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Released by: Opening Entertainment
Released on: 12-01-2009
Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: William Finlay, Paul Williams, Jessica Harper, George Memmoli, Harold Oblong, Archie Hahn
Year: 1974
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The Movie:
Kind of a mix between The Phantom Of The Opera and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Brian De Palma's Phantom Of The Paradise is a quirky, fun, and ridiculously entertaining rock opera/musical with some interesting horror movie trappings. Admittedly very inspired by the 1943 Lon Chaney film, this 1974 feature (which was a fairly massive flop when it played theaters originally) has justifiably found a loyal cult following through the magic of home video. It appears now on Blu-ray for the first time courtesy of French label Opening Entertainment.
The film follows a nerdy composer named Winslow (William Finley) who has written a rock opera/cantata about Faust. This brings him to the attention of a slimeball record executive named Swan (Paul Williams) who runs Death Records. Winslow is promised that his input will be welcome into just how Swan will produce this show and use it as the opening attraction for his new music venue, The Paradise, but not so surprisingly Winslow is brushed off and his work is stolen. When he sneaks into Swan's mansion where auditions are being held, he's kicked off the property, roughed up, and permanently deformed but not before meeting Phoenix (Jessica Harper), a woman he feels is perfect for his work and with whom he falls fast in love with.
With his looks, Winslow's psyche was also damaged and he understandably wants revenge against Swan. He puts a silver mask and dons black tights and sneaks into the Paradise and although Swan initially convinces him to work with him again, he soon learns that an actor known as Beef (Gerrit Graham) is being cast in the lead against his wishes. Winslow realizes he's being used and decides to wreak havoc on anyone involved in this production except for his beloved Phoenix.
Colorful, campy and just ultimately a lot of fun, Phantom Of The Paradise is filled with references to everything from Universal Horror films to Led Zepplin and back again, all shot with De Palma's keen eye for compositions (lots of his trademark split-screen effects) and knack for pacing. There's some interesting footage of the New York City of 1974 to give it that certain sort of atmosphere that only the city can provide, while the score, most of which comes from Williams himself, really does a fine job of complimenting and enhancing the narrative.
Finley makes for an excellent lead here, his bookwormish features and mannerisms make him easy to feel sympathy for, particularly when he's taken advantage of despite his genuinely good nature. We want he and Phoenix to get together in the end, particularly after the first time they meet when we hear them sing together. His performance, and Harper's as well, contrasts brilliantly against Williams' sleazy record mogul. Played with a fair bit of exaggeration, he's the ultimate slimeball whether he's using his power to get sex or sitting arrogantly inside a giant gold record used as a desk. It all comes together underneath a brilliant rock n roll soundtrack and some absolutely gorgeous pop-infused visuals to create a bit of a masterpiece, really.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Phantom Of The Paradise looks quite impressive in this 1.85.1 AVC encoded 1080p high definition anamorphic widescreen transfer which presents the movie in its original aspect ratio. A fine coat of film grain is present throughout there and there might be the odd speck of print damage here and there but they're few and far between. Colors look nice and rich, bright enough to pop in some scenes but never oversaturated while black levels are generally quite strong as well. Skin tones look nice and natural (when they're supposed to) and there's a really impressive level of foreground and background detail as well as a lot of texture that doesn't quite make it through on standard definition, most notably in the costumes and backdrops seen throughout the movie.
DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio tracks are provided in both French and English, with forced French subtitles appearing when the English option is checked through the menu (circle through the subtitle options with your remote once the movie starts to easily remove them). This won't floor you but it definitely sounds good. Given the film's copious musical numbers you can't help but with that more had been done with the channel separation here but regardless, the dialogue and vocals are always crystal clear and the levels always well balanced. There aren't any problems with hiss or distortion worth complaining about and this offers a cleaner, clearer and more succinct than the standard definition DVD ever sounded.
Gerrit 'Beef' Graham provides a brief introduction (in French with no subtitles) to the movie but the biggest and best of the extras on this disc is the featurette that was previously issued on the special edition standard definition DVD, Paradise Regained (50:14). Featuring input from Brian De Palma, Paul Williams, William Finley, Gerrit Graham and Edward Pressman it is a pretty comprehensive look back at the making of the film with some great stories to be told. The documentary explores the origins of the project, what it was like casting and shooting the picture, and the reception that the film got when it was released to theaters back in the 1970s, which contrasts quite interestingly with its current cult status.
Aside from that, look for two trailers for the feature, a ten minute documentary on the costume design work employed on the movie which feature input from Rosanna Norton on the costumes, and a fun Action Figure advertisement mock-up that runs just over half a minute in length. Menus and chapter stops are also included. All in all, a much more impressive offering of supplemental goods than those that appeared on the Region 1 DVD release, which only offered up a trailer.
Note: All of the extras, which are in standard definition, have forced French subtitles applied which, unlike the feature, cannot be removed. They're also all presented in PAL format, so while anyone with a Blu-ray player in any region will be able to enjoy the feature (and the menus), only those with a PAL compatible/Region Free Blu-ray player will be able to watch the extras on this disc.
The Final Word:
The best presentation of Brian De Palma's classic available on home video to date, Phantom Of The Paradise looks and sound terrific on this Blu-ray and while you might need a region free player to enjoy the extras, they really are a good batch of supplements making this one every so easy to recommend.