Phantom of the Paradise

I usually detest all musicals, with very few exceptions. 'Phantom Of The Paradise' is one of those exceptions. I still can't say I like many of Paul Williams songs (which he as well as playing the mysterious and egotistical record company mogul and producer Swan), but they don't make me want to stop watching the movie, which has a lot more going for it than his so-so score. Brian De Palma, who can be a most frustratingly uneven director, shows there is a lot more to him than attempting to channel Hitchcock. William Finley, who appeared in De Palma's underrated 'Sisters', and who went on to Tobe Hooper's misunderstood trash classic 'Death Trap', is excellent as flaky songwriter Winslow Leach. Jessica Harper, who would achieve screen immortality by starring in Dario Argento's cult favourite 'Suspiria', is very good as wanna-be pop star Phoenix. The late George Memmoli, who never seemed to fulfill his potential despite appearing in some excellent movies such Scorsese's 'Mean Streets' and Shrader's 'Blue Collar', is very amusing as Swan's gopher Philbin. Finally, if nothing else watch this movie to catch Gerritt Graham's hilariously camp turn as effeminate shock-rocker Beef! Graham had appeared in De Palma's two counter culture black comedies 'Greetings' and 'Hi Mom!' (both with Robert De Niro), and subsequently has had one of the oddest careers of any contemporary actor, working with everyone from Louis Malle to Jim Wynorski, starring as "Bud The Chud", and writing for both Disney and the Dead! Graham is a legend in my circle of friends, and playing Beef is a big reason why! 'Phantom Of The Paradise' is a rare beast, a worthwhile rock musical, and in my mind deserves a cult bigger than the incredibly overrated 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'.

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.

This is probably one of those ones that most people either love or hate, so there isn't that much point in trying to sell it to anyone. I've been hugely attached to it since it came out. I don't think I'm alone in saying that it's "my" answer to Rocky Horror (which to me is simply "entertaining" - which is no insult). A lot of people seem to really dislike Paul Williams. But, love him or hate him, he threw himself completely into the role of Swan. To me, Swan is one of the best comical or semi-comical villains ever (it took me a long while to think of it, but I wonder whether his use of the word "Excellent" in one scene might have inspired Mr. Burns' line on The Simpsons). Everyone else was very good in it, obviously Gerritt Graham as Beef, and George Memmoli as Philbin. I wish , in the first place, that there were FEWER tongue-in-cheek horror films (or whatever you want to call them), and in the second place, that they were as original as this one.

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

Talented underground creators. How great it is to be in their worlds! that's when we get them at the height of their more uncontrolled and pure creativity. unmanipulated, wild. The outcome of what they do when they work within the underground is hardly the best work they produce, but it's often their more passionate creations, and practically always indicates what they will master when they "grow up".

Here we have a film that exists in 3 levels (at least 3 that matter to me):

• this is a film within a social and cultural context. The kind of music we hear here (not the multiple parodies, but the music that is intended to be "good") was a reaction to the 60', or the next step of the evolution. Within the same underground spirit that created this film, there was a growing tendency to extend and invent forms that would accommodate the fantasies of new musicians. That's what today we know as progressive rock. This film would pave the way for Tommy, for Live at Pompei, and for The Wall.

• Paul Williams, great mind, great talent. Much of what works here is his vision, from the mood even to some roots of the story. His parodies are great, but his real stuff is good enough. I enjoyed getting to know him better, and it Is funny that he comes to perform the guy who steals his own music.

• de Palma, who was my first interest when coming to this. The fact is i didn't know so well what to expect, and i ended up appreciating more the other levels than this one of the director. Apparently by this time he had clarified what he wanted to explore, but he was far from mastering any of his enormous visual skills, or this film was such a collective work that he just couldn't make his personal statement so well. Anyway we have here eventually the first split screen of his career (i'm not absolutely sure of this), something he would take all his careers with incredible results. Other than that, we don'te have his magical camera eye yet.

The story matters only for the fact that we have a battle between creative and money grower, something that all the people involved here might know pretty well back in those days.

Jennifer Harper has a pretty face, and illuminates the set when she sings.

My opinion: 4/5

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