1. The rich worldview created by the independent production of the genius director Brian De Palma
Although the film was finally acquired by FOX and marked with a LOGO, Phantom Paradise is an
independent production that implements the concept of De Palma, but it was finally sold to FOX That's it, so from the director of the script to the complete control of the production process, the ideal paradise in De Palma's mind is completely reproduced. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the crystallization of De
Palma's own insights for many years. This gorgeous musical is not only the appearance of the cult, but interspersed with the meaning of the masterpiece, philosophical thinking, and irony of reality, but it is completely The entertainment, humor, exaggeration, and even the unique texture of B-grade films are presented. Not to mention the use of DE
palma's daring and daring camera shots, the two pictures are all pediatrics, and the fast-paced plot development, although the climax of the plot is very dizzying, but it is very refreshing to watch, without losing the usual characteristics of the director's works, full of De Palma flavor.
2. Philosophy and famous works under the mask of Phantom Paradise
Portraits of The Phantom of the Opera, Faust, Dorian Gray. That's right, you read that right, this movie pinches the core content of the three literary masterpieces into a plot chain like a wick. Although some cult films often pay tribute to a masterpiece, this one is not just a tribute. depalma chose the most ups and downs of the plot to work together, and the effect was not to fall in love with each other, but to merge into the expression of the same thought. The protagonist, Winslow, is an unnamed composer. He fell in love with an unnamed female singer. He was tricked by the evil music producer SWAN into signing a demon contract and became a "ghost" in the opera house. Signing a contract with the devil, in order to stay young forever, you must take pictures of yourself every day, and let the image of yourself age instead of yourself. Winslow, who discovered this secret, begins his revenge... Apparently Winslow represents the story of The Phantom of the Opera, Swan is the portrait of Dorian Gray, and their pact with the devil is Faust. The story is subtly promoted by the classic plot of the famous novel, and at the same time boldly superimposed on the irony and humor of the music industry, finally forming a tragic and vast poem. De
Palma's work is definitely not a purely visual entertainment cult film, it is very powerful on the inside. Through these three masterpieces, the director seems to express his cry. And if you love or want to study these three works, it is definitely worth watching.
3. Committed to creating the most cutting-edge rock culture, but at the same time has a satirical black humor
When it comes to musicals, the gorgeous stage design and repertoire must of course be a highlight. And the stage opera of Phantom Paradise is a real entertainment full score. Paul Williams, who plays the evil producer SWAN in this play,
is actually a well-known composer. He participated in the production of the music of the film. Of course, this is also completely
planned by De Palma, and the musicians themselves are selected to perform the musicians. It's ingenious, and what's even more interesting is that the rock repertoire of this work is not just as simple as some pop rock. It includes the nostalgic rock band "the juicy
fruits" from the plane head, and the same group evolved to the Beach Bums of the 60s, which is very similar to the beach
Boys' "sweet" nostalgic band, although the songs are full of nostalgia, they also bring a playfulness and irony to contemporary commercial music production - just look at the fate of the juicy fruits.
The male protagonist Winslow's shabby glasses before being turned into a phantom, and the lyrical melancholy when he sits down to play the piano, it is inevitable that
John Lennon will not be shot. Later, producer Swan, who built the new opera house "Paradise", followed the trend of the times and played glam rock again. Singer BEEF's handsome face, powerful voice, transvestite dress and sissy's daily life, The elements of glam rock are captured over and over again. Don't think that this is copying Loki from the Loki Horror Show. I must remind everyone here that Phantom Paradise is a year earlier than Loki, hehe. Of course, the most entertaining dark humor is
the appearance of THE UNDEAD, the "Beach
Bums" reborn from the dead, this time they have become a non-mainstream band of the dark dead, and the stage background is the breathtaking anti-Carriga. The expressionism of Leigh Hut's tribute, and the makeup on the face of the Undying Band, although it is also an echo of expressionism, has also become a precedent for the "visual department" band, and its tribute performance with BEEF's Frankenstein's Freak is definitely The climax of the film.
Phantom Paradise can perfectly play the past, present, and future music styles, but at the same time subtly satirize that commercial music is just a machine, whether witty or cynical, you really can't see this in similar musicals. an expression. If you watch it twice, you will find that in addition to these rock stage tracks, the pure background music that promotes the plot is mostly the melody of classical music. It also secretly matches themes such as Faust and The Phantom of the Opera.
4. Appearance and characterization of the protagonist Phantom's Cult Supremacy
Loki has Dr. Ford, and Phantom Paradise also has its "Phantom". The character of "the phantom" is not inferior to Ford at all, and there are many elements of the cult. Weird Actor William
Finley, with his demonic protruding eyeballs and bean sprout-like lanky figure, is perfect for playing the "Phantom" who can only be expressed by his eyes and body movements most of the time. Winslow, who was used by SWAN and framed in prison, tried to escape, but was accidentally pinned down by an inserting machine, turned into an ugly monster and lost his voice. For the sake of his favorite unnamed female singer Phoenix, he was used again by Swan and put on a ghost mask to become a phantom. The silver bird-head mask full of space futurism, the generator and wires that symbolize the mechanization of commercial music, the inexorable set of generators and wires on the phantom, as well as the gothic black leather jacket with deep eye circles, terrifying black lips and silver teeth , coupled with the power of Finley's eyes and pathetic acting skills, has created a cult "anti-hero" phantom that mixes postmodern and classical temperament. While making the audience feel terrified, they are full of sympathy and support for her. Interestingly, the heroine Sissy Spacek and his then-boyfriend Jack Fisk in De
Palma's later masterpiece "Carrie" participated in the film's art and costumes.
5. The last thing that "Yuan" movies and movie fans
want to mention is that there is another special feature of Phantom Paradise, which is that it is reviewing its own occurrence when it is making the occurrence, and the occurrence after the examination has become a new occurrence. In movies, it's called META ("meta") movies. As mentioned earlier, the film not only reproduces the scene of the music industry with all its strength, but also has some self-deprecating meanings at the same time. The most obvious one is SWAN and his daily videotape. Due to the demon's contract, SWAN must record his daily whereabouts, and he must watch them every day, and the videotape must be kept without omission. In this process, SWAN is both the camera body, the subject, and even the audience. He completes the function cycle of the movie for himself, and the Phantom Paradise, which filmed the whole process, has just become the third eye to examine the role of the movie, forming a very interesting META content. In addition, this movie full of enthusiasm for fans also pays homage to many masterpieces. The highlight scene is indeed the process of glam rock singer BEEF being attacked in the bathroom. It is a playful tribute to hope. Chuck's Psycho, although there are countless tributes to Psycho now, the tribute is to De.
In Palma's case, the effect is completely different.
Although Phantom Paradise was a huge failure at the box office, and its reputation was little known, it was considered a low reputation in DePalma's works, but the die-hard cult fans passed down from the era still silently guarded this buried The pearl of her, will be mentioned by musicians and film critics to this day, so that she can get more attention. Gold always shines. Even the "Phantom", the composition machine that was strangled underground, will see the light of day again.
View more about Phantom of the Paradise reviews
