New movie reviews, DVD reviews, interviews, and all things film.

Follow Me

• Dark Shadows ***
• Darling Companion **1/2
• God Bless America ***
• Marvel's The Avengers ***1/2
• ReGeneration ***
• Sound of My Voice ***
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits ***1/2
• The Raven ***
• Safe **1/2
• The Lucky One 1/2*
• 4:44 Last Day on Earth **1/2
• Blue Like Jazz **
• The Cabin in the Woods ***1/2
• Damsels in Distress ***1/2
• Lockout **1/2
• The Three Stooges ***
• The Turin Horse ****
• We Have a Pope **1/2
• American Reunion **
• Goon ***
• More

• Bird of Paradise
• Maniac Cop
• Miss Representation
• Mother's Day (2012)
• Murder Obsession
• Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
• Underworld Awakening
• The Vow
• Clueless
• Haywire
• Hit!
• Men in Black
• New Year's Eve
• The Red House
• More

• Peter Lord
• Abel Ferrara
• Nicholas Sparks
• Whit Stillman
• Sean Hayes
• Terence Davies
• Peter Lord Interview
• Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
• Taika Waititi
• Will Ferrell
• Interview: Ewan McGregor [SF Examiner]
• Interview: the 'Project X' stars [SF Examiner]
• Interview: Oren Moverman
• Interview: Rachel McAdams
• Interview: Ti West
• Interview: Elizabeth Banks
• 2011: The Year's Best Films
• Year's Best DVDs and Blu-Rays
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards
• The Decade's Ten Best Films: 2000-2009
• My Top 100 Films [Updated]
• My Top 60 Directors [Updated]
• Christmas Movies
• Essential Halloween & Horror Movies
• Cult Movies
• More Features and Interviews

• Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, by Alonso Duralde
• Not Quite a Memoir: Of Films, Books, the World, by Judy Stone
• James Agee: The Library of America Collection, by James Agee
• Just Making Movies, by Ronald L. Davis
• More Books

• Home
• Reviews A-C
• Reviews D-F
• Reviews G-J
• Reviews K-M
• Reviews N-Q
• Reviews R-T
• Reviews U-Z

The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

SEARCH MOVIES / CELEB

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 4)

Final Vinyl

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Phantom of the Paradise on DVD

This rock 'n' roll musical is still many fans' favorite due to its success as a "midnight movie," a year before The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's a new take on Phantom of the Opera, and quite unlike any other De Palma film. An evil music producer (Paul Williams, who also wrote the score) steals the new composition of Faust by a talented young composer (William Finley), written specifically for a gifted young singer named Phoenix (Jessica Harper). To complicate things, the composer tumbles into a record-pressing machine and becomes the phantom! Filled with bizarre colors, vintage 70s-era rock and truly imaginative ideas, it's still a thrill. Sissy Spaceck reportedly worked as a set dresser, which helped lead to her role as Carrie two years later.

DVD Details: Fox's DVD contains only a theatrical trailer.

Starring: Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper
Written by: Brian De Palma
Directed by: Brian De Palma
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 92 minutes
Date: October 22, 2001