Phantom of the ParadiseThere are musicians who will warn you to never trust a producer with a contract...especially if he's anything like Swan (Paul Williams), who sold his soul to the devil and makes you sign in blood. Phantom of the Paradise is a rock musical riff on The Phantom of the Opera, in which an ill-fated composer named Winslow Leach (William Finley) has his musical masterpiece--a rock opera about the story of "Faust"--stolen by Swan through his corpulent henchman, Philbin (George Memmoli). Adding insult to injury, Swan frames Winslow for drug dealing, landing him in jail. When Winslow escapes and tries to save his music from being butchered by Swan's commercial turpitude, he is scarred and presumed dead, only to be reborn later as the shadowy "Phantom" that haunts Swan's new music palace--The Paradise.
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The heart of Phantom of the Paradise is Paul Williams, who wrote the music for the film, drives the action as a latter day Mephistopheles, and also performs the singing voice for the Phantom. Made in 1974, Phantom of the Paradise includes a diverse array of musical styles, with songs from Swan's prefab greaser/beach rock band whimsically called "The Juicy Fruits", the soulful contralto of the "diamond in the rough" singer, Phoenix (Jessica Harper), and even a rock-and-roll Frankenstein dubbed "Beef" (Gerrit Graham), who embodies the fetishistic look of the glam rock era à la Lou Reed. All of these performances literally take place under Swan's roof, where he lurks in the shadows like a malevolent puppet master, measuring the value of performances by clapping with his white gloved hands--a signal that tells the audience that they are allowed to like it, too. Even the opening narration is about Swan--not Winslow--and is delivered by none other than Rod Serling, adding a layer of "Twilight Zone" level surrealism to Phantom of the Paradise. Swan is described as the premiere kingmaker of rock music, making Winslow something of an unwitting revolutionary dissident, because Swan knows just how powerful his "message" is. Swan is a petty and selfish man who wants to claim Winslow's work as his own, because it represents a threat to him--as he puts it, he can't stand perfection in anyone other than himself. Swan avoids all forms of photography, an aversion reminiscent of the superstition that a photograph steal one's soul--and Swan's soul is already spoken for. Swan reveals to Winslow that his soul is under "contract", sold to the devil after signing a ponderous contract in blood, a ritual Swan later revisits to bamboozle the Phantom. When Winslow invades the decadent casting call for the opening of The Paradise, Swan emerges like Satan himself, dressed in a jacket with incendiary accents as smoke billows out from behind him. Swan is almost always soft-spoken, as though the devil's words were whispered by his lips. He exploits his charisma to sway people like Winslow--who originally sought revenge against Swan by sabotaging his theater's debut--into becoming his servants, and his unassuming stature and impish countenance makes him resemble a cross between Truman Capote and Elton John.
Swan is devious, unscrupulous, clever, and rich, and he exploits every advantage to maintain his power. If he has any true weakness, it is that Swan is overwhelmingly vain. Swan tried to kill himself many years ago and was prepared to videotape his own suicide prior to the devil offering him everlasting youth and immortality; the reason for Swan's attempt on his life was because knew he would grow old, and couldn't bear it. Winslow--as the Phantom--and Swan reach an uneasy alliance to allow Phoenix to be the only one to perform his cantata; yet Swan betrays him again by replacing her with Beef, solely because he considers Phoenix "too perfect". After the Phantom slays the lisping buffoon with a neon lightning bolt, Phoenix is thrust into the spotlight and becomes an instant sensation. Had Swan simply cast Phoenix in the first place, there would have been no (more) bad blood between him and Winslow; but Swan takes pleasure in tormenting Winslow, and his seduction and destruction of Phoenix is for that very purpose. The devil informs Swan that he must look at his video contract every day and savor his eternal youth, or it will crumble away--a nod to Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Despite his vanity, in this brief instance of vulnerability, there is something pitiable about Swan--he is a small man who has lost faith in life, and only finds solace from the forces of darkness. Swan's answer to his loneliness is to "recruit" others like Winslow to torment in perpetuity; everyone else around him are either sycophants like Philbin or rock-and-roll constructs like Beef--soulless. After Swan tricks Winslow into signing his soul away in a Faustian pact, the Machiavellian mogul retreats to his private sanctum and dwells on the event. In his mind, his voice has the same sneering and cackling sound of an old man rasping out his empty promises to Winslow. Swan looks dejected despite his victory, because his evil has become a compulsion--and no one compelled to do anything has any real power. Even his theater is named "The Paradise"--a reference to the salvation he has lost and can never hope to regain--sympathy for the devil, indeed.
Phantom of the Paradise is a comparatively early work for filmmaker Brian De Palma--who writes and directs--although cinephiles can see motifs found in his later works blooming within it. Winslow is a vengeful antihero who is not above collateral damage or killing to protect what he loves--namely Phoenix and his music. There are moments in Phantom of the Paradise which represent his point of view while he lurks in the shadows; this is a perspective usually reserved for vicious killers who stalk their victims, and foreshadows psychological thrillers like Dressed to Kill or Blow Out. After Winslow is assaulted by Philbin's biker goons then arrested, the victimized musician is shoved off to Sing Sing (get it?), where a macabre warden "volunteers" Winslow for a medical program sponsored by one of Swan's subsidiaries, forcing him to have all of his teeth removed and replaced with metal ones. And after his astonishingly successful escape by stowing away in a carton intended for inmate-constructed copies of Tiddlywinks (seriously), the right side of his face gets melted by one of Swan's record presses--giving him the fearsome countenance of a movie monster and making him a literal "Scarface". De Palma is a filmmaker who pays homage to other filmmakers, emulating famous scenes from silver screen classics. The long shot of the Phantom planting a bomb in the trunk of the stage car subsequently pushed onstage for a rehearsal by The Juicy Fruits recalls the classic opening sequence from Orson Welles's Touch of Evil. Ever the Hitchcock aficionado, De Palma also offers a send up to the infamous shower scene from Psycho when the Phantom tries to horrify Beef into abandoning his gig for Swan by ambushing him in the shower, thrusting a plunger into the lisping rocker's face instead of a knife.
Shades of a righteous avenger of the dark within Winslow are hinted at when Philbin tries to snake his score away from him. Winslow--who otherwise looks like a passive string bean--shoves the sleazy underling against the wall at the insinuation that his masterpiece would be "mutilated" by Swan's "greasy meatballs" (i.e. The Juicy Fruits). Winslow is life's punching bag in Phantom of the Paradise, trapped in a world where nearly everyone is a self-serving monster, except for Phoenix; she stands alone as a pure soul, which is why she touches his heart. Because he is forcibly transformed into a monster as a result of this world's depravity, Phantom of the Paradise also shares similarities with Troma's infamous superhero/exploitation flick, The Toxic Avenger. Phantom of the Paradise is a rock musical and a send up to Universal's monster movie classics, but it is also a satire of the music industry and a black comedy. Genuine musicians like Phoenix and Winslow are too pure and too naive to thrive in such a corrupt environment literally run by Satan--well, at least his proxy. Swan rules his empire from a golden throne--a replica of a gold record, that is--and churns out dreck by design while pillaging from more talented artists through trickery and deceit. Beef is unflinchingly artificial, emerging from a gaudy mock coffin in caked-on makeup with his hair in a perm, while Swan plugs for his venue and performers with absurd preambles like "live from the Death label". Phantom of the Paradise also shares many stylistic similarities with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, predating the theatrical release by around a year, especially the music, the outrageous costumes, and themes about the dangers of vainglorious ambition.
Recommended for: Fans of a wild and surreal interpretation of The Phantom of the Opera, liberally painted in a glam aesthetic, with a musical score by Paul Williams that ties the film together. Phantom of the Paradise also introduces the talented Jessica Harper, whose career would include such famous cult films like Suspiria and Shock Treatment--the spiritual sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Swan is devious, unscrupulous, clever, and rich, and he exploits every advantage to maintain his power. If he has any true weakness, it is that Swan is overwhelmingly vain. Swan tried to kill himself many years ago and was prepared to videotape his own suicide prior to the devil offering him everlasting youth and immortality; the reason for Swan's attempt on his life was because knew he would grow old, and couldn't bear it. Winslow--as the Phantom--and Swan reach an uneasy alliance to allow Phoenix to be the only one to perform his cantata; yet Swan betrays him again by replacing her with Beef, solely because he considers Phoenix "too perfect". After the Phantom slays the lisping buffoon with a neon lightning bolt, Phoenix is thrust into the spotlight and becomes an instant sensation. Had Swan simply cast Phoenix in the first place, there would have been no (more) bad blood between him and Winslow; but Swan takes pleasure in tormenting Winslow, and his seduction and destruction of Phoenix is for that very purpose. The devil informs Swan that he must look at his video contract every day and savor his eternal youth, or it will crumble away--a nod to Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Despite his vanity, in this brief instance of vulnerability, there is something pitiable about Swan--he is a small man who has lost faith in life, and only finds solace from the forces of darkness. Swan's answer to his loneliness is to "recruit" others like Winslow to torment in perpetuity; everyone else around him are either sycophants like Philbin or rock-and-roll constructs like Beef--soulless. After Swan tricks Winslow into signing his soul away in a Faustian pact, the Machiavellian mogul retreats to his private sanctum and dwells on the event. In his mind, his voice has the same sneering and cackling sound of an old man rasping out his empty promises to Winslow. Swan looks dejected despite his victory, because his evil has become a compulsion--and no one compelled to do anything has any real power. Even his theater is named "The Paradise"--a reference to the salvation he has lost and can never hope to regain--sympathy for the devil, indeed.
Phantom of the Paradise is a comparatively early work for filmmaker Brian De Palma--who writes and directs--although cinephiles can see motifs found in his later works blooming within it. Winslow is a vengeful antihero who is not above collateral damage or killing to protect what he loves--namely Phoenix and his music. There are moments in Phantom of the Paradise which represent his point of view while he lurks in the shadows; this is a perspective usually reserved for vicious killers who stalk their victims, and foreshadows psychological thrillers like Dressed to Kill or Blow Out. After Winslow is assaulted by Philbin's biker goons then arrested, the victimized musician is shoved off to Sing Sing (get it?), where a macabre warden "volunteers" Winslow for a medical program sponsored by one of Swan's subsidiaries, forcing him to have all of his teeth removed and replaced with metal ones. And after his astonishingly successful escape by stowing away in a carton intended for inmate-constructed copies of Tiddlywinks (seriously), the right side of his face gets melted by one of Swan's record presses--giving him the fearsome countenance of a movie monster and making him a literal "Scarface". De Palma is a filmmaker who pays homage to other filmmakers, emulating famous scenes from silver screen classics. The long shot of the Phantom planting a bomb in the trunk of the stage car subsequently pushed onstage for a rehearsal by The Juicy Fruits recalls the classic opening sequence from Orson Welles's Touch of Evil. Ever the Hitchcock aficionado, De Palma also offers a send up to the infamous shower scene from Psycho when the Phantom tries to horrify Beef into abandoning his gig for Swan by ambushing him in the shower, thrusting a plunger into the lisping rocker's face instead of a knife.
Shades of a righteous avenger of the dark within Winslow are hinted at when Philbin tries to snake his score away from him. Winslow--who otherwise looks like a passive string bean--shoves the sleazy underling against the wall at the insinuation that his masterpiece would be "mutilated" by Swan's "greasy meatballs" (i.e. The Juicy Fruits). Winslow is life's punching bag in Phantom of the Paradise, trapped in a world where nearly everyone is a self-serving monster, except for Phoenix; she stands alone as a pure soul, which is why she touches his heart. Because he is forcibly transformed into a monster as a result of this world's depravity, Phantom of the Paradise also shares similarities with Troma's infamous superhero/exploitation flick, The Toxic Avenger. Phantom of the Paradise is a rock musical and a send up to Universal's monster movie classics, but it is also a satire of the music industry and a black comedy. Genuine musicians like Phoenix and Winslow are too pure and too naive to thrive in such a corrupt environment literally run by Satan--well, at least his proxy. Swan rules his empire from a golden throne--a replica of a gold record, that is--and churns out dreck by design while pillaging from more talented artists through trickery and deceit. Beef is unflinchingly artificial, emerging from a gaudy mock coffin in caked-on makeup with his hair in a perm, while Swan plugs for his venue and performers with absurd preambles like "live from the Death label". Phantom of the Paradise also shares many stylistic similarities with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, predating the theatrical release by around a year, especially the music, the outrageous costumes, and themes about the dangers of vainglorious ambition.
Recommended for: Fans of a wild and surreal interpretation of The Phantom of the Opera, liberally painted in a glam aesthetic, with a musical score by Paul Williams that ties the film together. Phantom of the Paradise also introduces the talented Jessica Harper, whose career would include such famous cult films like Suspiria and Shock Treatment--the spiritual sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.