This was part of a series of reviews of the ASUW Film series back in the '70's. Except for some punctuation, I haven't changed anything from the way it was presented, giving the kid I was back in the '70's a bit of a break. Any stray thoughts and updates I've included with the inevitable asterisked post-scripts.
Phantom of the Paradise(Brian De Palma, 1974) Too few people know about Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. Too few people know about Brian DePalma. He is one of the best of the young, young crop of film-makers—the under-30 branch*—and he is quite taken with great directors of the past and their great movies. And so, very often, he will borrow a scene from these directors.
Foremost among the borrowees is Alfred Hitchcock. In fact, De Palma has made two films almost totally Hitchcockian: 1973's Sisters,**and this year's Obsession.***Phantom of the Paradisecame between them, and although it lacks the total Hitchcock commitment, and the many beauties that commitment brought about in Obsession, The Phantom is an altogether enjoyable musical-comedy/horror-satire about the rock industry (kinda whets your interest, doesn't it?) It takes the old "Phantom of the Opera" story into the 20th Century glitter-rock scene, as a young man (William Finley) disappointed in love and betrayed by a rock entrepreneur named Swan (Paul Williams)****, finds himself deformed and deranged, haunting Swan's Paradise Rock Emporium.
Swan is played by Paul Williams, and before you make some expectorating noises, I should say he is properly sinister and comic in the role. He also wrote the songs for the film's exemplary score, which covers a variety of rock-styles, none of which sinks to his regular lonely-introspection fare.
William Finley, who played a mad doctor in Sisters plays the deranged "Phantom," and Jessica Harper,*****who with Diane Keaton participated in the send-up of Bergman's Persona in Woody Allen's Love and Death (see how all these films tie together?), portrays a young and naive innocent who wants to be a "star(!!)" As Obsession borrowed from almost all its ideas from different Hitchcock films, Phantom borrows a lot of plots from success-stories of the past, and incidental scenes from The Godfather, White Heat, and Psycho. But De Palma manages to make this pastiche of film totally his own and in a perverse way, totally enjoyable. Go see it. You may just become a Brian De Palma fan.******
Broadcast on KCMU-FM on November 5th and 6th, 1975
Man, I was a big Brian De Palma fan back in those day. Fortunately, he rarely disappointed with his movies. Oh, there are the duds in his CV--The Fury, Home Movies (which he did with a class he was teaching), Wise Guys, The Bonfire of the Vanities (compromised by studio and De Palman cold-feet), and he would grow out of his "Hitchcock" obsession of the 1970's, and just sneak some of the Master's craft into his pictures (like Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Body Double, Mission: Impossible,Femme Fatale, and Snake Eyes). He is still a fine film-maker, who pushes the envelope as far as subject matter and technique. His most recent film--Redacted--was a raging film against the Iraq War that scared its distributor into quietly burying it in theaters (it opened locally at The Crest, usually the last stop before video). As of this writing, his next film is a long-in-the-works prequel to his very popular version of The Untouchables--written by playwright David Rabe this time, instead of playwright David Mamet.
But enough about De Palma! What about Phantom of the Paradise? I have fond memories of it, and was impressed with the soundtrack—Williams did some wicked parodies of song-styles that scored satiric points as well as the film. It was inevitable that someone would take the era of Glam Rock and mix it with Gothic Horror.
Across the pond, Richard Sherman's Rocky Horror Show opened on stage in June 1973, and it's not inconceivable that De Palma might have heard of it. But Phantom is rooted in "Faust" and "The Phantom of the Opera," while "Rocky Horror" takes its cue from the RKO horror films and Frankenstein, and, more importantly, The Bride of Frankenstein. The fact that both came out on the tails of the "Glam" era were the big influences, with Rocky being its step-child, and Phantom using it for texture—and Phantom is more concerned with the phony excesses of the music biz, while Rocky embraces them.
One could make the case that Phantom was influenced by Rocky Horror, but the timing's way off—Rocky Horror wasn't that huge a hit at the time of Phantom's creation (right after De Palma directed Carrie) and wouldn't be filmed until a year later. So, though they have the same roots, any resemblance is a very specious one.
****No, really, he's good. Very good. So are the songs he composed for the film.
*****For awhile, Jessica Harper seemed to be in every good movie that came out, and a few bad ones, too. She's still acting, but she's doing more singing and writing for kids. Her last movie role to date was in Spielberg's Minority Report.
******* Those would be The Thin Man, Chinatown, and The Conformist. The Vertmüller film was Love and Anarchy, which I'll re-post once we get October Hallowe'en out of our systems.
The View from 2023: No more asterisks (I really over-did it on this one), but let's update a few things that were in the original and in the re-review. DePalma is now 83. He has two movies currently in development, but not that Untouchables Prequel—which was titled Capone Rising, it is in development Hell. Jessica Harper (bless her heart) is still acting.
Hi, Mom!(Brian De Palma, 1970) Second full-length film (although it seems more a comedy pastiche in final form, like the Zucker Brothers were making at the time) that De Palma and his producing buddy Charles Hirsch cooked up, seemingly as a sequel of sorts toGreetings (retainingRobert De Niro and his "character" John Rubin), while having absolutely nothing to do with that first film.
Ostensibly about a young film-maker who wants to make "peep-show art" out of filming the real lives of his neighbors in the co-op across the street—shades (opened, naturally) of Rear Window—it meanders into Rubin's plotting a relationship with one of his subjects (Jennifer Salt), while at the same time becoming involved in an experimental theater group, staging a radical audience participation vehicle called "Be Black, Baby!"
That last segment may actually be one of the first "mockumentaries."
It's "bad-kid movie-making" with a smart-alecky breeziness ("Hi, Mom!") that beats any number of elaborately formal set-pieces that De Palma has subsequently staged. One misses this "turk" De Palma***—the one that would do things that upset audiences, and sit back, cigar in his teeth, saying "Wait'll you see the next one!" Maybe it's not De Palma's fault. Maybe we've just become insensitive enough that nothing he can produce shocks us anymore. If that's true, imagine how miserable Hitchcock would be.
* The percursor to PBS.
** The best segment in the Rubin sandwiching sequences is one where he meticulously plans a seduction of Betty Shaefer—Salt's character—in order for him to film it—yes, a sick idea, but quaint in these days of "sex-tapes". But, things go awry when he arrives at the apartment and she tries to pull him into bed immediately, while he does his best to keep anything from happening, a lovely little turn on sexual roles, expectations, and how much power a director "actually" has. De Niro does his best work here, hemming and hawing and making excuses, constantly glancing at his watch and re-buttoning every shirt-button she's unbuttoned, and trying to use any of his by-now useless preparations in order to delay, delay, delay (you might say "the worst laid plans")
*** And he might, too. In an interview, the director has said that the "Be Black, Baby" segments of Hi, Mom! are the best thing he's ever done. Sad to think that, after all his successes, the elder De Palma looks back and sees this edgy, slap-dash sequence as the epitome of his career. But...if one is dissatisfied with one is doing, with all the compromises and concessions to getting a picture made and marketed, it's easy to look back on the brash days and say "That's when I had the freedom to do anything I wanted!" After the bludgeoning De Palma's films of The Bonfire of the Vanities and Redacted took, one can see that a bit more clearly. He could make that kind of film today. But, the market...and the critical elite...will bash it down.
The Story: "As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions." That was always the boiler-plate for any assignment message at the beginning of each "Mission: Impossible" episode—right before the inevitable destruction of the media involved, whether self-destructing or manually disposed of.*
But, we'd never seen that in the history of the "Mission: Impossible"series** that ran for years on TV. A combination spy/con-artist/incredible mess scenario were elaborate plans were made only to have to punt when something went wrong, "Mission: Impossible" was something of a wonder—until it became clear that most enemies of the U.S. looked enough like Martin Landau that he could be disguised as them. No one was ever "caught or killed" or "disavowed."
Until Tom Cruise's production company made a deal with Paramount and saw that they owned "Mission: Impossible." And very quickly they did a deep dive into that premise of the "Disavoweds" among the NOC (Non-official cover) agents by killing a good number of them leaving Cruise's original character of "Ethan Hunt" to run a solo operation not unlike James Bond, and making the list of IMF active NOC's working undercover throughout the world the McGuffin of the story.
And who wants that list? Well, it's the larger target in the story of Ethan's hunt for the IMF betrayer—who has been trading secrets to a power broker by the name of "Max." Posing as that unknown IMF agent, Ethan infiltrates the secret circles to the Max.
And she's played by Vanessa Redgrave. And my respect for the movie went up many notches. I'm always delighted when I get a rare chance to see this actress, who I consider to be one of the greatest actors—of any sex—of all time, appear on the screen. Redgrave melds classical acting with "method" to always bring something unique and distinctive and entirely unpredictable to every role she plays. Inventive, intricate, and nuanced, she always surprises with just how good she is in any given part.
And she's terrific in this scene. And her producer/co-star knows it and betrays it a little. He's more serious in scenes when he's not in a two-shot looking right at her. And he's a bit more animated in this scene—although tied up—than he is throughout the rest. Redgrave raises all boats.
And she's haunting the subsequent films in the series. You can't help remember "Max" from the first film, and a couple times—rather overtly in M:I-Fallout—she's mentioned in the background. There's a character in the films called "The White Widow" (played by Vanessa Kirby), who is the daughter of "Max" Mitsopolis (Redgrave's character from the first film), and shots of Redgrave were displayed in M:I-F. Who knows? Even though they've mentioned that Redgrave's character is dead, that doesn't mean much in spy films—or even, specifically, Mission: Impossible films. I would love to see her again. And Kirby's character will be appearing in the next two M:I movies (according to IMDB).
And I would love to see out-takes of her scenes from this—if there were any.
You want to really make a thrilling spy movie? Cast a superb actor like Vanessa Redgrave and put in a cameo performance like this.
The black hood still on his head, ETHAN has trouble sitting
upright. He's before a desk, in an apartment somewhere in
the city -- it's impossible to tell where, as the blinds are
drawn. The place is roomy and lavishly furnished --
expensive Oriental rugs, well-chosen objects of art.
Somewhere down the block, a dog BARKS, steadily, every few
seconds. In the hallway outside the apartment door, someone
is VACUUMING. MATTHIAS and the OTHER MAN are nearby.
ETHAN
I thought I was going to see Max.
MATTHIAS
You misunderstood. No one sees Max.
ETHAN
Then what am I doing here?
MATTHIAS
Allowing Max to see you and hear what
you've got to say.
ETHAN
I don't communicate very well through a
shroud.
MATTHIAS
If Max doesn't like what you have to say,
you'll be wearing that shroud
indefinitely.
ETHAN
I'm willing to take the chance.
MATTHIAS Very well.
MAX'S figure into frame. MATTHIAS removes ETHAN's hood.
When it comes off ETHAN finds himself looking up at...a tall
woman of indeterminate age. She's handsome to the point of
severity.
MAX
Who are you and what are you doing here?
ETHAN
I need one hundred fifty thousand dollars.
MAX
(laughs)
MAX Oh, Really? (laughs)
MAX And you thought if you simply
showed up I might give it to you?
ETHAN
Why not? You gave Job a hundred and
twenty five thousand.
MAX Hmmm. The penny drops. You are..
MAX ...not Job.
MAX Yes,
Job is not given to quoting Scripture in
his communications.
MAX And there was its
tone -- aggressive but playful. Job is
not playful.
MAX So you're something of a
paradox.
ETHAN
That depends.
MAX
On what?
ETHAN
Whether you like a paradox.
ETHAN I want a
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
MAX
Ah, nah,
MAX That's quite out of the question.
ETHAN
The disk Job sold you is worthless.
ETHAN It's
bait, part of an internal mole-hunt.
MAX
And how might you know that?
MAXAre you
another You're not a Company man?
ETHAN
Like Job?
MAX Hmmm.
MAXAh, but, we're asking about you.
ETHAN
I'm NOC. Was. Now disavowed.
MAX
Why, may I ask?
ETHAN
That's the question I want to ask Job.
MAX
I don't know Job any more than he knows
me.
ETHAN
Even so, I'm sure you could arrange an
introduction.
MAX
Why should I?
ETHAN
Because I can deliver the actual NOC
list. The one you have is not only...
ETHAN ...worthless, it's certain to be equipped
with a homing device to pinpoint your
exact...
ETHAN ...location.
MAX M-hm...
MAX Hm-hm...
MAXIt's easy to say the disk is worthless
when you say I can't look at the
information and see if it's worthless.
Not a tenable position, sir.
ETHAN
Okay, boot it up
ETHAN ...and in anywhere from
thirty seconds to ten minutes you're
gonna have Virginia farm boys hopping
around you like jackrabbits.
MAX
It's easy to say the disk is worthless
when you say I can't...
MAX look at the
information and...
MAX...see if it's worthless.
Not a tenable position, sir.
MAX (Pause.)
Mm - Hmmm...
ETHAN Tell you what. How good's the RF scanner
you used in the car?
MAX
Very good.
ETHAN
Okay, use it. But I suggest pack up
first.
ANGLE
MATTHIAS boots up.
There's a little musical noise and the
screen brightens. The computer WHIRS and CLICKS and a
complex list of names, addresses, phone numbers and other
personal information scrolls by. But Matthias is watching
the digital read-out on the RF scanner.
MATTHIAS
Twenty-six, twenty-seven. So far so
good.
MAX
That's not so good for you, my friend.
ETHAN
I'd say you've got about two minutes.
She looks from the scanner to ETHAN as if she's trying to
make up her mind about something.
The OTHER MAN goes to the windows --
--nothing happens.
He opens the French doors that lead out
onto a balcony.
EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT - BALCONY - DAY
The OTHER MAN comes out on the balcony.
Nothing out here but
a beautiful day.
He walks to the railing and looks down at
the street.
Down below, the dog that's still barking is tied to a street
sign.
WOOF. WOOF. WOOF. Abruptly, it stops.
EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT
A pollution control van and a taxi arrive amidst other street
activity. KITTRIDGE and the FEMALE CZECH AGENT exit the taxi
as BARNES and TWO OTHER UNDERCOVER MALE IMF agents leave the
van.
On the scanner, the digital read-out is now in the thirties.
MATTHIAS
Thirty-two and thirty-three change.
MAX
(to Ethan)
Doesn't mean it's a signal. Could just
be the hard drive heating up.
She looks from the scanner to ETHAN as if she's trying to
make up her mind about something.
MATTHIAS
Forty-four. Forty-five.
ETHAN
I'd say you've got about two minutes.
MAX still doubts it.
The OTHER MAN goes to the windows --
--nothing happens. He opens the French doors that lead out
onto a balcony.
EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT - BALCONY - DAY
The OTHER MAN comes out on the balcony. Nothing out here but
a beautiful day. He walks to the railing and looks down at
the street.
Down below, the dog that's still barking is tied to a street
sign. WOOF. WOOF. WOOF. Abruptly, it stops.
INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DAY
Back inside:
MATTHIAS
Fifty-seven. Fifty-nine.
EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT
A pollution control van and a taxi arrive amidst other street
activity. KITTRIDGE and the FEMALE CZECH AGENT exit the taxi
as BARNES and TWO OTHER UNDERCOVER MALE IMF agents leave the
van.
INT. MAX'S BUILDING - LOBBY - DAY
Led by KITTRIDGE, the FIVE IMF AGENTS wearing Kevlar-lined
trenchcoats creep through the lobby of the building and hit
the stairs.
They climb them silently.
INT. MAX'S BUILDING HALLWAY - DAY
A CLEANING WOMAN is vacuuming the hall carpeting when the
AGENTS come up the stairs, guns drawn.
Her jaw drops and she
turns off the vacuum cleaner.
FEMALE IMF
(in czech)
Switch it on. Keep cleaning.
KITTRIDGE looks at her sharply and gestures. She turns the
vacuum back on.
They reach the door of a certain apartment
and --
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
-- KICK through it.
The AGENTS swarm into MAX'S apartment,
guns waving in all directions.
KITTRIDGE sweeps in between
them and takes command of the place --
--but there's nobody here. TWO AGENTS race into the bedroom,
and just as quickly out again.
EXT. POWDER TOWER - TOP SHOT - DAY
MAX, ETHAN, MATTHIAS and the OTHER MAN move quickly across
the bridge that connects Max's apartment to the tower.
KITTRIDGE sweeps in between
them
and takes command of the place --
--but there's nobody here.
TWO AGENTS race into the bedroom,
and just as quickly out again.
EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT BALCONY - DAY
KITTRIDGE kicks open the door to the balcony, comes outside,
and looks around. Nobody in sight.
KITTRIDGE
GOD D-
CUT TO:
INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DAY
KITTRIDGE waits on the balcony for his AGENTS to complete
their search.
HARRY BARNES, a middle-aged, gray suited,
somewhat gray-faced bureaucrat, comes to join Kittridge.
KITTRIDGE
The man's gone black, Barnes.
KITTRIDGE
He's under
until he decides to surface.
BARNES
Look we can use someone from the Embassy
and we can get the local authorities
involved. Close off his transportation.
KITTRIDGE
What can we do, Barnes?
KITTRIDGEPut a guy at the
airport? How many identities do you
think Hunt has? How many times has he
slipped past custom, in how many
countries? These guys are trained to be
ghosts.
KITTRIDGEWe taught them how to do it, for
Christ's sake!
BARNES
So what do you suggest?
KITTRIDGE
Let's not waste time chasing him. Make
him come to us.
KITTRIDGEEverybody's got pressure
points.
KITTRIDGEFind out something that's
important to him personally and you
squeeze.
CUT TO:
INT.MAX'S CAR - ETHAN AND MAX - DAY
MAX
Oh dear, Gunther will never let me use
one of his apartments again.
MAX(turns to Ethan)
Phew, sorry I doubted you, dear boy.
MAX You are a good sport. Do accept the
compliment.
ETHAN
Thanks, Max.
ETHAN Or is it Maxine?
INT. CAR - MOVING - DAY
MAX
(chuckles)
MAX
I don't have to tell you what a comfort
anonymity can be in my profession --
MAX like
a warm blanket.
MAX(abruptly)
My deal with Job was subject to a
successful boot scan.
MAXObviously it
didn't pass muster. Deal's off.
ETHAN
What was your deal with Job?
MAX
Six million dollars.
MAX I'll give you the
same. But I want the complete list now,
not just Eastern Europe. I won't do this
piecemeal,
MAX ...it's too dangerous. I want
the entire list, the true name of every
non-official cover agent throughout the
world.
ETHAN
Ten million.
ETHAN Ten million in negotiable
U.S. Treasury certificates,
ETHAN...in bearer
form, coupons attached.
ETHAN And one more
thing --
ETHAN ...your personal assurance that Job
will be at the exchange.
MAX
Done. Bring it to me in London. I want
it by the end of the week.
ETHAN
How will you make sure Job will be there?
MAX
How will you make sure I'll have the list
in three days? It's been a delight. Now
where can I drop you dear boy?
ETHAN
I'm not being dropped anywhere without my
money.
MAX manages to laugh without coughing. Then, with an
admonishing forefinger:
MAX
I'm going to have to front you
personally. Don't lose that money
without losing your life.
ETHAN
I wouldn't dream of it.
MAX settles back and regards ETHAN. A theatrical sigh. She
fancies this guy.
Mission: Impossible is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Paramount Home Video.
* I always thought that if they just used cassettes instead of mini-reel-to-reels, the tapes would have self-destructed playing them in your car! (Sorry, you have to be a certain age to get that joke).
** Maybe they did, but I stopped watching regularly when Martin Landau and Barbara Bain left the series.
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Too few people know about Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. Too few people know about Brian DePalma. He is one of the best of the young, young crop of film-makers—the under-30 branch*—and he is quite taken with great directors of the past and their great movies. And so, very often, he will borrow a scene from these directors.
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