Opera, Faust, Picture of Dorian Gray, etc.

The acting is top-notch - the only way "camp" gets laughs. Paul Williams's Swan is the most black-hearted villain I've seen.

The wait was worth it for me on this one.

A composer has his music stolen by a big-time record producer and vows his revenge. Things get more complicated after he gets sent to jail and apparently commits suicide in the river...

Howard Maxford feels the film is "dated", and that is the best criticism one can make of the film. The songs do not hold one's attention well. The plot in general is decent, but the music -- a central focus of the movie -- is just average.

Brian de Palma, the director of "Carrie" and "Black Dahlia", is in charge here. He makes a visually appealing film, with angles and colors that call to mind Stanley Kubrick's "2001" and "A Clockwork Orange", as well as Dario Argento's "Suspiria" (which star Jessica Harper would appear in after this film).

Gerrit Graham ("TerrorVision") as Beef is great, and a nice send-up of glam rock. The critics had called the film "funny" and "hilarious", but both are exaggerations. The humor is very subtle, with this being a musical first, horror film second and comedy third.

The references to Dorian Gray are awesome, and unspoken. There are also cues from Poe and previous "Phantom" films. Some have said there is even an homage to Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" (and I believe them, but I have not seen the film yet). Sissy Spacek is credited as a "set dresser"... you decide what that means.

For those who are familiar with the great work Brian De Palma did throughout the 1970's and 80's, his bright, energetic glam-rock opera Phantom of the Paradise may seem like something of an oddity. It's a spin on The Phantom of the Opera, with elements of Faust and The Picture of Dorian Gray, told within the context of the music business, who De Palma and scorer/star Paul Williams obviously hold some level of disdain for. While this may differ tonally and perhaps thematically to De Palma's more popular works, Phantom embodies the mixture of flair and homage that De Palma perfected, which many label him a rip-off merchant for (though I strongly disagree).

Sad-sack composer Winslow (William Finley) is overheard playing his Faustian opera by the powerful and mysterious music producer Swan (Williams). Swan is on the cusp of opening his new theatre The Paradise, and feels Winslow's music is perfect for his vision of nostalgia and kitsch. Winslow offers his work to Swan, but is never called or paid for his contribution. Seeking answers, he arrives at Swan Records to see an endless line of women, including Phoenix (Jessica Harper), auditioning to be a backing singer and singing his songs. He is thrown out, framed for drug possession and sentenced to life in prison. But Winslow escapes and, after being mutilated by a record press, seeks vengeance on Swan.

For all it's visual pizazz, where Phantom lacks is within the casting. Finley, who had worked with De Palma the year before in Sisters and who sadly died in 2012, struggles to make his character empathetic. Williams, while certainly looking the part, lacks the presence to convince that he would be able to wield such a control on his underlings. Harper, while cute as a button, lacks the charisma to really justify Wimslow's obsession over her. The only actor to really impress is Gerrit Graham as glam-rock God Beef, who behind the scenes is a fussy little queen. Beef is no doubt Paul Williams' stab at all those self- important diva's he unavoidably came into contact with during his time as a musician.

But with a bright and bouncy film such as this, the acting plays second fiddle to the visuals and the music. While the music may not be catchy in the same way as Phantom's close relation The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), in context they contemplate De Palma's camera. All of De Palma's visual ticks are there - crane shots, long takes, split-screen - and it even throws in a homage to Psycho (1960), only with a plunger. It makes for quite an exhausting experience, but you only really need to hold your breath and dive in, and it's really quite easy to fall in love with it. It was unfairly panned by critics and ignored by movie-goers on it's release, but with De Palma's early films getting positive re- evaluation with various Blu-Ray releases, Phantom is finally getting the praise it deserves.

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I am bewildered that viewers today think this film is a rip off or they don't see that it is a comedy....in fact I think it is easily as much a cult comedy as ROCKY HORROR, albeit unappreciated and undiscovered. Dismissed in its day it ended up as a double feature with Rocky Horror and then played endlessly across Australia in the 1970s. It is a very funny film and anyone with a sense of humor can see that it is as silly as it is scary. The cinema in Sydney where it opened in 1974 was the 2200 seat Regent and looked just like the theater in the film. The film was forgotten the theater demolished and now everyone moans. .....yeesh.PHANTOM is great fun and has hilarious songs and satire. Just enjoy it. PHANTOM was filmed in the Majestic Theater in San Antonio Texas, and is famed Architect John Eberson's first 'atmospheric' theater with stars and sky as a ceiling.

The powerful and awarded producer of records and owner of the successful label Death Records, Swan (Paul Williams), steals the Faust cantata composed by the unknown and naive composer Winslow Leach (William Finley) for the grand-opening of his rock-palace, The Paradise. When Winslow bothers Swan trying to meet him to produce his album, he is framed by Swan and sentenced to life in Sing Sing. Winslow escapes from the prison and is accidentally disfigured by the record press of the Death Record. He haunts The Paradise and finds Swan, who proposes a thick contract to Winslow to be signed with his blood. In accordance with the deal with the evil producer, the composer could finish the cantata he was composing for his muse and passion, the singer Phoenix (Jessica Harper), to sing in the theater. However, Swan double-crosses Winslow again, and he finds the dark secret of his contract.

The kitsch "Phantom of the Paradise" is a super-cult of my generation, with a tragic love story that blends "The Phantom of the Opera", "Faust" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray". I do not know how many times I have heard the delightful soundtrack of this movie on CD and watched this film on VHS, and today I have just seen it again on DVD for the first time, thirty-three years after the original release and still enjoying and singing the songs together with Phoenix, Beef and the Juicy Fruits. My family also loves this movie and the songs of this underrated masterpiece. The awesome composer of the some of the most important classic songs of The Carpenters, Paul Williams, fits perfectly to the role of the evil Swan, with his blond hair and dark heart. I do not recall seeing William Finley in another movie, at least in a remarkable role. However, the debut of the talented Jessica Harper was stunning, with a top-notch performance and an awesome voice. I could bet at that time that she would become a sensation as actress and singer, but unfortunately I just recall her in "Suspiria", "Love and Death" and "Tales from the Crypt". Brian De Palma pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock with the shower scene of Beef. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "O Fantasma do Paraíso" ("The Phantom of the Paradise")

On 18 January 2011, I saw this film again.

I watched this in the theater when it came out in 74 and didn't really care for it at first because I thought it was going to be more of a science fiction film. I don't like musicals, ( You couldn't pay me to watch Mamma Mia.) but that's not the big part of the movie it is just a vehicle of the film. That being said I do like a lot of the songs and music and as it turns out it is a science fiction movie. This really grew on me over the years but nobody I ever loaned the tape to, yes I said tape, liked the movie, everybody hated it. I think the movie is brilliant but very dated now and it has a lot of silly parts to it and I feel it begs to be remade. We don't need another giant ape movie but this could be a great endeavor.

This movie is beautiful. Its a consummate midnight movie. Okay, so Paul Williams, Bill Finley, and Jessica Harper may not be the best actors in the world. And sure, the effects, set, camera moves, and acting is SO VERY seventies, but that doesn't take away from the most beautiful score of any made for film musical, heart tugging writing, and a great villain. Also, the humor of this film is great. De Palma was obviously having fun. I mean, this movie can be viewed as a bad piece of overblown trash, or a studio trying to capitalize on a midnight movie craze, but wheres the fun in that? The direction is solid, the music is relevant, and the movie tells a story. Its fun, entertaining, and emotional. What more do you want from a movie? Plus, you have Rod "Twilight Zone" Serling doing the opening narration! What a beautifully cheesy movie.

Brian De Palma is a filmmaker that takes existing ideas, and regurgitates them into something fresh and original (or at least he tries to). Usually it's Hitchcock that comes under De Palma's 'list of things to tribute', but on this occasion it's the classic tales of 'Phantom of the Opera' and the German legend, 'Faust' that get the honours. De Palma has managed to fuse the two stories into one...very, very weird film.

Winslow Leach is a musician who has his lyrics stolen by the megalomaniac record producer known as 'Swan'. Winslow doesn't take this lightly, and much less so when he gets framed by Swan and sent to Sing-Sing. However, he gets out and while attempting to avenge himself, he ends up falling into a record press, which disfigures his face...ouch. The plot thickens due to the fact that Swan is planning to open up a new rock club known as 'The Paradise', and it's Winslow's lyrics that he wants to use for the opening. However, now scarred and with nowhere to go; Winslow decides to haunt The Paradise with the help of a silly plastic mask...becoming known as 'The Phantom'. But wait! The fun doesn't stop there, as De Palma, not content with an already thick plot has decided to complete the Phantom of the Opera side of the story by adding a girl singer for the phantom to obsess over - here played by Jessica Harper.

This is an important film for Jessica Harper, as it is with this performance that she impressed Dario Argento into giving her a role in her career highlight - 'Suspiria'. It's a shame that Harper didn't make more films, as she has a very cute look that bodes well with the euro-horror feel that is abundant in both this film and, obviously, Suspiria. I'm not sure what Brian De Palma was trying to achieve with this film...there's no real point to it, and the plot is anything but coherent a lot of the time, leading me to believe that he simply wanted to make a flamboyant musical with horror elements, and if that is the case; I dare say he succeeded. Phantom of the Paradise is a lot of fun; the musical numbers are hilariously entertaining, and the movie is very fun overall. Some people won't be able to appreciate it, just because it is so surreal and absurdly weird; but if you're a fan of that type of film, you've come to the right place.

While not as well done as 'Dressed to Kill' or some of De Palma's other tributes, and although the plot can get a little messy at times; Phantom of the Paradise stands out because it's so different to almost anything else ever made, and it comes with a recommendation for that reason.

In this melange of "The Phantom of the Opera", "Faust", "Beauty and the Beast" and a few others, musician Winslow Leach's (William Finley) music is stolen by death-obsessed rock impresario Swan (Paul Williams). When Leach attempts to take revenge, his face is smashed in a record press, and he becomes "The Phantom" and begins haunting Swan's music empire.

But it does not end there. The Phantom and Swan make a deal. But part of the deal allows Swan to pull some unseemly tricks. Above all, the Phantom wants to make sure that only diva Phoenix (Jessica Harper) can sing his music.

DePalma was clearly showing not only the slimy tricks within the music industry, but also how the performers were starting to get very outlandish. The character Beef (Gerrit Graham) is basically an exaggeration of this.

Certainly a movie that everyone should see.

I had remembered "Phantom Of The Opera" as an extremely entertaining movie with fantastic music. Well, as with many things it turned out that my memory has made more of this flick than there really is to it.

The story isn't even half bad. A strange mixture of "Faust" and "Phantom Of The Opera" it's filled with some ratty criticism on the music industry. Unfortunately, Brian De Palma puts style over matter once again (and of course he didn't forget the obligatory Hitchcock reference, either). While the movie is visually appealing, the story becomes deliberately unrealistic and goofy, which gets a bit tiresome after a while.

Musically "Phantom Of The Opera" is quite enjoyable, but the songs are nowhere near as catchy or interesting as the ones from the very similar and more successful "Rocky Horror Picture Show". If you like rock musicals and glam fairy tales such as "Velvet Goldmine", you could get a kick out of this movie, too. If you don't, be prepared to yawn your way through "Phantom Of The Paradise".

As far as rock/horror/comedy/musicals are concerned, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has by far the most dedicated cult following, but in my opinion, Brian De Palma's oft-overlooked Phantom of the Paradise is just as deserving of such fervent admiration: its tunes might not be as 'instant' as those in Richard O'Brien's classic, meaning that an audience sing-a-long is unlikely, but the film manages to blend the same genres in as equally entertaining a manner.

To tell his tragic tale of betrayal and love—a wicked combination of Faust and The Phantom of the Opera, with just a soupçon of Dorian Gray thrown in for good measure—director Brian De Palma imbues proceedings with a garish comic-book look to complement the outlandish rock opera excess, delivers some neat horror references for fans of the genre (including a hilarious homage to Psycho's shower scene), stages several magnificent musical numbers (words and music by the brilliant Paul Williams, who also stars as the film's villain, powerful record producer Swan), and ends the film in a suitably chaotic manner.

Next time you feel yourself yearning to do the time-warp yet again, why not decide to give Rocky and pals a rest, and try the Phantom for a change—you won't regret it.

This is a send up on " The Phantom of the Opera ". It focuses on a dorky, but talented composer Winslow Leach ( William Findley ) who's music is stolen by a demonic, but highly successful record producer Swan ( Paul Williams ). Jessica Harper who also appears in another campy musical, " Shock Treatment " stars as the Christine-like character who Winslow pines for. Phantom of the Paradise is a wonderful parody of 70s Glam rock, and is chock full of B-movie references; it even begins with an intro narration by Rod Sterling! The pace of the movie is electric, and the music done by Paul Williams is fantastic. Don't miss a diabolical " KISS-like " group as the entertain the crowd during the end of the film. This is a bizarre and highly entertaining film not to be missed!

This film I had never heard of until reading the Fangoria Top 300 horror movies issue. This one was featured there and went on a list of movies to check out. My first viewing was when I was going through all the takes on the Phantom of the Opera. It was interesting to learn that this was written and directed by Brian De Palma with Paul Williams doing the music. I'm now giving it a second viewing as part of Movie Club Challenge for the Podcast Under the Stairs. The synopsis is a disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise.

This movie starts with a band known as The Juicy Fruits that we are told is the hottest thing out right now. The core members are Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor and Peter Elbling. They sing their song while the owner of their record label watches on. The head is Swan (Williams) and with him is his second in command who does everything that he is told, Philbin (George Memmoli). After the band finishes, there is an intermission with a solo act of Winslow (William Finlay). He the piano and sings along. He catches the attention of Swan and he wants his music to open his new rock club called The Paradise as the synopsis stated.

Philbin then meets with Winslow and shares that Swan wants a recording of his music. This is difficult as he doesn't have recordings and all his songs are part of a rock cantata and that they all go together. Philbin doesn't care about this part of it and still looking for part of it. He slips that The Juicy Fruits will sing it. This infuriates Winslow and he tells them that they cannot as he doesn't feel they are real artists. He gives some sheets of music for Swan to see.

A month then goes by with no word. Winslow goes to headquarters of Swan's record label, Death Records, and asks to see him. We see that he is not the do not see ever list and is escorted out. He isn't done though. He goes to the house of Swan where he finds a bunch of women who are there to audition. Winslow meets with a young woman by the name of Phoenix (Jessica Harper). He likes her voice and offers to help her with the song that she was given to audition with. She asks how he knows and he reveals he wrote it. Winslow is thrown out, but Phoenix wants to help him. She flees too when she finds out that there is no singing, just an orgy.

Winslow doesn't have it much better. He's beaten up, drugs are planted on him by two cops and he is taken to Sing Sing. He is put into a group that pull his teeth. If this isn't enough, he snaps when he hears his music will be sung at the opening for the Paradise and that Swan has taken credit. He breaks out of prison and tries to vandalize the record pressing factory. In the process his face is maimed.

He isn't done yet though. He becomes The Phantom as The Paradise is opening. He sabotages The Juicy Fruits and this causes Swan to make a deal with him. The two are supposed to work together, but going back to the synopsis, Swan can't be trusted. The Phantom pushes to have Phoenix perform his music, but Swan has other plans which involve Beef (Gerrit Graham).

That should be enough of a recap and to be honest, what I put down there is like the first 20 minutes of this movie. It is a flurry to give you the set up before it settles in. Having seen this one other time did help. There are parts taken from a few different things as well. I noticed The Phantom of the Opera, Faust, The Portrait of Dorian Grey and Frankenstein just off the top of my head. Knowing a bit more about De Palma, this doesn't shock me. I don't mean that as a negative but wanted to point it out here.

Where I'll go is that this is an interesting take on the Phantom of the Opera. This is a 1970's rock opera that has a much deeper story lying underneath this. This film is a satire of the music industry, how cutthroat it is and the corruption of it. I found this to make it that much better for me because it is quite interesting how all these people want to be in the industry, but they see how badly it treats them. I mean Phoenix was brought to an orgy but is still willing to audition. When she makes it though, she is willing to give up her body to Swan to become more famous and stay there. Winslow is beaten, maimed and still wants to work in the industry. It feels part of this is 'the show must go on'.

To circle back to Winslow as The Phantom. His opera house is The Paradise. Phoenix is the young woman that he is out to help. He is disfigured so she doesn't want his help anymore. Phoenix is willing to do more than what we got in the original story. Beef would then be the more famous person in the opera that The Phantom targets amongst others. This is done creatively for sure

I also liked that this film tied in with Faust, which is fascinating, because that is the rock opera that Winslow is writing. Him, Swan and Phoenix all sign their souls over to make it, which again seems to be what getting into the music industry is. I also found that they there are a lot of references to birds. There is Swan, Phoenix, the logo of Death Records is a dead bird and The Phantom's mask looks like a bird.

That should be enough for the story so I'll take this over to the acting. I thought that Finley is great as Winslow and The Phantom. He is true artist, but we see the dangers of the industry. Once he's given up, he wants to help Phoenix. This movie is absurd and so is Finley's performance. I like Williams as our villainous Swan. He can never be trusted and it is fitting for his reveal. He is our Dorian Grey. Special credit to him for writing most of the music as well. Harper is an actress I have a fondness for. I forgot this was her feature film debut, because my first encounter was Shock Treatment where she plays a similar character. Of course, there is also Suspiria which is an all-time favorite. I also liked Graham and the rest of the cast for rounding this out for what was needed.

My biggest issue with this film is that it moves so fast. The film just rushes through all these plot points and is non-stop until the ending. That's how I thought the first time around at least. I would say that the first act is rushed through, but from there the movie is your typical musical. It does well in filling in parts before the next musical number after this second viewing.

Then the last things to go into are the cinematography, effects and the soundtrack. For the former, I thought that this is shot well. We are getting De Palma's famous split screen. It does make for some interesting reveals and sequences. We don't get a lot in the way of effects, but it also doesn't necessarily need it. I love the look of The Phantom. The theme for the performances on stage are interesting as well. Other than that, the soundtrack works. It isn't one I'll listen to outside of it, but there are some numbers that made me laugh. Special credit here to Graham.

Now with that said, I liked this after my first viewing and I appreciate it more after this one. I felt that it took a story that has been made quite a few times and did something a bit different. This version combined Phantom of the Opera with Faust amongst other things, which I found interesting. This one also has a lot of underlying issues that still are relevant today. That is something to me that makes a film better. The acting was good, the concept and story were as well. This film might be a little bit cheesy for today's standards, but I found this to be an interesting take on a well-known tale. I would recommend giving this film a viewing if you are into odd movies like this. It won't be for everyone though.

My Rating: 8 out of 10.

Legendary record producer Swan (Paul Williams) has stolen a song from innocent songwriter Winslow Leach (William Finley) to open his rock theater, The Paradise. Winslow is taken with performer Phoenix (Jessica Harper) who unknowingly is auditioning with the stolen song. When Winslow confronts Swan, Winslow is framed for drug possession and gets sent to Sing-Sing. He manages to escape but gets mangled in the face by a record press. He wears a metal mask. He gets tricked by Swan to sign a devilish contract.

This is written and directed by Brian De Palma. He drew inspiration from various sources. It's a bit messy as the recognizable references get jumbled together. Paul Williams was the flavor of the decade although I don't love any of the songs. I don't say that this is bad but it is definitely camp. It's good camp. With the all the seriousness of the world, this has so much weirdness that can only arise from imaginative minds. The most memorable is the mask. That costume is iconic. It has achieved a modicum of cult status over the years.

I gave this stinker a 2, which I guess implies that it isn't completely worthless. But everything, from the melange of source material, to the derivative music, to the dramatic stylings of Paul Williams is so amateur and insipid that only drugs can approach an explanation as to why this was produced at all. I recommend this thing be shown to kids everywhere as final proof that drugs make you stupid.