THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE @ 50

Celebrating the golden jubilee of its big screen premiere half a century ago, on October 31st, 1974, it's that wild rock 'n' roll fantasy, Phantom of the Paradise. Combining elements of the 16th century Faust legend, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, the film is a mind bending satire that rips into the soul destroying corruption of the music industry, pitting its protagonist against Satan himself, in the guise of Paul Williams, no less! Written and directed by Brian De Palma, the film occupies a similar cult status to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with its exaggerated characters, wild sets and iconic musical numbers.

The production of the film involved a few notable incidents that are worth mentioning. For one, the record press in which the character Winslow Leach is disfigured was in fact a real pressing plant (it was an injection-molding press at an Ideal Toy Company plant). William Finley was worried about whether the machine would be safe, and the crew assured him it was. The press was fitted with foam pads (which resemble the casting moulds in the press) and there were chocks put in the centre to stop it from closing completely. However, the machine was powerful enough to crush the chocks so that it gradually kept closing. It is commonly believed that Finley pulled his head out of the press just in time to avoid being injured, and that his scream in that scene was genuine, but this is an exaggeration. Finley was in fact quickly pulled out by grips, and the record press scene, along with most scenes in the movie with little dialogue, was filmed without sound, and the talking and sound effects were dubbed in later, meaning any screaming that may have taken place went unrecorded.

Another investing anecdote involves the name of Swan's media conglomerate "Swan Song Enterprises", which had to be deleted from the film prior to release due to the existence of Led Zeppelin's label Swan Song Records. De Palma actually held a private screening of the film for Led Zeppelin's imposing manager, Peter Grant, so that he could ensure that all necessary references to the name were removed. During the scene where Beef is electrocuted, Grant broke down in tears. The scene reminded him of the onstage electrocution death of Les Harvey, lead singer of Stone The Crows, a band managed by Grant. The producers had to explain to the visibly distraught Grant that it was unlikely that Brian De Palma would agree to remove the death scene.

Among the crew for the film was a young set dresser by the name of Sissy Spacek. She was assisting Jack Fisk, the film's production designer. The two would later marry, and Spacek would end up staring in De Palma's next feature film, Carrie. Also, the electronic room in which Winslow composes his cantata, and where Swan restores his voice, is in fact the real-life recording studio The Record Plant. The walls covered with knobs are in reality an over-sized custom-built modular synthesizer, famously known as TONTO.

Production of the film was financed independently, but the film was then screened for various studios and sold to the highest bidder, 20th Century Fox, for $2 million plus a percentage. But during its initial theatrical release, its box office was pretty disappointing, and critical response was predominantly negative. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two stars out of four, writing that "what's up on the screen is childish; it has meaning only because it points to something else. To put it another way, joking about the rock music scene is treacherous, because the rock music scene itself is a joke." A notable exception to the naysayers of the time was respected film critic, Pauline Kael of The New Yorker, who wrote, "Though you may anticipate a plot turn, it's impossible to guess what the next scene will look like or what its rhythm will be. De Palma's timing is sometimes wantonly unpredictable and dampening, but mostly it has a lift to it. You practically get a kinetic charge from the breakneck wit he put into 'Phantom;' it isn't just that the picture has vitality but that one can feel the tremendous kick the director got out of making it."

The film's true impact, however, would require some time to ferment among the cult movie crowd. Strangely enough the first wave of cult fandom took root in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which remains the epicentre for the film's fandom to this day. A fan-organized festival, dubbed Phantompalooza, was held in 2005 in Winnipeg. That event featured appearances by Gerrit Graham and William Finley, in the same Winnipeg theatre where the film had its original run in 1975. A second Phantompalooza was staged on April 28, 2006, reuniting many of the surviving cast members and featuring a concert by Paul Williams. Additionally, Daft Punk have proclaimed the film an integral inspiration for their band, claiming to have watched the movie more than 20 times, and even inviting Paul Williams to guest on their album, Random Access Memories.

After 50 years, the movie has long become established as a cherished cult masterpiece, with die-hard fans remaining steadfast in their dedication to its bizarre charms.