Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Edendsen I loved phantom of the paradise.When I was a kid,I watched it first Paul Swan scared me with all his selling his soul to the devil stuff but it is a rock opera the likes of which is not around anymore.Very great film it is up there with Tommy and I miss this era in filmmaking.i want to bring back the Rock opera a la Jesus Christ Superstar.It was sad when he got his head stuck in the record machine,I was also freaked out but the lead character prevails.He was quite the hothead,you know,but people took advantage of him stealing his songs oh but he got even!Great,amazing film loved this!!!!!

Martin Bradley This deliriously daft rock musical filters "Faust" through "The Phantom of the Opera" throwing in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" while plagiarizing God-knows how many movies on the way. It's an early De Palma and it contains many of his signature marks. When it came out I thought it fresh enough to choose it as my best film of the year. Now it looks like a period piece but it's a fun movie nevertheless. Paul Williams, Jessica Harper and Gerrit Graham are still very good but the soon never to be heard of William Finley simply can't carry the role of the Phantom. Today it's a cult movie, beloved by those who prefer De Palma's more off-the-wall efforts. Certainly it's no longer 'best film' material but it's still worth seeing.

tomgillespie2002 For those who are familiar with the great work Brian De Palma did throughout the 1970's and 80's, his bright, energetic glam-rock opera Phantom of the Paradise may seem like something of an oddity. It's a spin on The Phantom of the Opera, with elements of Faust and The Picture of Dorian Gray, told within the context of the music business, who De Palma and scorer/star Paul Williams obviously hold some level of disdain for. While this may differ tonally and perhaps thematically to De Palma's more popular works, Phantom embodies the mixture of flair and homage that De Palma perfected, which many label him a rip-off merchant for (though I strongly disagree).Sad-sack composer Winslow (William Finley) is overheard playing his Faustian opera by the powerful and mysterious music producer Swan (Williams). Swan is on the cusp of opening his new theatre The Paradise, and feels Winslow's music is perfect for his vision of nostalgia and kitsch. Winslow offers his work to Swan, but is never called or paid for his contribution. Seeking answers, he arrives at Swan Records to see an endless line of women, including Phoenix (Jessica Harper), auditioning to be a backing singer and singing his songs. He is thrown out, framed for drug possession and sentenced to life in prison. But Winslow escapes and, after being mutilated by a record press, seeks vengeance on Swan.For all it's visual pizazz, where Phantom lacks is within the casting. Finley, who had worked with De Palma the year before in Sisters and who sadly died in 2012, struggles to make his character empathetic. Williams, while certainly looking the part, lacks the presence to convince that he would be able to wield such a control on his underlings. Harper, while cute as a button, lacks the charisma to really justify Wimslow's obsession over her. The only actor to really impress is Gerrit Graham as glam-rock God Beef, who behind the scenes is a fussy little queen. Beef is no doubt Paul Williams' stab at all those self- important diva's he unavoidably came into contact with during his time as a musician.But with a bright and bouncy film such as this, the acting plays second fiddle to the visuals and the music. While the music may not be catchy in the same way as Phantom's close relation The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), in context they contemplate De Palma's camera. All of De Palma's visual ticks are there - crane shots, long takes, split-screen - and it even throws in a homage to Psycho (1960), only with a plunger. It makes for quite an exhausting experience, but you only really need to hold your breath and dive in, and it's really quite easy to fall in love with it. It was unfairly panned by critics and ignored by movie-goers on it's release, but with De Palma's early films getting positive re- evaluation with various Blu-Ray releases, Phantom is finally getting the praise it deserves.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

gavin6942 A composer has his music stolen by a big-time record producer and vows his revenge. Things get more complicated after he gets sent to jail and apparently commits suicide in the river...Howard Maxford feels the film is "dated", and that is the best criticism one can make of the film. The songs do not hold one's attention well. The plot in general is decent, but the music -- a central focus of the movie -- is just average.Brian de Palma, the director of "Carrie" and "Black Dahlia", is in charge here. He makes a visually appealing film, with angles and colors that call to mind Stanley Kubrick's "2001" and "A Clockwork Orange", as well as Dario Argento's "Suspiria" (which star Jessica Harper would appear in after this film).Gerrit Graham ("TerrorVision") as Beef is great, and a nice send-up of glam rock. The critics had called the film "funny" and "hilarious", but both are exaggerations. The humor is very subtle, with this being a musical first, horror film second and comedy third.The references to Dorian Gray are awesome, and unspoken. There are also cues from Poe and previous "Phantom" films. Some have said there is even an homage to Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" (and I believe them, but I have not seen the film yet). Sissy Spacek is credited as a "set dresser"... you decide what that means.