Phantom of the Paradise (1974)There are some specific stories out there that, for me personally, have continually interested me, and has gotten me to watch many movies of varying quality. For instance, I've had such a love affair with The Wizard of Oz that I've seen everything from the 1939 classic to low rent cartoon sequels. Another one that has suckered me in is The Phantom of the Opera, a story that has captured me even to the point of me writing my own loose adaptation. This is one of those films that takes that story as its inspiration, and it a mixed bag indeed.
As I've mentioned, this film is inspired by Gaston Leroux's classic story, though it's certainly not a strict adaptation. Still, the basic parts are there, with Paul Williams as the ringleader of The Paradise, a grand rock-and-roll music hall. He hears the music from Winslow Leech (William Finley) and steals it. Winslow becomes the disfigured phantom who haunts the Paradise as well as taking the young ingenue named Phoenix.
It might be a bit surprising to hear that this is an early film from well-known filmmaker Brian De Palma. De Palma has never really been a filmmaker that I liked in a great sense. I feel like he makes memorable films, but with a few exceptions, many of them do not really work as a film. This film embodies a similar spirit, as the production unfortunately suffers from the bounds of low-budget filmmaking and the story is a hodgepodge of not only the original Phantom, but also Faust, Psycho, Frankenstein, Dorian Grey and many others. De Palma does have some inventiveness with the camera, but it usually amounts to more style than substance.
The real reason why I harbor any sort of enthusiasm for the film is because of the music. In addition to starring, Williams also composed the score and songs for the film, and I love the soundtrack. There's a good mix of upbeat '70s rock numbers with somber sonnets, and all of them are really great. It's also good that most of the songs aren't hitting the story exactly on the nose, and because there's a varying degree of styles, it makes for good listening that doesn't become boring. Williams eventually took an Oscar for scoring a film, but he had to settle with only a nomination for this one.
Williams, who went on to voice the Penguin on the "Batman" animated series, is an actor that isn't mesmerizing, but he is one that is quite memorable in what he needs to accomplish. He captures enough of the charm and villainy to make his character feel credible within the universe. Finley is convincing in the beginning of his role, but as soon as he is hid behind the mask, his ability to relate to the audience goes down the tubes, and the humanity is lost. Since the shift of the original story moves away from the relationship between the Phantom and the young woman, Phoenix, played by Jessica Harper, feels like a very underdeveloped character, leaving us to feel cheated by a pedestrian love story that forces a hollow performance.
This film was a big flop in its initial run, and then became a cult film. Like most cult films, there's a reason why it wasn't successful in the first place, and it's generally a valid reason. The movie isn't really that successful because of its lapses in successful storytelling and shallow performances. But people can find some love in it because of its campy persona and a really great soundtrack. I've certainly seen worse adaptations of this story (I'm looking at you, Andrew Lloyd Webber), but there's plenty that are better. Still, I sing along to it every time, which has to count for something.
B-
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