Phantom of the Paradise
Original movie poster
Directed by	Brian De Palma
Produced by	Edward R. Pressman
Written by	Brian De Palma
Starring	Paul Williams William Finley Jessica Harper George Memmoli
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	October 31, 1974
Running time	92 min.
Language	English
Budget	$1,300,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 muscial, horror-thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Grey and Faust. The film was marketed with the tagline He's been maimed and framed, beaten, robbed and mutilated. But they still can't keep him from the woman he loves. Initially a box office failure and panned by critics, it has since gained a cult following. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (450x683, 60 KB) Summary movie poster for the American theatrical release of the film Phantom of the Paradise(1974) Source URL:http://www. ... Brian De Palma Brian De Palma (born September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is an Italian-American film director. ... Edward R. Pressman (born 1943) is a film producer. ... Brian De Palma Brian De Palma (born September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is an Italian-American film director. ... Paul Hamilton Williams (born September 19, 1940, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American composer, songwriter, and actor. ... William Finley is an American actor that has been in such movies as Phantom of the Paradise, Sisters, and The Wedding Party. ... Jessica Harper (born October 10, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress and producer. ... Fox Plaza, the company headquarters. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... See also: 1973 in film 1974 1975 in film 1970s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in USA May 1 - George Lucas creates the first draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ... The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Thriller films are movies that primarily use action and suspense to engage the audience. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Brian De Palma Brian De Palma (born September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is an Italian-American film director. ... The title character as depicted by Lon Chaney, Sr. ... The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or Notre-Dame of Paris (in French, Notre-Dame de Paris) is a novel first published in 1831 by the prolific French author Victor Hugo. ... VHS cover for the 1945 film version showing Hurd Hatfield (centre) as Gray, Donna Reed (left) as Gladys Hallward, Angela Lansbury (right) as Sibyl Vane and George Sanders (background) as Lord Henry Wotton The Picture of Dorian Gray, the only novel by Oscar Wilde, was first published in 1890 and... Faust (Latin Faustus) is the protagonist of a popular German tale of a pact with the Devil, assumed to be based on the figure of the German magician and alchemist Dr. Johann Georg Faust (approximately 1480–1540). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Plot summary

The story follows a music composer and singer named Winslow Leach (played by William Finley). Winslow's pop cantata "Faust" is stolen by Satanic record producer, Swan (played by Paul Williams). Winslow tries to get it back, and along the way falls for Phoenix, an aspiring singer (played by Jessica Harper). Swan orders his minions to frame Winslow for drug dealing. A composer is a person who writes music. ... William Finley is an American actor that has been in such movies as Phantom of the Paradise, Sisters, and The Wedding Party. ... Cantata (Italian for a song or story set to music), a vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement. ... Faust (Latin Faustus) is the protagonist of a popular German tale of a pact with the Devil, assumed to be based on the figure of the German magician and alchemist Dr. Johann Georg Faust (approximately 1480–1540). ... Gustave Dorés depiction of Satan from John Miltons Paradise Lost Satan, from the Hebrew word for accuser (Standard Hebrew: , Satan Tiberian Hebrew ; Koine Greek: , Satanás; Aramaic: , ; Arabic: , , Geez: Sāyṭān), is a term with its origins in the Abrahamic faiths which is traditionally applied to... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... Paul Hamilton Williams (born September 19, 1940, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American composer, songwriter, and actor. ... Jessica Harper (born October 10, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress and producer. ...

In prison, after his teeth are removed and replaced with metal, Winslow goes berserk, escapes and tries to destroy Swan's record factory. His face is mutilated and voice ruined in a record press accident. Winslow sneaks into Swan's concert hall, the Paradise, and wears a mask and dark costume so he can terrorize Swan's musicians.

Winslow confronts Swan, who offers the composer the chance to have his music produced and the return of his voice, in exchange for signing a contract in blood. Winslow agrees, on the condition that Phoenix is the lead singer.

Swan becomes infatuated with Phoenix, but breaks the deal and puts a gay male prima donna named Beef (Gerrit Graham) in the lead of Winslow's "Faust". Winslow kills Beef, then learns that Swan made a Pact with the Devil twenty years ago for eternal life. The contract means that Winslow can't die unless Swan dies too. Look up Prima donna in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gerrit Graham (born: 27 November 1949 in New York, New York) is an American actor and writer. ... The widespread cultural meme Pact with the Devil, familiar in the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles is an element in many folktales. ...

The story ends with Winslow crashing Swan's wedding to Phoenix (at which Swan plans to have Phoenix assassinated) and exposing him as a monster on live television. Both men are killed.

Trivia

• Sissy Spacek, the set dresser for the film, later went on to star in another Brian De Palma-directed film, Carrie.
• The songs on the soundtrack were composed by Paul Williams.
• Jessica Harper (Phoenix) also starred in the less popular sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treatment.
• Some sequences in the film, particularly the opening night show at the Paradise, were filmed at the historic Majestic Theater in downtown Dallas, Texas.
• A small group of fans puts on an event called Phantompalooza in the city of Winnipeg in celebration of the film's unique success in the city.
• Swan's record label, "Death Records," was to have been a subsidiary of the larger "Swan Song Enterprises" but the "Swan Song" name had to be removed in post-production once the production was threatened by the rightsholders in the real Swan Song Records. Most instances of "Swan Song" were removed or covered over in post-production, but a few Swan Song signs are visible here and there.
• The Devil is always trying to steal Winslow Leach's music, and parts of his "Faust" theme (albeit twisted into vacuous pop music) even appear in the Juicy Fruits song "Upholstery."
• When the character of Winslow Leach becomes the Phantom, his "synthetic" singing voice which the devil creates is actually that of Paul Williams.
• Paul Williams guested in the TV movie The Hardy Boys Meet Dracula as a pop star named "Alison Troy." One of the songs performed by Troy, in top hat and cape, is "The Hell of It" from the Phantom soundtrack.
• In "Paradise Regained", a documentary included in the French special edition of the DVD, William Finley (who played Winslow Leach and the Phantom) suggests that some design elements of George Lucas' Darth Vader character from the Star Wars series of films were probably inspired by the Phantom. Finley especially refers to the control panel unit worn by Vader on his armor, which is reminiscent of the Phantom's synthetic voice speaker.

Mary Elizabeth Sissy Spacek (born December 25, 1949) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. ... Carrie is a 1976 film directed by Brian De Palma based on the novel by Stephen King. ... Soundtrack refers to the recorded sound accompanying a visual medium such as a motion picture, television show, or video game. ... The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) (first released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 1975) is a science fiction-comedy-horror musical film directed by Jim Sharman from a screenplay by Sharman and Richard OBrien. ... Shock Treatment was the less successful and critically panned follow-up to the classic cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS). ...      Nickname: Big D Location in the state of Texas Country United States State Texas Counties Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall Mayor Laura Miller Area    - City 997. ... Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) Location City Information Established: 1738 (Fort Rouge), 1873 (City of Winnipeg) Area: 465. ... Swan Song Records was a record label launched by Led Zeppelin on May 10, 1974. ... George Walton Lucas, Jr. ... Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ... Opening logo to the Star Wars films Star Wars is a science fantasy saga and fictional galaxy created by writer / producer / director George Lucas during the 1970s. ...

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is still available. Track listing:

1. Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye - Archie Hahn, Juicy Fruits
2. Faust - Bill Finley
3. Upholstery - Jeffrey Comanor, Beach Bums
4. Special to Me (Phoenix Audition Song) - Jessica Harper
5. Phantom's Theme (Beauty and The Beast) - Paul Williams
6. Somebody Super Like You (Beef Construction Song) - Harold Oblong, The Undeads
7. Life at Last - Ray Kennedy
8. Old Souls - Jessica Harper
9. Faust - Paul Williams
10. The Hell of It - Paul Williams

External links

• Phantom of the Paradise at the Internet Movie Database
• Phantom of the Paradise at Rotten Tomatoes
• Phantompalooza
• The Swan Archives
• Learn more about Paul Williams (Swan) you will even find a few downloads specifically for Phantom fans.