PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (DVD/1974/THEATRICAL TRAILER) DVD

Phantom of the Paradise
"He sold his soul for rock-n-roll," read the tagline for Brian De Palma's satirical Phantom of the Opera for the '70s rock scene. After hearing Winslow Leach (William Finley) perform a song from his Faust rock opera, Phil Spector-ish impresario Swan (Paul Williams) decides that Winslow's opera would be the perfect debut attraction for his new rock palace, the Paradise. Swan steals the music and has Winslow imprisoned -- but not before Winslow meets aspiring songbird Phoenix (Jessica Harper). Jumping prison, Winslow breaks into Swan's Death Records factory to ruin the recordings, but a record press accident grossly disfigures him. Winslow then sneaks into the Paradise to sabotage Swan's show, disguising himself as the Phantom. Swan, however, cuts a deal with the Phantom to finish his cantata; he promises that Phoenix will sing it but then reneges, hiring prissy glam rocker Beef (Gerritt Graham). Determined to have Phoenix sing, the Phantom soon discovers just how far Swan will go to give the people what they want. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Cast Paul Williams as Swan William Finley as Winslow/The Phantom Jessica Harper as Phoenix George Memmoli as Philbin Gerritt Graham as Beef

Crew Harold Oblong - Choreography William Shephard - Choreography Peter Jamison - Costume Designer Rosanna Norton - Costume Designer Michael Dmytryk - First Assistant Director Brian De Palma - Director Paul Hirsch - Editor Paul Williams - Composer (Music Score) George Aliceson Tipton - Composer (Music Score) Jack Fisk - Production Designer Larry Pizer - Cinematographer James Signorelli - Cinematographer Robert Elfstrom - Cinematographer Edward R. Pressman - Producer Paul Lewis - Producer Gustave Berne - Producer Sissy Spacek - Set Designer Gregory M. Auer - Special Effects Al Gramaglia - Sound/Sound Designer James Tanenbaum - Sound/Sound Designer Gary Kent - Unit Production Manager Brian De Palma - Screenwriter

Phantom of the Paradise
Referencing vintage horror, Alfred Hitchcock, and the '70s vogue for supernatural terror, Brian De Palma used his favorite genre to take aim at the sensation-seeking rock audience and the exploitative entertainment machine, skewering such '70s trends as '50s nostalgia and glam rock. With splitscreen effects, he underlines the cost of putting media reality before life, as fame becomes the ultimate Faustian bargain. That entertainment machine, however, failed De Palma, and Phantom of the Paradise flopped. But its clever cinephilia and over-the-top rock numbers have since acquired a cult following, though not on the level of another '70s glitter-horror fantasia, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
 

George Aliceson Tipton: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Adapted or Original Song Score (nominated) Paul Williams: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Adapted or Original Song Score (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, Spanish Sound Processing: 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects 2: PCM stereo 1: PCM mono Additional Features: Anamorphic widescreen [aspect ratio 1.85:1] Interactive menus Scene selection Theatrical trailer Audio: English stereo, French mono Subtitles: English, Spanish DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 92 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Selection 1. The Legend of Swan [:02] 2. Main Titles (Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye) [1:20] 3. Philben's Lament [3:32] 4. Faust [1:52] 5. Winslow's Sonata [:05] 6. One Month Later [2:55] 7. The Auditions [2:03] 8. Betrayed [1:46] 9. Winslow's Escape [:10] 10. The Accident [5:44] 11. The Phantom [2:52] 12. The Beach Bums' Bomb (Upholstery) [1:26] 13. Swan's New Partner [1:50] 14. Phoenix (Special To Me) [1:42] 15. The Contract [2:37] 16. Phoenix's Cantata (The Phantom's Theme) [1:58] 17. Beef [:33] 18. Betrayed Again [3:29] 19. The Phantom's Threat [3:11] 20. Somebody Super Like You [2:01] 21. Life At Last [4:06] 22. Barbecued Beef [5:07] 23. Phoenix's Moment (Old Souls) [1:35] 24. Swan's New Star [3:13] 25. Winslow's Warning [4:33] 26. The Watcher [1:36] 27. The Small Print [:08] 28. Swan in Love [1:21] 29. The Secret Tape [3:10] 30. To Save Phoenix [1:33] 31. Evil Unmasked [2:31] 32. The Hell Of It (End Titles) [2:30]