Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise -- C or D?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

This is the greatest rock opera of the 70's. Paul Williams as Swann, head of Death Records. Classic.

― bryan, Tuesday, 16 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

As sampled on Bauhaus' "Party of the First Part," therefore classic.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 16 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I really couldn't stand it - sorry. However, by coincidence, I was listening to the Tommy soundtrack last night - it's really grown on me.

― Jez, Wednesday, 17 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Strangely, I was just thinking about asking ILM cast member Arthur about this. Classic, of course, DePalma turning all his cinematic tricks to the service not only of a rock opera, but glam horror rock opera! The dispicable Paul Williams is actually perfect as the villian, wide-eyed Jessica Harper (later in "Suspiria") is fine as the young singer (she gets an "introducing" credit in the title sequence, which I love). Her vocals are a bit like Karen Carpenter's. Many, many great scenes.

Search: Beef!

― Sean, Wednesday, 17 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw it in the theater, when it came out... a long time ago, and I haven't seen it since. I remember being really freaked out, and having trouble sleeping. Is it on video?

― Andy, Wednesday, 17 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is it on video?

Oh yes.

― Sean, Wednesday, 17 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sean, Paul Williams was indeed perfect as Swann, but dispicable seems a little harsh. Come on,he was the Brian Wilson figure for best puppet band of all time, Dr Teeth & the Electric Mayhem.

― bryan, Wednesday, 17 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Aurora borealis/Shining down on Dallas/CAN YOU PICTURE THAT?"

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 17 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

Woooo, now you're talking. Those songs are great, 3 of my bands have covered 3 different songs with dependably great results. The movie doesn't wear quite so well over time, and some of the tunes were kinda stupid, but...real meaty, stick-to-your-ribs songwriting was there in spades. "Beef" coulda been Jobriath, too! (wasn't)

― Matt Riedl (veal), Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

Saw this last night - hilarious movie, camp, twisted and dated, but excellent. Recording contracts with clauses that say "All items which are excluded shall be deemed included."

And a glam star called Beef who claims "I know drug real from real real."

― piers (piers), Thursday, 2 September 2004 01:10 (twenty-one years ago)

what a completely insane movie

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 2 September 2004 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic. I saw it at BAM Theatres complete with a cast Q&A, then last year Paul Williams revived a couple songs complete with props at his Losers Lounge tribute. Features probably the greatest Faust-inspired song ever, by the way.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Thursday, 2 September 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't imagine why I haven't already seen this film, being a fan of both Paul Williams and crappy 70s glam-rock operas. I even like Lisztomania!

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 2 September 2004 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

That goofy dance Jessica Harper caps her audition off with is blazing hot.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 2 September 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Are there any rock musicals NOT based on "Faust"?
and on that note,
"Get this fag out of here."

― sexyDancer, Thursday, 2 September 2004 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Haven't seen it. But if it's anything like most of his other films, expect it's fulla fancy-shmancy camerawork, illogical plot holes, Hitchcock steals (or homages, whatever), and lousy actors and/or good actors giving unusually bad performances. Might be fun to look at, so long as you don't take it seriously, or even pay much attention. And kill the sound if that insufferable little dwarf threatens to sing.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 2 September 2004 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

oh man, I love Paul Williams' voice. It's his choice of material that usually pushes me away (unless he's writing Muppets songs, which are all AWESOME)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 2 September 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Go straight to hell, Myonga Von Bontee.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 2 September 2004 18:31 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

"You know how I abhor perfection in anyone but myself."

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Thursday, 4 January 2007 23:09 (eighteen years ago)

yeah this movie's fun - too bad Paul Williams seems to have saved all his decent-to-great film songs for the Muppet Movie and Bugsy Malone.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 4 January 2007 23:18 (eighteen years ago)

and the monkees and the carpenters.

― chaki (chaki), Thursday, 4 January 2007 23:19 (eighteen years ago)

IT'S A CONTATA

― Dr. Alicia D. Titsovich (sexyDancer), Thursday, 4 January 2007 23:20 (eighteen years ago)

BEEF: *screams off-key* [makes face, checks sheet music] *screams off-key*

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Thursday, 4 January 2007 23:26 (eighteen years ago)

wtf I had no idea Williams originally penned "We've Only Just Begun" for a fucking BANK COMMERCIAL.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 4 January 2007 23:35 (eighteen years ago)

Definite classic.

― Harpal (harpal), Friday, 5 January 2007 00:40 (eighteen years ago)

One of the greatest. T.O.N.T.O. FFS! In some ways the most bizarre of Fox's "underground" trilogy (This, Rocky Horror & Beyond the Valley of the Dolls).

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 5 January 2007 01:29 (eighteen years ago)

Wow! I put it on my Netflix queue this morning. Stay tuned...

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 5 January 2007 01:37 (eighteen years ago)

Netflix said if I liked PotP I'd also like the original Dawn of the Dead. New favorite theoretical double feature ever!

― f. scott baio (nate_patrin), Friday, 5 January 2007 03:20 (eighteen years ago)

Damn, I'd go see that double bill in a theater full-price.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 5 January 2007 03:38 (eighteen years ago)

How about a Phantom/Muppet Movie/Dawn of the Dead triple-bill?

― f. scott baio (nate_patrin), Friday, 5 January 2007 03:39 (eighteen years ago)

See, the problem with that is that every experience after that movie-wise could never compete.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 5 January 2007 03:41 (eighteen years ago)

I should get DotD on DVD. I have Phantom and The Muppet Movie. Just about to watch the Paul Williams episode of The Muppet Show, btw.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Friday, 5 January 2007 03:56 (eighteen years ago)

I saw this movie when I was 6, on a double feature with Young Frankenstein. Why did they let a 6 year old in to see this movie?! Filled with unexplaneable images - - It left irrepareable damage, of course. Totally classic.

http://www.commeaucinema.com/images/galerie/big/5684_PHANTOM-OF-THE-PARADISE-04%5B.jpg

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Friday, 5 January 2007 05:22 (eighteen years ago)

"And Numan played keyboard, jamming good with Weird and Gilly..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 5 January 2007 05:25 (eighteen years ago)

So basically dude is Gary Wright + Darth Vader? Sweet.

― f. scott baio (nate_patrin), Friday, 5 January 2007 05:53 (eighteen years ago)

The Crow -- The Musical!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 5 January 2007 05:58 (eighteen years ago)

this movie is SO SO SO CLASSIC

― children of mentalists (get bent), Friday, 5 January 2007 06:26 (eighteen years ago)

It's true, this is an awesome piece of deranged 70s filmmaking, and Mr De Palma's best film, and I don't like Brian De Palma or musicals! Also, thanks to this thread for reminding me that I was talking about this film over xmasz and that I need to source it on DVD. Yay ILM!

― myopic_void (myopic_void), Friday, 5 January 2007 11:09 (eighteen years ago)

it pissed all over Phantom Of The Park...

― hank (hank s), Friday, 5 January 2007 14:56 (eighteen years ago)

trivia bit: dude who plays the Phantom appears as the Dahlia-killer in DePalma's "Black Dahlia" - instantly recognizable mug that guy has.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 5 January 2007 19:49 (eighteen years ago)

he went school with DeP.

― Dr. Alicia D. Titsovich (sexyDancer), Friday, 5 January 2007 20:08 (eighteen years ago)

1st time i saw this ... blew my mind

Tried watching again ... thought it was total shit. The product of too much cocaine and not enough original material. Albeit the concept of originality can easily be brought into question, functionally you get what i mean.

As far as Phantom of the Opera homages go ... Opera by Argento! It's more fun!

― Cameron Octigan (Cameron Octigan), Friday, 5 January 2007 20:27 (eighteen years ago)

Just finished watching this and not only did I enjoy it, I flipped out at one particular scene, the "timebomb in the trunk" bit -- one of the other DVDs I have at home from NetFlix, coincidentally enough, being Touch of Evil.

― rock and roll for the rock and roll soul (nate_patrin), Sunday, 7 January 2007 22:05 (eighteen years ago)

I showed this to my parents this weekend and they loved it, particularly the Beef/Phantom toilet plunger shower scene and the Beef/Philbin "I know drug real from real real" scene directly after. As for songs, I think my Dad dug the opening Juicy Fruits number the best.

They only knew who Paul Williams was from Smokey and the Bandit, but I filled them in on Muppets/Carpenters/Three Dog Night etc.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 7 January 2007 22:30 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

Carburetors man, that's what life is all about.

― marmotwolof, Thursday, 22 February 2007 03:48 (eighteen years ago)

bryan on Monday, April 15, 2002 7:00 PM (4 years ago)

awesmoe.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 22 February 2007 03:50 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

Erm... HOW CAN I FIND THIS FILM?!??!!?

Is it out on DVD?

Just the trailer makes it look like the best film ever made... (I was just googling T.O.N.T.O. and this came up...

― tenori-pr0n (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 4 February 2009 18:36 (sixteen years ago)

i too discovered this classic while googling t.o.n.t.o.

and yeah i have it on dvd. should be pretty easy to find for around 10 bucks.

― akaky akakievich, Wednesday, 4 February 2009 21:54 (sixteen years ago)

"Wow! I put it on my Netflix queue this morning. Stay tuned...

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 5 January 2007 01:37 (2 years ago)"

uh, Soto, your report is due...

― beta blog, Wednesday, 4 February 2009 22:32 (sixteen years ago)

It looks great but oddly the music totally fails (and I am in general a huge fan of Paul Williams' other musical work). Also its too long. Kinda worth it for the setpieces alone though.

― Courtney Love's Jew Loan Officer (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 4 February 2009 23:40 (sixteen years ago)

^ realest possible criticism. it's a cool movie, but fucked by shitty music (that the film grossly overindulges) and hilarity-killing bloat. too bad, cuz the great is GREAT.

― Calling All Creeps! (contenderizer), Wednesday, 4 February 2009 23:45 (sixteen years ago)

this is on karagarga - no seeders tho

Déborah Znaty - Paradise Regained: Brian de Palma's 'Phantom of the Paradise' (2006)

exclusive bonus material from the DVD of the new french edition of Brian de Palma's great movie : Phantom of the Paradise

- a 50 minutes interview, Paradise regained, where the principal cast members recall their first meetings with De Palma, working on the film, and then the repurcussions afterward, providing many anecdotes along the way.
- a 9-minute doc focuses on costume designer Rosanna Norton, who contradicts Finley's memory of the origin of the Phantom mask's design.
- two trailers, the shorter of which includes a gorier version of Winslow's damaged face than was seen in the film's final cut.
- also Finley provides a "useless, but funny" 30-second fake ad for a Phantom figurine

― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 4 February 2009 23:53 (sixteen years ago)

"I want you to stop terrorizing the Paradise and rewrite your cantata!" lol

Beef = Jobriath, Swan = Elton, and there's an Alice Cooper piss-take in there, but who is the Phantom supposed to be? David flippin' Bowie?

― snoball, Wednesday, 4 February 2009 23:59 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

I saw this yesterday, the opening sequence with The Juicy Fruits is incredible

― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:27 (sixteen years ago)

This came out when I was four. The ads scared the living shit out of me. I've never seen it, and part of me doesn't want to, because I know it will be cheesy and not scary at all and will ruin that memory for me.

― Bill Magill, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:29 (sixteen years ago)

Five years after my last post: I didn't go straight to hell as Eric H. suggested, but I did catch the first hour or so of this film a few months back & was kinda liking it...too bad I fell asleep before I could see it all. (Tiredness, not boredom.)

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Wednesday, 8 April 2009 04:02 (sixteen years ago)

'the hell of it' could basically be in BUGSY MALONE. so ace obviously but... this film is HORRIBLE.

― piscesx, Wednesday, 8 April 2009 05:26 (sixteen years ago)

two years pass...

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 20 August 2011 02:12 (fourteen years ago)

Horrible does not in any way exclude the possibility that it is immeasurably entertaining. Netflix is delivering it to me (again) tomorrow.

― Matt M., Saturday, 20 August 2011 02:42 (fourteen years ago)

"Some material may not be suitable for teenagers" you're darn tootin.

― piscesx, Saturday, 20 August 2011 03:39 (fourteen years ago)

*Pre teenagers! it was a PG! heckfire...

― piscesx, Saturday, 20 August 2011 03:40 (fourteen years ago)

Beef = Jobriath, Swan = Elton, and there's an Alice Cooper piss-take in there, but who is the Phantom supposed to be?

Randy Newman, no? I think he talked about his Faust idea for decades before actually doing it. Also Beef seems more like Alice Cooper to me.

― the wheelie king (wk), Saturday, 20 August 2011 05:43 (fourteen years ago)

eight years pass...

Watching this on FXM right now--preposterous, but a beautiful and ambitious flop. Bonus: the sequence where the Phantom breaks out of prison and into Death Records is a homage to slapstick, with suitable accompaniment.

― Infanta Terrible (j.lu), Sunday, 16 August 2020 18:14 (five years ago)

BEEF

― muntjac wagner (Neanderthal), Monday, 17 August 2020 03:08 (five years ago)

one year passes...

https://silver.afi.com/Browsing/Movies/Details/f-0100000692

A screening at AFI Silver, with a "live shadowcast by Bloody Mayhem Theatrical." Does this pique anyone else's interest?

Swan = Elton

I thought the character was a mashup of Truman Capote and Andy Warhol.

― Infanta Terrible (j.lu), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 22:25 (three years ago)

BEEF

― Gymnopédie Pablo (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 15 June 2022 01:54 (three years ago)

Swan's biography is probably closer to Phil Spector than any other real-life figure.

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 15 June 2022 02:37 (three years ago)

eight months pass...

Watched this for the first time a couple weeks ago. Today, in the midst of an early 1990s alt-rock phase I'm going through, I decided to listen to Stone Temple Pilots' Core for the first time. I can't stop picturing Beef singing these songs.

― peace, man, Saturday, 4 March 2023 21:53 (two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.