Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writer:

Brian De Palma (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Music | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

The music made him do it!

Plot:

A disfigured musician sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music.

Plot Keywords:

Faust | Contract | Singer | Composer | Split Screen

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

William Finley	...	Winslow / The Phantom
Paul Williams	...	Swan
Jessica Harper	...	Phoenix
Gerrit Graham	...	Beef
George Memmoli	...	Philbin
Archie Hahn	...	The Juicy Fruits / The Beach Bums / The Undeads
Jeffrey Comanor	...	The Juicy Fruits / The Beach Bums / The Undeads
Peter Elbling	...	The Juicy Fruits / The Beach Bums / The Undeads (as Harold Oblong)
Colin Cameron	...	Band
David Garland	...	Band
Gary Mallaber	...	Band
Art Munson	...	Band
Mary Margaret Amato	...	Swan's Entourage
Rand Bridges	...	Swan's Entourage
James Bohan	...	Swan's Entourage
Herb Pacheco	...	Assassin
Jennifer Ashley	...	Groupie
Janit Baldwin	...	Groupie
Janus Blythe	...	Groupie (as Janis Eve Lynn)
Katherine Mastellos	...	Groupie
Robin Mattson	...	Groupie
Patrice Rohmer	...	Groupie
Ruthy Ross	...	Groupie (as Ruthey Ross)
Cheryl Smith	...	Groupie
April Troy	...	Groupie
Walter Foster	...	Cop
Peter Harrell	...	Cop
Troy Haskins	...	Judge
Gene Gross	...	Warden
Henry Calvert	...	Nightwatchman
Ken Carpenter	...	Stagehand
Sam Forney	...	Stagehand
Leslie Brewer	...	Surfgirl
Celia Derr	...	Surfgirl
Linda Larimer	...	Surfgirl
Roseanne Romine	...	Surfgirl
Nydia Amagas	...	Dancer
Sara Ballantine	...	Dancer
Kristi Bird	...	Dancer
Cathy Buttner	...	Dancer
Linda Cox	...	Dancer
Jane DeFord	...	Dancer
Bibi Hansen	...	Dancer
Robin Jeep	...	Dancer
Deen Summers	...	Dancer
Judy Washington	...	Dancer
Susan Weiser	...	Dancer
Janet Savarino	...	Singing Twin
Jean Savarino	...	Singing Twin
Keith Allison	...	Country & Western Singer
Bobby Birkenfeld	...	Guy
Sandy Catton	...	Black Singers (as Sandy Catton & friends)
William Donovan	...	Reporter
Edmund Lane	...	Reporter (as Scott Lane)
Dennis Olivieri	...	Reporter
Adam Wade	...	Reporter
Nancy Moses	...	Back-Up Singer
Diana Walden	...	Back-Up Singer
Sherri Adeline	...	Girl in Ticket Line
Carol O'Leary	...	Betty Lou
Marty Bongfeldt	...	Mini-bopper (as Marty Bongfeld)
Coleen Crudden	...	Mini-bopper
Bridgett Dunn	...	Mini-bopper
William Shephard	...	Rock Freak
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shelly Desai	...	Dental Health Volunteer #1 (uncredited)
Ray Kennedy	...	Beef (singing voice) (uncredited)
Rod Serling	...	Introductory Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Brian De Palma

Writing credits
Brian De Palma		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Arciaga	....	associate producer
Gustave M. Berne	....	executive producer (as Gustave Berne)
Jeffrey L. Hayes	....	associate producer (as Jeffrey Hayes)
Paul Lewis	....	associate producer
Edward R. Pressman	....	producer
Lynn Pressman-Raymond	....	assistant producer (as Lynn Raymond)
Bill Scott	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Paul Williams

Cinematography by
Larry Pizer		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Paul Hirsch

Casting by
Sylvia Fay
Gino Havens
Peggy Taylor

Production Design by
Jack Fisk

Costume Design by
Rosanna Norton

Makeup Department
John Chambers	....	makeup designer
Rolf Miller	....	makeup artist
Anna Sugano	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Gary Kent	....	unit manager
Thomas Lightburn	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael J. Dmytryk	....	assistant director (as Michael Dmytryk)
Robert Enrietto	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Michel Levesque	....	construction coordinator (as Michael Levesque)
Erik L. Nelson	....	property master (as Erik Nelson)
Sissy Spacek	....	set dresser
Brian Swain	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Harriet Fidlow	....	assistant sound editor (as Harriet Glickstein)
Al Gramaglia	....	sound mixer
Dan Sable	....	sound editor
David Schneiderman	....	boom operator
James M. Tanenbaum	....	sound (as James Tanenbaum)

Special Effects by
Greg Auer	....	special effects

Stunts
Andy Epper	....	stunt double: Winslow (as Andrew Epper)
James Gambino	....	stunt double: Swan
Jim Lovelett	....	stunt double: Winslow
Steven Richmond	....	stunt double: Swan

Camera and Electrical Department
John L. Black	....	grip (as John Black)
Terry Bowen	....	second assistant camera
Richard Cronn	....	best boy
Sean Doyle	....	assistant camera
Robert Elfstrom	....	special photography for wedding
Cary Griffith	....	grip
Tim Griffith	....	gaffer
Maurice Horton	....	electrician
Bruce Kaye	....	second assistant camera
Paul Marcus	....	electrician
Jack Palinkas	....	key grip
James Signorelli	....	special photography for wedding
Darryl Smith	....	electrician
Mike Taylor	....	grip
Ronnie Taylor	....	camera operator (as Ronald Taylor)
Philip Sloan	....	electrician: Dallas (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peter Jamison	....	associate costume designer

Editorial Department
Paul Hirsch	....	montage

Music Department
Michael Arciaga	....	music supervisor
Jules Chaikin	....	music supervisor
John Fox	....	assistant music editor
Ed Norton	....	music editor
George Aliceson Tipton	....	composer: additional score
George Aliceson Tipton	....	conductor: additional scoring
Paul Williams	....	music producer

Other crew
Alexa Bodrero	....	assistant to director
Ken Carpenter	....	production assistant
Judith Cohen	....	production secretary
Adrian Cumming	....	production assistant
J. Daniel Dusek	....	production assistant (as Dan Dusek)
Peter Elbling	....	choreographer (as Harold Oblong)
Karen Gilbert	....	production assistant
Deborah Howe	....	assistant to producer
Cassandra Kaye	....	script supervisor
William Shephard	....	choreographer for wedding
Stanley Weiser	....	production assistant
Edward Summer	....	marketing consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Harbor Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-MGM Film (1975) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox-Lira (1975) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Japan (199?) (Japan) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (laserdisc)
• Capelight Pictures (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Key Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Oregon Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Video Film Express (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• A&M Records  original soundtrack available on
• Centaur Music Productions  electronic music synthesizer furnished by (as Centaur Music Productions Inc. at The Record Plant)
• Filmusic  music supervision
• Magno Sound  sound mixing
• Optical House, The  opticals
• Soundlabs  music recorded at (as Soundlabs, Hollywood)

Also Known As:

Phantom (USA) (working title)
Phantom of the Fillmore (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Movielab)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Iceland:14 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1996) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Harbor Productions

Trivia:

Director Brian De Palma originally considered the popular group Sha-Na-Na for the roles of the Juicy Fruits, but the group was not only very big at the time, but he found them too difficult to work with.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the bathtub, Swan mentions that Saturday, November 19, 1953, was the day he wanted to commit suicide. 19 November 1953 was on a Thursday.

Quotes:

Beef: There really is a phantom. He was just in my shower. He threatened my life. He said his music was for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Doogie Howser, M.D.: It's a Wonderful Laugh (#3.12)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Faust

Belongs in The Unnamable Top-Ten List with "This is Spinal Tap"

My father wouldn't let me see this in 1974 (I was 11) and I recall him reporting a coworker's opinion that the film should have been rated "R."

So finally, in 2005, I see the film at age 42.

The film is disturbing on a variety of levels. First and foremost, I realized that most of the players are now in their late 50's and 60's. Disturbing, why? Well, because there's a band out there called "the Undead" (Bobby Steele, ex-Misfits) who, turns out, stole (or did he?) his name from Phantom of the Paradise's "the Undeads" Likewise, the Undeads in this film were doing in 1974 what Scandinavian death metal bands _started_ doing in the early 1990's. Furthermore, did the Damned's Dave Vanian rip off the Undead's gimmick?

I felt uneasy realizing that, had I seen the movie when it came out, I probably wouldn't have gotten any of the jokes; I wouldn't have laughed out loud at Beef, the lesbian jokes, the parody of self-important wimpy rockers. And I wouldn't have appreciated the successful composite of Phantom of the Opera, Faust, Picture of Dorian Gray, etc.

The acting is top-notch - the only way "camp" gets laughs. Paul Williams's Swan is the most black-hearted villain I've seen.

The wait was worth it for me on this one.