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doomonfilm · 6 years

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Favorites : Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Inherently, remakes are not a bad thing. Some stories fit into solid archetypical molds and are meant to be shaped for application to the times. Basically, if you feel the need to remake something, go big with it... be bold. I’m sure when Brian DePalma shopped around his idea for a remake of Phantom of the Opera, nobody took him seriously. He stuck to his guns however, and now we are all lucky enough to have been blessed with the cult classic Phantom of the Paradise.

Swan (Paul Williams) is an iconic producer, promoter and club owner known for his shaping of the musical and cultural landscape, but he is currently spinning his wheels in the search for the music to open his magnum opus, a new club dubbed The Paradise. Winslow Leach (William Finley), a piano player and songwriter deep in the process of composing his masterpiece he has titled Faust, finds his masterpiece the target of Swan’s plans to open the paradise. Swan, however, has no plans on using Leach, and hatches a plan to simultaneously steal Faust and frame Leach so that he is in jail and out of the way. As Leach serves his time, he begins to hear bastardized versions of his music from Swan’s puppet band The Juicy Fruits. Enraged, Leach breaks out of prison and makes a beeline for Swan’s record label in hopes to destroy the music, only to find himself horribly scarred via an accident with a record press. Seeing an opportunity, Swan takes Leach under his wing, and together the two find Phoenix (Jessica Harper), the woman Leach sees as fit to sing his cantata. Swan continues to make attempts to manipulate all parties involved in a game that turns out to be much more sinister than originally thought.

As a remake of Phantom of the Opera, DePalma does just enough for folks to be able to make a connection, but the sheer glamness of everything takes the experience to a completely different level. The rock and roll atmosphere adds an inherent level of danger to a story that is already about the danger lurking in the shadows, making the movie closer to a rollercoaster than a viewing experience. The camera is constantly moving, be it handheld, on a crane being pushed around, which in turn makes us feel like we’re barely hanging on in an effort to keep up. The outrageous nature of the majority of the leads fits well for this re-purposed opera, making the characters fit well into their larger than life personas.

As a musical, even the songs that would be considered campy still deliver. The continuous parallel of Leach’s original music and Swan’s watered down versions offers more and more with each viewing, as you really begin to notice how much of a soul the concurrent versions of each song share while being worlds apart in their flourish and delivery. I’ve often found myself looking up the soundtrack online due to how catchy some of the songs can be. The melodies stay in your head, be it lyrics about selling your soul for a single love or being mad at damaging your car upholstery.

DePalma seemed to be practicing a bit of restraint in regards to some of his signature tricks. He does employ the occasional split screen or POV shot, but other than a bit of frantic camera work, the film pretty much sticks to established filmmaking trends and rules, though not do a damaging degree, as the film is still most certainly a Brian DePalma film in both soul and presentation. It can be noted, however, that this film contains some of his strongest production design up to this point in his career.

Paul Williams provides a performance for the ages as Swan, mixing charm and a sinister edge in equal measure as his true nature is revealed. William Finley brings that manic nature of an obsessed songwriter into an amplified nature as he is transformed into the Phantom. Jessica Harper is the MVP of the film, especially when she starts singing. George Memmoli plays the sleazy manager to a tee, staying involved enough in the proceedings to benefit but detached enough to not be hurt. Gerrit Graham brings an amplified bit of lightheartedness into everything with his portrayal of Beef, but not to the point of being distracting or feeling out of place.

This film is nearly the textbook definition of what a cult film can be. I am often surprised by how few people are even aware of its existence, especially with the seemingly non-dying staying power of the source material. Adding a heavy dose of the 1970s into the mix made for magic I didn’t even know I was missing in my life.

#DOOMonFILM #ChiefDoomsday #BrianDePalma #PhantomOfTheParadise #PaulWilliams #WilliamFinley #JessicaHarper #GerritGraham #GeorgeMemmoli #ArchieHahn #JeffreyComanor #PeterElbing #RodSerling

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