Movie Review: Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)

Genre: Musical Drama

Director: Brian De Palma

Starring: Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper

Running Time: 91 minutes

Synopsis: All-powerful music producer Swan (Paul Williams) owns Death Records and is looking for the next big sound to open his Paradise theatre. He spots potential in the elaborate Faust-inspired music of unknown composer Winslow Leach (William Finley), and decides to steal the compositions. Winslow doggedly attempts to reclaim his music, leading to violence, disfigurement, and a love triangle involving aspiring singer Phoenix (Jessica Harper).

What Works Well: With plenty of panache, writer and director Brian De Palma mixes The Phantom Of The Opera, The Picture Of Dorian Grey, and Faust into a contemporary music drama. Paul Williams wrote the operatic rock-pop soundtrack, yielding a music-driven modern tragic fantasy about the exorbitant price of fame and death as the meaning of life. The songs and gothic soundtrack are good, the sets and costumes imaginative, and Williams delivers a chillingly understated performance as the smug double-crossing impresario wielding enormous power over the lives of others.

What Does Not Work As Well: With many songs played in their entirety, the narrative portion occupies at best about 60 minutes. The music performances feature Phoenix; a nostalgia band called the Juicy Fruits; and a dim rocker known as Beef. As characters they are barely relevant to the drama, but they all erode screen time away from Swan and Winslow, who are often notable for their absence.

Key Quote:

The Phantom: My music is for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies!