Phantom of the Paradise

I really wanted to like “Phantom of the Paradise”. I’ve got many friends that have fallen in love with it and at the video store I work at I frequently get requests for the film. Despite my best shot, this one’s just not for me. Maybe my expectations were too high, or I had the wrong impression going in. If that’s the case, I apologize and will gladly view it again. To me, the acting isn’t particularly strong, the plot is muddled and the music - what should have been the saving grace – isn’t impressive.

This Brian De Palma film is a glam rock opera loosely adapted from “Phantom of the Opera”. When Winslow Leach (William Finley) sees his songs stolen by an unscrupulous music producer named Swan (Paul Williams, looking like a cabbage patch kid with rosy glasses and a blond wig) he attempts to get revenge. Instead, he winds up disfigured and working for the man that ruined him in the first place. Outraged when gimmicky performances butcher his orchestral masterpiece, the Phantom makes it his mission to get his beloved Phoenix (Jessica Harper) in the spotlight or kill everyone that would stand in the way of his dream.

The story meanders and doesn’t focus on what you want to see. When it does, it just reminds you of better movies. I sat there, waiting for this plot to finally kick-start. Why so much screen time dedicated to the Phantom before he turns into the Phantom? There’s a difference between seeing a movie where the hero is slowly building up his identity as a masked vigilante, and one like this where the guy is floundering around, waiting for inspiration. In “Phantom of the Paradise”, you really have to wait an eternity to see the titular character. In fact, when the picture opens, you spot a mysterious figure overseeing a bunch of performers on stage. I was absolutely convinced that this person was The Phantom until I realized that this was actually the villain, Swan. You mean the guy at the piano, the one ready to get ripped off, the colossal loser, is the one we’re supposed to cheer for? I can get behind an underdog but even I have my limits. The only reason I came over to his side is that the blonde-haired freak of an antagonist is an unlikable bully. Picking on a guy that doesn’t learn his lesson after being tricked out of his music once and still comes back to you? It’s like stealing candy from a baby.

A lot of the numbers in this musical aren’t particularly memorable. The main characters do not perform them either. Maybe it’s a movie that gets better with repeat viewings, or that you come to appreciate more once you’ve memorized the songs, but the only tune that I really found striking was the one featured during the end titles, “The Hell of It”. I’ve seen movies where singers or even sports stars were used as actors. This felt like wannabee actors being cast as singers. I hate to liken this film to another in the off-chance that you haven’t seen it, but compare the Phantom to Dr. Frank-N-Furter from “Rocky Horror Picture Show”. In that role, Tim Curry is bold, he’s outrageous and he’s memorable. He makes the movie awesome. Aside from looking cool, what does The Phantom have to make him stand out?

To all of you cultists out there, I’m sorry. I just don’t get it. The Phantom looks terrific and has an iconic look. The sets are very cool and there are some neat references to other horror movies like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, “Faust” and “Frankenstein” included. Other than that, forget it. This is no classic, and even the songs are nothing special. It’s going off in all kinds of confused directions and unless you’ve either grown up with the picture or been forced to watch it so many times that you’ve become numb to what’s bad about it, I don’t feel like there’s much reason to recommend “Phantom of the Paradise”. (On DVD, May 15, 2015)