wicked fun at
horror movies and the music biz must have been a hard sell even back in the
'70s, but somehow De Palma pulled it off with the help of a terrific cast, his
usual startling visuals and surprisingly strong tunes from syrupy
singer/songwriter Paul Williams.
Williams is also excellent as Satanic music mogul Swan, who steals a cantata
written by nerdy composer Winslow Leach (William Finley) to use as the opening
event for his new rock palace, the Paradise. Framed by Swan and disfigured while
trying to destroy his record pressing plant, Winslow re-emerges as the Phantom,
complete with leather outfit and silvery hawklike mask. He threatens to bring
down the Paradise unless Swan lets beautiful ingénue Phoenix (Jessica Harper)
sing his masterpiece. Swan agrees, but has nefarious plans of his own for all of
them.
Released a year before its kissing cousin "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (both were
distributed by Fox), "Phantom" never gained the midnight movie traction that
"Rocky" did. Strangely, the only place "Phantom" had any box office success in
its initial North American run was Winnipeg, Manitoba, where it played for
almost a year straight (and where they've even held an annual convention in
years past called Phantompalooza). It was also a success in France, where a nice
deluxe edition DVD and even a new Blu-ray are available. We only have a
bare-bones DVD here, although a pristine print of the film occasionally screens
on the Fox Movie Channel. If you can, seek it out: For any fan of horror, rock
musicals, and the generally weird and wonderful vibe of '70s cinema, "Phantom of
the Paradise" is a treat. Happy 35th, Winslow.
('Phantom of the Paradise'/20th Century Fox Film Corp./ Courtesy Everett
Collection)
Send us your thoughts on all things sci-fi, horror, etc. Write us at
heymsn@microsoft.com
Don Kaye covers films, TV and entertainment for MSN.com.
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