Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writer:

Brian De Palma (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Music | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

The music made him do it!

Plot:

A disfigured musician sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music.

Plot Keywords:

Faust | Composer | Contract | Singer | Psycho Spoof

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

William Finley	...	Winslow / The Phantom
Paul Williams	...	Swan
Jessica Harper	...	Phoenix
Gerrit Graham	...	Beef
George Memmoli	...	Philbin
Archie Hahn	...	The Juicy Fruits / The Beach Bums / The Undeads
Jeffrey Comanor	...	The Juicy Fruits / The Beach Bums / The Undeads
Peter Elbling	...	The Juicy Fruits / The Beach Bums / The Undeads (as Harold Oblong)
Colin Cameron	...	Band
David Garland	...	Band
Gary Mallaber	...	Band
Art Munson	...	Band
Mary Margaret Amato	...	Swan's Entourage
Rand Bridges	...	Swan's Entourage
James Bohan	...	Swan's Entourage
Herb Pacheco	...	Assassin
Jennifer Ashley	...	Groupie
Janit Baldwin	...	Groupie
Janus Blythe	...	Groupie (as Janis Eve Lynn)
Katherine Mastellos	...	Groupie
Robin Mattson	...	Groupie
Patrice Rohmer	...	Groupie
Ruthy Ross	...	Groupie (as Ruthey Ross)
Cheryl Smith	...	Groupie
April Troy	...	Groupie
Walter Foster	...	Cop
Peter Harrell	...	Cop
Troy Haskins	...	Judge
Gene Gross	...	Warden
Henry Calvert	...	Nightwatchman
Ken Carpenter	...	Stagehand
Sam Forney	...	Stagehand
Leslie Brewer	...	Surfgirl
Celia Derr	...	Surfgirl
Linda Larimer	...	Surfgirl
Roseanne Romine	...	Surfgirl
Nydia Amagas	...	Dancer
Sara Ballantine	...	Dancer
Kristi Bird	...	Dancer
Cathy Buttner	...	Dancer
Linda Cox	...	Dancer
Jane DeFord	...	Dancer
Bibi Hansen	...	Dancer
Robin Jeep	...	Dancer
Deen Summers	...	Dancer
Judy Washington	...	Dancer
Susan Weiser	...	Dancer
Janet Savarino	...	Singing Twin
Jean Savarino	...	Singing Twin
Keith Allison	...	Country & Western Singer
Bobby Birkenfeld	...	Guy
Sandy Catton	...	Black Singers (as Sandy Catton & friends)
William Donovan	...	Reporter
Edmund Lane	...	Reporter (as Scott Lane)
Dennis Olivieri	...	Reporter
Adam Wade	...	Reporter
Nancy Moses	...	Back-Up Singer
Diana Walden	...	Back-Up Singer
Sherri Adeline	...	Girl in Ticket Line
Carol O'Leary	...	Betty Lou
Marty Bongfeldt	...	Mini-bopper (as Marty Bongfeld)
Coleen Crudden	...	Mini-bopper
Bridgett Dunn	...	Mini-bopper
William Shephard	...	Rock Freak
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shelly Desai	...	Dental Health Volunteer #1 (uncredited)
Ray Kennedy	...	Beef (singing voice) (uncredited)
Rod Serling	...	Introductory Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Brian De Palma

Writing credits
Brian De Palma		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Arciaga	....	associate producer
Gustave M. Berne	....	executive producer (as Gustave Berne)
Jeffrey L. Hayes	....	associate producer (as Jeffrey Hayes)
Paul Lewis	....	associate producer
Edward R. Pressman	....	producer
Lynn Pressman-Raymond	....	assistant producer (as Lynn Raymond)
Bill Scott	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Paul Williams

Cinematography by
Larry Pizer		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Paul Hirsch

Casting by
Sylvia Fay
Gino Havens
Peggy Taylor

Production Design by
Jack Fisk

Costume Design by
Rosanna Norton

Makeup Department
John Chambers	....	makeup designer
Rolf Miller	....	makeup artist
Anna Sugano	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Gary Kent	....	unit manager
Thomas Lightburn	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael J. Dmytryk	....	assistant director (as Michael Dmytryk)
Robert Enrietto	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Michel Levesque	....	construction coordinator (as Michael Levesque)
Erik L. Nelson	....	property master (as Erik Nelson)
Sissy Spacek	....	set dresser
Brian Swain	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Harriet Fidlow	....	assistant sound editor (as Harriet Glickstein)
Al Gramaglia	....	sound mixer
Dan Sable	....	sound editor
David Schneiderman	....	boom operator
James M. Tanenbaum	....	sound (as James Tanenbaum)

Special Effects by
Greg Auer	....	special effects

Stunts
Andy Epper	....	stunt double: Winslow (as Andrew Epper)
James Gambino	....	stunt double: Swan
Jim Lovelett	....	stunt double: Winslow
Steven Richmond	....	stunt double: Swan

Camera and Electrical Department
John L. Black	....	grip (as John Black)
Terry Bowen	....	second assistant camera
Richard Cronn	....	best boy
Sean Doyle	....	assistant camera
Robert Elfstrom	....	special photography for wedding
Cary Griffith	....	grip
Tim Griffith	....	gaffer
Maurice Horton	....	electrician
Bruce Kaye	....	second assistant camera
Paul Marcus	....	electrician
Jack Palinkas	....	key grip
James Signorelli	....	special photography for wedding
Darryl Smith	....	electrician
Mike Taylor	....	grip
Ronnie Taylor	....	camera operator (as Ronald Taylor)
Philip Sloan	....	electrician: Dallas (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peter Jamison	....	associate costume designer

Editorial Department
Paul Hirsch	....	montage

Music Department
Michael Arciaga	....	music supervisor
Jules Chaikin	....	music supervisor
John Fox	....	assistant music editor
Ed Norton	....	music editor
George Aliceson Tipton	....	composer: additional score
George Aliceson Tipton	....	conductor: additional scoring
Paul Williams	....	music producer

Other crew
Alexa Bodrero	....	assistant to director
Ken Carpenter	....	production assistant
Judith Cohen	....	production secretary
Adrian Cumming	....	production assistant
J. Daniel Dusek	....	production assistant (as Dan Dusek)
Peter Elbling	....	choreographer (as Harold Oblong)
Karen Gilbert	....	production assistant
Deborah Howe	....	assistant to producer
Cassandra Kaye	....	script supervisor
William Shephard	....	choreographer for wedding
Stanley Weiser	....	production assistant
Edward Summer	....	marketing consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Harbor Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-MGM Film (1975) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox-Lira (1975) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Japan (199?) (Japan) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (laserdisc)
• Capelight Pictures (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Key Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Oregon Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Video Film Express (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• A&M Records  original soundtrack available on
• Centaur Music Productions  electronic music synthesizer furnished by (as Centaur Music Productions Inc. at The Record Plant)
• Filmusic  music supervision
• Magno Sound  sound mixing
• Optical House, The  opticals
• Soundlabs  music recorded at (as Soundlabs, Hollywood)

Also Known As:

Phantom (USA) (working title)
Phantom of the Fillmore (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Movielab)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Iceland:14 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1996) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Harbor Productions

Trivia:

The single-edit, "time bomb in the car trunk" sequence is an homage to Orson Welles' famous opening for Touch of Evil (1958).

Goofs:

Continuity: At the airport, one of the "Undeads" has a bandage on his hand and a splint on one finger. During the rehearsals he is wearing a full sling and (apparently) a cast on the arm. During the actual performance in the next scene he has no splints, casts or sling.

Quotes:

Beef: I know drug real from real real.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Watching the Detectives (2007)

Soundtrack:

Special To Me

Great "tongue-in-cheek" horror film.

This is probably one of those ones that most people either love or hate, so there isn't that much point in trying to sell it to anyone. I've been hugely attached to it since it came out. I don't think I'm alone in saying that it's "my" answer to Rocky Horror (which to me is simply "entertaining" - which is no insult). A lot of people seem to really dislike Paul Williams. But, love him or hate him, he threw himself completely into the role of Swan. To me, Swan is one of the best comical or semi-comical villains ever (it took me a long while to think of it, but I wonder whether his use of the word "Excellent" in one scene might have inspired Mr. Burns' line on The Simpsons). Everyone else was very good in it, obviously Gerritt Graham as Beef, and George Memmoli as Philbin. I wish , in the first place, that there were FEWER tongue-in-cheek horror films (or whatever you want to call them), and in the second place, that they were as original as this one.