Phantom of the Paradise

Phantom of the Paradise

Describing Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise as an update of the classic Phantom of the Opera doesn't do justice to this demented movie. While De Palma's Hitchcock homages have sometimes led him into dead ends, this rock & roll remake seems to have liberated De Palma's imagination, and the result is weird and funny, with the scruffy underground spirit of the director's early pictures. The Phantom is one Winslow Leach (William Finley), a nerdy songwriter whose "pop cantata" on the subject of Faust is stolen by a freakish, Phil Spector-like rock impresario called Swan (Paul Williams). After getting his head caught in a vinyl-LP compressor, Leach is transformed into a masked creature, haunting Swan's music palace, the Paradise. De Palma proves how nimbly he can establish narrative rhythm: the story moves like a cannon shot, and the musical numbers (especially in the Alice Cooper-like Paradise sequences) are brilliantly cut. The movie seems to predict the Studio 54 scene, MTV, and punk rock--the last, especially, in the figure of Beef, a screeching singer played by the unhinged Gerrit Graham. The songs were written by Paul Williams, that diminutive '70s music icon (he cowrote the Barbra Streisand wet noodle "Evergreen"), and his performance is a reminder of his peculiar, self-spoofing presence: at one point, the preening Swan announces, "You know how I abhor perfection in anyone but myself." Comedy, musical, horror film, '70s artifact--this movie isn't quite definable, and that's what's wonderful about it. --Robert Horton

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Director(s): Brian De Palma
Production: Fox
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes:
91%
PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Year:
1974
92
2,469 Views
The music made him do it!
He's been maimed and framed, beaten, robbed, and mutilated. But they still can't keep him from the woman he loves.
The most highly acclaimed horror phantasy of our time.
He sold his soul for rock 'n' roll.

Share your thoughts on Phantom of the Paradise's quotes with the community:

0 Comments

    Quote of the Day Today's Quote | Archive

    Would you like us to send you a FREE inspiring quote delivered to your inbox daily?

    Please enter your email address:

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this movie page to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Phantom of the Paradise Quotes." Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.quotes.net/movies/phantom_of_the_paradise_quotes_8773>.

    Know another quote from Phantom of the Paradise?

    Don't let people miss on a great quote from the "Phantom of the Paradise" movie - add it here!

    Quiz

    Are you a quotes master?

    »
    What TV series is this quote from: "They should've never given us uniforms if they didn’t want us to be an army."?
    A Criminal Minds
    B Shameless
    C Money Heist
    D The Handmaid's Tale