"My music is for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies!"
I am super excited to bring to you all a review of my favorite movie of all time: Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. Released in 1974, this movie was a huge critical and commercial failure (except for in Manitoba, Canada, which is weird), but it has become a cult classic and is now more well-respected and loved. I think this will be the first musical movie I've reviewed, and I think it's an excellent choice. From thematic elements to design to music, there's a lot to love about this movie, so let me jump right into the story.
Phantom of the Paradise tells the story of Winslow Leach, a struggling singer and songwriter that performs at a club's intermission. A kingpin of the music biz, Swan, happens to hear Winslow's performance during the intermission, and decides that this nobody's cantata (based on the story of the German magician Faust) is the perfect musical backdrop for the club he will soon be opening: The Paradise. Despite leading Winslow to believe he himself will be instrumental in the Paradise's opening, Swan steals Winslow's music and leaves him in the dust. In fact, Swan has some cops plant dope on Winslow so that he can be sent to prison and be out of the way. Enraged upon hearing some of his music being sung by other artists on the radio, Winslow escapes prison and seeks his revenge upon Swan. While destroying some of Swan's property, however, Winslow gets caught in a record press. His voice is destroyed and his face brutally disfigured. Escaping the police, Winslow finds his way to the Paradise, where he steals a costume from storage and plants a bomb onstage, blowing up some props and band members who are rehearsing his music onstage. Swan, witnessing the explosion and probably guessing who caused it, later finds Winslow lurking in his mansion and offers him a deal. Swan will help Winslow get his voice back and allow him to assist in the grand opening of the Paradise, as long as Winslow rewrites his cantata. Meanwhile, Winslow has fallen in love with a pretty girl named Phoenix who is auditioning to be a part of the backup chorus set to perform Faust. Winslow convinces Swan to let Phoenix sing the cantata. Swan, however, is jealous of Phoenix's ability and instead hires a muscular idiot named Beef to perform at the Paradise's opening. Swan steals Winslow's finished cantata and seals him in a secret room. However, Winslow escapes and takes his revenge on Swan by killing Beef onstage at the grand opening that night. That night, Winslow returns to Swan's mansion to find Phoenix in bed with Swan. Enraged and despairing, Winslow attempts to commit suicide by stabbing himself. Swan finds Winslow, who is not dead, and throws at him a contract that Winslow had signed. Swan reveals that all attempts at suicide are in vain, as Winslow has signed his soul over to Swan, and cannot die unless Swan dies first. However, Winslow cannot kill Swan, because Swan is under contract too. Later, Winslow finds a secret room in Swan's home filled with videotapes. On one tape, Winslow witnesses Swan signing his soul over to the devil in exchange for eternal youth- in 1953, over twenty years earlier. On another tape, Winslow discovers that Swan is planning to stage a wedding to Phoenix live at the Paradise, during which he plans to kill her. Winslow races to the Paradise, leaving the room of tapes burning behind him. With the evidence of Swan's contract being burnt, Winslow is now free to kill Swan. Arriving at the Paradise, Winslow prevent's Phoenix's assassination, and stabs Swan, which reopens Winslow's stab wound from earlier. As Winslow and Swan both die onstage, the crowd around the Paradise swirls around in a frenzy of bliss; only Phoenix is aware of what is going on, and realizes that her desire for stardom had blinded her from realizing her worth and Winslow's love for her.
Well, that was a very wordy summary, but I didn't want to leave anything out. The plot for this movie is actually pretty juicy, and I can't see why audiences panned it in '74 (other than the fact that the movie is totally strange). Although this movie is decadent in its design, it has some very dark themes, drawing from sources like Shelley's Frankenstein, silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Phantom of the Opera of course, and the play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. While bits and pieces of the other sources are used, the most heavily drawn-from source is Faust. While one may at first believe that there is only one Faustian character in the film, I believe there are three. First there is Swan, who not only acts as a Mephistopheles to Winslow and Phoenix, but is the original Faust character. He sold his soul for want of eternal youth. However, Winslow and Phoenix also sign "contracts" in the film; Winslow, for a chance to regain his voice and see his cantata performed, and Phoenix, for the glory and fame she desperately seeks. I feel it would have been easy to include only one Faust in this story, so it's pleasing to me that there are three that sell their soul, and all for different reasons. It's a good way to show what people are willing to do to for that they desire, as well as to see what sorts of desires push people to such lengths.
Another theme heavily played upon in the film is the cruel nature of show business. Winslow, Beef, and the other musicians in the film are fed a plethora of drugs to fuel their creative faculties. They are used for their talents and then discarded when they are no longer needed. And they must constantly change their styles and appearances based on what is "in" or will sell. It's pretty sleazy.
The musical styles presented in the film are also pretty interesting. As I said before, the musicians in the story are constantly being told to chance their styles. So, Swan's musical group The Juicy Fruits change throughout the plot from being stylized as a 50s nostalgia act, to a Beach Boys knock-off group (which kind of rips the Beach Boys to shreds in its parody), to a weird sort of glam-goth group by the end of the film, with makeup reminiscent both of the band Kiss and of the somnambulist Cesare in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. As the looks of the group change, so does the sound of their music. The thing I love, though, is that throughout the film, the same snippets of Winslow's Faust are sung, only with different arrangements and lyrics. I like it when a theme in a film is echoed throughout the score, so this was very pleasing to me. The soundtrack is really good, and definitely worth listening to. Even while the film itself was panned upon theatrical release, the film's score was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe (it won neither, sadly). Paul Williams, who plays Swan, is actually a legit songwriter, so he, like his character, has a background in music. Apparently, he wrote the song "Rainbow Connection" for the Muppet Movie, which is an interesting little tid-bit.
The design of the movie is also phenomenal. The budget for the film was 1.3 million, which is about 7,615,000 bucks in today's money. For comparison, the budget of the recent film Black Panther was 200 million. So I would say that Phantom of the Paradise had a relatively small budget. That aside, the sets, costumes, and general production of the film is absolutely gorgeous, if not VERY 70s (lots of wood-paneling and silk). Everything from the costumes to the sets is richly saturated in color, with lots of yellows, blues, and oranges being used- a nice contrast from Winslow's phantom, who wears black and silver for the majority of the runtime. The thing I love most about the design is probably the costumes. Winslow's phantom look is easily recognizable, which is an important trait for a main character in a movie to have. Phoenix (played by my woman crush Jessica Harper), dresses sort of like a hipster would nowadays, and her bushy hair and makeup manage to make her look groovy and capable, but also somewhat innocent. The makeup in this movie is actually pretty incredible, especially the makeup for Beef and The Juicy Fruits in the "Somebody Super Like You" sequence. In that sequence also is a set that features a design ripped directly from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which is awesome. A+ to the designers. The camera work in the film is also really nice, with a lot of split-screen sequences- apparently a trademark of De Palma's work- and some nice, jerky camera action in the final sequence to reflect the insanity of the crowd in the Paradise.
Overall, the movie is very campy and very 70s (which could be wonderful or terrible depending on your preference), but features an interesting plot, good pacing, and rich design. This is my favorite movie, so I'm already biased on it, but I think it's worth watching and rewatching.
Rating: A+
I am super excited to bring to you all a review of my favorite movie of all time: Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. Released in 1974, this movie was a huge critical and commercial failure (except for in Manitoba, Canada, which is weird), but it has become a cult classic and is now more well-respected and loved. I think this will be the first musical movie I've reviewed, and I think it's an excellent choice. From thematic elements to design to music, there's a lot to love about this movie, so let me jump right into the story.
Phantom of the Paradise tells the story of Winslow Leach, a struggling singer and songwriter that performs at a club's intermission. A kingpin of the music biz, Swan, happens to hear Winslow's performance during the intermission, and decides that this nobody's cantata (based on the story of the German magician Faust) is the perfect musical backdrop for the club he will soon be opening: The Paradise. Despite leading Winslow to believe he himself will be instrumental in the Paradise's opening, Swan steals Winslow's music and leaves him in the dust. In fact, Swan has some cops plant dope on Winslow so that he can be sent to prison and be out of the way. Enraged upon hearing some of his music being sung by other artists on the radio, Winslow escapes prison and seeks his revenge upon Swan. While destroying some of Swan's property, however, Winslow gets caught in a record press. His voice is destroyed and his face brutally disfigured. Escaping the police, Winslow finds his way to the Paradise, where he steals a costume from storage and plants a bomb onstage, blowing up some props and band members who are rehearsing his music onstage. Swan, witnessing the explosion and probably guessing who caused it, later finds Winslow lurking in his mansion and offers him a deal. Swan will help Winslow get his voice back and allow him to assist in the grand opening of the Paradise, as long as Winslow rewrites his cantata. Meanwhile, Winslow has fallen in love with a pretty girl named Phoenix who is auditioning to be a part of the backup chorus set to perform Faust. Winslow convinces Swan to let Phoenix sing the cantata. Swan, however, is jealous of Phoenix's ability and instead hires a muscular idiot named Beef to perform at the Paradise's opening. Swan steals Winslow's finished cantata and seals him in a secret room. However, Winslow escapes and takes his revenge on Swan by killing Beef onstage at the grand opening that night. That night, Winslow returns to Swan's mansion to find Phoenix in bed with Swan. Enraged and despairing, Winslow attempts to commit suicide by stabbing himself. Swan finds Winslow, who is not dead, and throws at him a contract that Winslow had signed. Swan reveals that all attempts at suicide are in vain, as Winslow has signed his soul over to Swan, and cannot die unless Swan dies first. However, Winslow cannot kill Swan, because Swan is under contract too. Later, Winslow finds a secret room in Swan's home filled with videotapes. On one tape, Winslow witnesses Swan signing his soul over to the devil in exchange for eternal youth- in 1953, over twenty years earlier. On another tape, Winslow discovers that Swan is planning to stage a wedding to Phoenix live at the Paradise, during which he plans to kill her. Winslow races to the Paradise, leaving the room of tapes burning behind him. With the evidence of Swan's contract being burnt, Winslow is now free to kill Swan. Arriving at the Paradise, Winslow prevent's Phoenix's assassination, and stabs Swan, which reopens Winslow's stab wound from earlier. As Winslow and Swan both die onstage, the crowd around the Paradise swirls around in a frenzy of bliss; only Phoenix is aware of what is going on, and realizes that her desire for stardom had blinded her from realizing her worth and Winslow's love for her.
Well, that was a very wordy summary, but I didn't want to leave anything out. The plot for this movie is actually pretty juicy, and I can't see why audiences panned it in '74 (other than the fact that the movie is totally strange). Although this movie is decadent in its design, it has some very dark themes, drawing from sources like Shelley's Frankenstein, silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Phantom of the Opera of course, and the play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. While bits and pieces of the other sources are used, the most heavily drawn-from source is Faust. While one may at first believe that there is only one Faustian character in the film, I believe there are three. First there is Swan, who not only acts as a Mephistopheles to Winslow and Phoenix, but is the original Faust character. He sold his soul for want of eternal youth. However, Winslow and Phoenix also sign "contracts" in the film; Winslow, for a chance to regain his voice and see his cantata performed, and Phoenix, for the glory and fame she desperately seeks. I feel it would have been easy to include only one Faust in this story, so it's pleasing to me that there are three that sell their soul, and all for different reasons. It's a good way to show what people are willing to do to for that they desire, as well as to see what sorts of desires push people to such lengths.
Another theme heavily played upon in the film is the cruel nature of show business. Winslow, Beef, and the other musicians in the film are fed a plethora of drugs to fuel their creative faculties. They are used for their talents and then discarded when they are no longer needed. And they must constantly change their styles and appearances based on what is "in" or will sell. It's pretty sleazy.
The musical styles presented in the film are also pretty interesting. As I said before, the musicians in the story are constantly being told to chance their styles. So, Swan's musical group The Juicy Fruits change throughout the plot from being stylized as a 50s nostalgia act, to a Beach Boys knock-off group (which kind of rips the Beach Boys to shreds in its parody), to a weird sort of glam-goth group by the end of the film, with makeup reminiscent both of the band Kiss and of the somnambulist Cesare in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. As the looks of the group change, so does the sound of their music. The thing I love, though, is that throughout the film, the same snippets of Winslow's Faust are sung, only with different arrangements and lyrics. I like it when a theme in a film is echoed throughout the score, so this was very pleasing to me. The soundtrack is really good, and definitely worth listening to. Even while the film itself was panned upon theatrical release, the film's score was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe (it won neither, sadly). Paul Williams, who plays Swan, is actually a legit songwriter, so he, like his character, has a background in music. Apparently, he wrote the song "Rainbow Connection" for the Muppet Movie, which is an interesting little tid-bit.
The design of the movie is also phenomenal. The budget for the film was 1.3 million, which is about 7,615,000 bucks in today's money. For comparison, the budget of the recent film Black Panther was 200 million. So I would say that Phantom of the Paradise had a relatively small budget. That aside, the sets, costumes, and general production of the film is absolutely gorgeous, if not VERY 70s (lots of wood-paneling and silk). Everything from the costumes to the sets is richly saturated in color, with lots of yellows, blues, and oranges being used- a nice contrast from Winslow's phantom, who wears black and silver for the majority of the runtime. The thing I love most about the design is probably the costumes. Winslow's phantom look is easily recognizable, which is an important trait for a main character in a movie to have. Phoenix (played by my woman crush Jessica Harper), dresses sort of like a hipster would nowadays, and her bushy hair and makeup manage to make her look groovy and capable, but also somewhat innocent. The makeup in this movie is actually pretty incredible, especially the makeup for Beef and The Juicy Fruits in the "Somebody Super Like You" sequence. In that sequence also is a set that features a design ripped directly from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which is awesome. A+ to the designers. The camera work in the film is also really nice, with a lot of split-screen sequences- apparently a trademark of De Palma's work- and some nice, jerky camera action in the final sequence to reflect the insanity of the crowd in the Paradise.
Overall, the movie is very campy and very 70s (which could be wonderful or terrible depending on your preference), but features an interesting plot, good pacing, and rich design. This is my favorite movie, so I'm already biased on it, but I think it's worth watching and rewatching.
Rating: A+
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