Phantom of the Paradise
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Movie Reviews of Phantom of the Paradise
Movie Review: Roll on Thunder and Shine on Lightning
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVED this movie when I saw it in the theatre waaaaay back in the 1970's and I appreciate it even more today. It's MUCH more than the B-grade "Phantom of the Opera" remake that most people believe it to be. It has everything you could want in a film: an evil puppetmaster pulling everyone's strings, an innocent maiden desperately in need of rescue, a masked hero dedicated to setting right the terrible wrong done to him and an egotistical rock star who must be taught a lesson in humility. And if all that wasn't enough, this film is chock full of wonderful music penned by the talented Paul Williams, wild production numbers, some incredibly high platform shoes and tons of double knit polyester. Yes, you name it, "The Phantom of the Paradise" has it. It has it ALL.
My advice to anyone thinking about adding this "guilty pleasure" dvd to their collection is DO IT NOW before this gem, once again, disappears back into dark reaches of Swan's vault. You won't regret it. Trust me.
"Roll on thunder, shine on lighting
the days are long and the nights are frightening
Nothing matters anyway and that's the Hell of it..."
Movie Review: revenge of the nerds
Summary: 5 Stars
Phantom Of The Paradise is perhaps one of the most unusual and intriguing films i've ever come to know. it is one the most creative spectacles of Brian DePalma's lengthy career, and may very well be his best film to date. on the surface, it is a send-up of Glam Rock, Faust, and Phantom Of The Opera. in reality, it is a film about getting revenge on those who have hurt us, as shown in the dynamic story of the nerdy and disgruntled composer Winslow Leach (whose Phantom outfit and make-up could easily have been the predecessor to the Goth Rock era of the 80's) wreaking havoc on the devilish (and that terms comes in quite handy here) record tycoon Swan for stealing Leach's 'Faust' cantata and basically destroying Leach's life (and appearance). talk about persistance: Leach will stop at nothing to terrorize Swan, and even dabbles in arson (blowing up the set design during one of the 'Faust' rehearsals) and murder (electrocuting over-the-top singer Beef mid-performance)to get his point across: one should never f**k with a 'somewhat' dead man's music. and i prove my point by concluding that Phantom Of The Paradise is a wonder to behold.Movie Review: Strange Hybrid is Strangely Compelling
Summary: 5 Stars
Talk about a strange brew... a mixture of horror, comedy, rock music, unrequited love and fantasy. A songwriter's music is stollen by a promoter (Paul Williams) who has the writer thown in jail, beaten and almost killed. The songwriter returns as the "phantom" and haunts the rock palace of the promoter.It's hard to recommend this movie to someone. If they like the music, they may hate the horror elements, or visa versa. But if you're a child of the seventies, this will probably appeal to you.
First off: the music is excellent. It was written by Paul Williams, who also sings some of the songs. It was nominated for an Academy Award (it is also available on CD).
Next: If you like Brian Depalma, with his split screens, mood lighting and quick cuts, it's all here.
Also: Jessica Harper, in her film debut as the love interest, is great, and she does her own singing. Gerrit Graham is absolutely hysterical as "Beef" the glam rock KISS wannabe.
A truely strange film that will appeal to the more adventurous, but if you like a happy ending, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Movie Review: Essential for any cult movie fan!
Summary: 5 Stars
As a child I remember watching this movie several times on cable tv. I never quite understood what was going on, but I loved the songs & the costumes. When I got older I managed to catch it once again & well in love with it all over again. Like others have said, it might not have aged as well or be as famous as other cult films of the era are, but it is one of the best out there.
The plotline follows that of several tales (Faust, Dorian Grey, Phantom of the Opera) as the main character of Winslow Leach writes his music & finds a girl, only to lose both to the demonic music producer Swan. While trying to regain his music, Winslow becomes damaged by a record press & hides in Swan's new music house "The Paradise". From there the movie hits full gear & some of the best numbers can be heard.
For the most part this movie is a joy to watch. It's quite obviously a satire of many different types of singing genres & stories, but it can still be taken seriously for the most part. Some will be a bit turned off by how dated the movie feels, but it's worth sticking around for.
Movie Review: An uproarious, rip-roaring satire of the record industry
Summary: 5 Stars
An uproarious, rip-roaring satire of the record industry, a veritable gem! This movie is to the recording industry what 'Life of Brian' is to the Bible, 'The Producer' is to Nazi Germany, 'Spitting Image' is to parliamentary politics in London, 'Dark Star' is to '2001 A Space Odyssey', 'Galaxy Quest' to Star Trek .... you get the message! A ruthless, absolutely tongue-in-absolute-cheek savagely funny dig of the musical industry set to great (satirical) music, with everyone acting in it hamming it up violently and with great relish. Borrowing from the Faustian myth but remade in the mode of Phantom of the Opera, this is a deeply dark rollicking fun fun FUN!!!! And how mod mod MOD it is! Oooh it just oooozes style and raw panache. Gawd this is GOOOOD! I'd pay twenty bucks just to see 'Beef' perform as the Frankenstein monster in this movie. GERRIT NOW NOW NOW!!!! I would give it seven stars but this webpage only let me go up to 5.... Priceless!