Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 movie directed by Brian De Palma.
WHAT HAPPENS?
A disfigured composer trades his soul to an evil record producer to have his music heard.
ONE LINE REVIEW
Phantom of the Paradise is an eclectic, campy, bizarre, brilliant and beautiful work of art.
THE ACTORS
Paul Williams stars as the enigmatic record producer Swan, who is searching to find “a new sound” to open his rock theatre, The Paradise. Williams is a smarmy, manipulative creation – an ode to rock n’ roll Machiavellian power brokers. He easily discards as human collateral the pop sensations he creates. Yet, there’s a goofy vulnerability underlying his character – Williams lustfully grins as the Phantom’s murderous rampage causes a ratings sensation.
William Finley plays the Phantom, largely to comic effect. It’s a campy, physically ludicrous character in a movie that never takes itself too seriously. Finley contorts his awkward body into cramped, dystopian hallways and fires comic-shaped lightning bolts from among the rafters of Swan’s theatre.
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