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When asked "What is your favourite movie?" I barely hesitate. And my answer always evokes the same reaction - "Huh?"
Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 Brian De Palma rock opera that has become a cult classic. It did not receive the praise it deserved, and I'm pretty sure that at the time it was released it was a complete flop. But hey... a true cinema obsessee pays attention to flops to find hidden gems.
Phantom follows Winslow Leach, a desperate songwriter who has finished composing his life's work - a piano contata called Faust. It's about a man who sells his soul to the devil for love and success (a time honoured concept). When Leach pitches his contata to the mysterious record producer Swan, things go awry. Swan steals the music to use for the opening of his rock 'n roll theatre called The Paradise, and destroys it with his interpretations of glam rock, beach bum tunes, and so on.
Leach is framed by Swan, manages to get himself disfigured, and comes back to The Paradise with a bone to pick. All through the mayhem you find some amazing musical numbers, including singing zombies, sha na na's, and some crazy 70s dancing.
This is my all-time favourite soundtrack, and is not a movie to be missed. If you liked the music and bizarreness of Rocky Horror, you'll LOVE Phantom of the Paradise.
3 comments:
I assume you've seen http://www.swanarchives.org ? Lots of deleted footage from this film, and other great stuff.
Wow! We'll definitely be checking that out! THANKS!
So agree! I Love this movie! I was 11 when it first came out, and was in love with it then too.
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