There's something magical about rock operas. Many probably think of The Who's beloved Tommy or Pink Floyd's iconic The Wall. However, the creative mind of film director Brian De Palma led him towards The Carpenters during the 70s. De Palma, who later gained fame for his work on classics like ‘Carrie', ‘Scarface' and ‘The Untouchables', saw potential in making Phantom of the Paradise, a satire on the rock music industry, into a hit.
Enter Paul Williams
To breathe life into this concept, De Palma approached Paul Williams. Despite his initial reservations, given his songwriting track record until that point, Williams jumped on board. He had yet to rise to prominence as a songwriter. His Grammy and Oscar-winning collaborations would indeed come later, with his notable works including co-writing Barbra Streisand's “Evergreen” and The Muppet Movie song, “Rainbow Connection”.
The Phantom of the Paradise: An Unlikely Masterpiece
Phantom of the Paradise presented a unique perspective on rock music. The film was designed as an entertaining, Faust-inspired take on the infamous urban legend about singers selling their souls to the devil. It presented colorful characters such as the villainous Swan (played by Williams), the aspiring singer Phoenix, and Winslow, an innocent composer who morphs into a metallic-masked terror called The Phantom.
The film failed to achieve widespread success, but it found a loyal following in Winnipeg, Manitoba. There it became a local cult classic, much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Today, the genius of the film continues to be celebrated through semi-regular screenings.
A Conversation with Williams and Kahan
In a recent interview, Paul Williams shared his experience of writing songs for Phantom of the Paradise. Meanwhile, Ari Kahan, the curator of the most extensive collection of Phantom of the Paradise memorabilia in ‘The Swan Archives', revealed his journey with the film.
Inside the Swan Archives
Ari Kahan began his Phantom collection when he was just a 12-year-old fan. Later, he decided to share his archive online, hoping to connect with other fans and provide narratives about the film's creation, promotion, and reception.
Williams' Connection to Songwriters' Rights
Interestingly, Paul William's character Swan was a cliche abusive industry figure. Fast forward half a century, he is now the president of ASCAP, a non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding artists from people like Swan. This irony wasn't initially apparent to Williams.
From Fan to Keeper: Ari Kahan's Experience
One of Ari's most remarkable finds was the original camera negatives and interpositives that were assumed lost or destroyed. He handed them over for preservation to the Academy Film Archive after digitizing them for his archive.
A Tribute to Brian de Palma
Phantom of the Paradise may not be Ari's ultimate favorite from De Palma's repertoire, but his love for De Palma's work continues to drive his fascination for the Phantom.
The Phantom to Darth Vader?
Ari's theory is that Phantom might have inspired George Lucas's creation of Darth Vader. Nonetheless, this has never been confirmed.
Through reminiscing about the making of Phantom of the Paradise, Paul Williams and Ari Kahan enlightened fans about the film's unique journey. Their shared stories serve as a testament to the movie's lasting impact, reminding us all of the magic of filmmaking.
