It didn’t take long for Phantom of the Paradise (1974) to earn a “What the fuck am I watching?” from me. The intro is very early Punk but the movie immediately goes to a Fifties teddy boy crooner. Phantom jumps around a lot musically and contains just about every kind of genre there is. Phantom of the Paradise is called a “rock opera” but it’s a lot more than that.
Phantom of the Paradise, in a way, is like every movie about the evils of "making it" and, at the same time, like nothing else you’ll ever see. You’ve got a little Breaking Glass, a little Tommy, and a little Almost Famous.
Oh, did I memtion The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
There are a lot of similarities between Phantom of the Paradise and The Rocky Horror Picture Show and only about a year between them. Keep an eye out especially for the outside shot of the old mansion. They’re very similar. But, I’ll come back to all that later.
Right, so let’s talk about the very simple plot that doesn’t do Phantom any justice. Phantom of the Paradise tells the story of poor Winslow (William Finley) who just wants the world to hear his music but gets taken for a ride by the evil label, Death Records. Swan (Paul Williams) and his henchman, Philben (George Memmoli), promise Winslow the world but just screw him over.
Like I said, every movie about the record industry, right?
Jessica Harper’s Phoenix doesn’t fare any better. She just wants the chance to sing but Swan and his cronies aren’t interested in her voice. Phoenix and the other girls are “auditioning” for a spot but Swan and Philben just to see who’s willing to fuck their way in. As they tell her when they send her away, “We’re not looking for singers, we’re looking for screamers.”
There are some pretty obvious references to both Faust and The Portrait of Dorian Gray happening here, in addition to the Phantom of the Opera reference implied by the title. And, yeah, Winslow ends up hideously deformed, hiding in the shadows behind a mask, and stalking the female lead. Very Phantom-esque.
Winslow’s cantata tells the story of Faust and, in a way, so does the movie itself. Like Faust, Winslow sells his soul to Swan who, we learn, has already sold his soul to the Devil. Swan's deal, though, wasn't for unlimited power but for the ability to remain young forever. His contract is in the form of a recording, which has to be destroyed to bring him down. (Like Dorian Gray.)
Honestly? I started to get majorly triggered watching Phantom until I realised that’s exactly the point. You’re supposed to get pissed at the treatment of women, at the racism, at the abuse of power. This is satire, baby, and its a heavy-hitter.
Even before his face is mangled, Winslow isn't much of a looker. His looks don't matter, though, because Swan doesn't want him; he wants the music. Anyone familiar with the likes of Mili Vanilli should be familiar with this concept. Remember how it worked out for them? Yeah, that.
One of the most telling moments of the movie comes near the beginning when the massively popular band, Juicy Fruits, finish playing. The band members (who can't stop molesting women long enough to perform) and the audience all stop to look up. Everyone waiting for the mysterious Swan to applaud is, obviously, a metaphor for the masses waiting for the critics to tell them what they like. Brutal!
Later, when hunky and gender fluid Beef (Gerrit Graham) buys it, the crowd cheers like mad. I'm gonna go back to the Rocky Horror thing here. Beef is pretty obviously in the transvestite mould and tell me he doesn't remind you a bit of Rocky when he's lowered onto the stage in that box! Not really the point I was going to make, just a tangent. So, so many similiarities.
So, the crowd chants for Beef after he dies. When Swan prepares to marry Phoenix on stage, the crowd goes wild. Then, he and Winslow die horribly and the freaking crowd goes nuts. The crowds cheer just as much for a death as they do a wedding. They doesn't care what kind of spectacle they gets, so long as they get a spectacle. Sounds about right...
Phantom of the Paradise is a scathing indictment of the very worst parts of the recording industry, from creation to consumption. The police and prisons are all owned by Swan. Everyone and every establishment is corrupt and no one tries to hide it. And, of course, the fans aren't any better. They're mindless, just hungry for scandal, sex, and blood.
Told you it was good satire, didn't I?
Why this movie is overlooked is beyond me. It should be every bit as huge as The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I can only blame it on the songs not quite being as catchy. It certainly has everything else. Personally, I like the songs. They are good, even if they're not get-stuck-in-your-head good.
If you haven’t seen Phantom of the Paradise, I really can’t recommend it enough. Yes, it's dated. Yes, it's hokey. Neither of those things matter a jot with this film, though. If anything, they just help raise it to cult-level fabulousness.
I asked Jay what he thought about Phantom of the Paradise (after I picked my jaw up off the floor) and this is what he said:
"It was a weird, kooky movie I never intended to watch. It was just on. I kept watching it because it was just mental. I had to be about thirteen so that means I saw it before The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They're similiar, you know. They’re both outrageous musicals -- although they’re both very different, they tap into the same things. They're both full of sexuality and push the limits of what's acceptable. If it wasn't for the music not quite being as good, Phantom of the Paradise would have been just as huge."Coming from the guy who used to make a "great Frank'N'Furter"... (By the way, if you have photos of my Beast as Frankie, send them to me! I'd love to get an eyeful of that!)
If you want to weigh in on this one, you know what to do. And, if you can recommend another movie like Phatom, do get in touch. I'm always up for weird little musicals!
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