Review of Phantom of the Paradise (1974) by Tom B — 21 Dec 2009
Saw when I was 13, changed me forever. From the moment Rod Serling introduces it like an episode of The Twilight Zone, it had me. Best rock movie ever made. As I was reading elsewhere, a genuine capture of the 70s rock scene.
Also a delirious cinematic extravaganza of film references and gaffs. In terms of psychology, De Palma's split screen here perhaps mirrors split nature of hero, on one hand mutiliated outcast craving love and recognition from Harper, and on other, seductive impresario who's made a deal with the devil.
The references to birds alone is a feast of psychoanalytic silliness in the Hitchcock tradition (Swann, Phoenix, and Winslow's mask are all birds, and the many birds throughout, rising from the ashes, harpies, etc.
). William Finley steals the show playing Winslow Leach, hard-luck composer who falls in love with the girl of his dreams, who spurns him for rock fame and fortune, seduced by the villain who is responsible for Winslow's sad demise in a record-pressing machine.
It just goes on and on how many associations one can make about this movie. At heart, some genuinely gorgeous pop songs, zipping across pop genres as sleekly as De Palma's narrative zips across narrative tropes from half-a-dozen Gothic fantasy elements.
In its own way, this one caps the era of the music industry as it was, the rock extravaganza of Dionysian excess, perhaps even caps the 70s before even making it halfway through the decade (great art always ahead of it's time?).
Forget Grease, Rocky Horror, or any other rock movie: this is the one that gives its soul to rock and roll.
This review of Phantom of the Paradise (1974) was written by Tom B on 21 Dec 2009.
Phantom of the Paradise has generally received positive reviews.
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