In most cities around the world, Brian De Palma’s 1974 rock opera-ish The Phantom Of The Paradise is a cult classic, appreciated mostly by self-proclaimed cinephiles with a taste for over-the-top strangeness. (As our own Ignatiy Vishnevetsky describes it in a piece recommending the film: “[Phantom Of The Paradise] represented the pinnacle of Brian De Palma’s undisciplined early excess: a smorgasbord of camp, Grand Guignol, and bird imagery that thumbed its metal beak at commercial considerations.”) In Winnipeg, Manitoba, however, it was a box-office sensation, and is still a pop-cultural touchstone on par with Star Wars.
How did this happen? Why this film? And why Winnipeg, of all places? These questions (and, presumably, many more) are answered in the new documentary Phantom Of Winnipeg, from directors Sean Stanley and Malcom Ingram. The doc makes its world premiere a couple provinces over in Montreal on July 12, at a Fantasia Film Festival screening with Ingram, Stanley, producer Edward R. Pressman, and Phantom Of The Paradise star Paul Williams in attendance.
We’ve got the exclusive premiere of the film’s poster below, as well as a trailer that debuted two weeks back. You can find information on Fantasia’s Phantom events, which also include a screening of Phantom Of The Paradise with Williams and Pressman in attendance, here and here.
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Apparently Phantom of the Paradise is available for streaming on Shudder.
Thank you! I’ve been waiting for this doc to come out for ages.
What’s not to love? De Palma is having a blast with the camera, the performances are a ton of fun (Gerrit Graham is so great as Beef), and most of all, Paul Williams songs are top notch. One of my all time favorite soundtracks and movies. It’s just fun.
Someone made a movie called Phantom of Winnipeg and it wasn’t Guy Maddin? Huh.
That’s an Eaton reference worthy of the MT Centre. I give you Horse Heads on Ice!
I am from Winnipeg and sorry to those who do like this.. film.. but honestly it’s just sad we get credit for loving this film so much.
You should not be saying “sorry” to those people. You should be saying “go fuck yourselves.”
No, no. He’s Canadian. He should be apologizing, in accordance with the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms, paragraph 35.:
The utmost limitation to all provisions set forth in this charter is that any and all Canadians must apologize for any statement or expression which might imaginably cause upset in any person, regardless the sincerity or perfunctoriness of the apology.
One of my wife’s and my favorite films. Hilarious, fun, and great music. A favorite of Edgar Wright and Guillermo del Toro too.
I experienced this first hand. I was working at a record store in those days, Opus 69. We got passes to the premiere and most of the staff went on opening nite, the record label had a party and the reps were promoing the crap out of the film and soundtrack album. It was evident that the film hit a nerve and the run at the theatre seemed to go on forever but that’s the way it was in those pre-cineplex days. I liked Rocky Horror way better when it came out the following year and the Phantom soundtrack was bleh to us sophisticates in the shop of course but there was no stopping that film it ran and ran.
Carburetors, man! That’s what life is all about.
My short runs better when it’s clean!
I can’t say that the film holds up to when I would watch it as a kid, but the music is still as fantastic as ever. I play the soundtrack at least once a month.
It seems like they’ve got the documentary backwards. The mystery isn’t “why is it unbelievably popular in Winnipeg?” the true mystery is “why isn’t this unbelievably popular everywhere else?”
Dammit! Going to Montreal for a couple of weeks but will miss this, going for the end of the fest rather than the beginning. I demand the organisers reschedule the entire programme according to my needs, whims and desires. They’re Canadian, if I ask nicely enough they’ll do it….
I’m not sure I’d go as far as saying it’s on par with Star Wars in Winnipeg, but it’s definitely our Rocky Horror.
So odd to see my shitty/wonderful city on here.
I hope the doc will wind up on Shudder
For the longest time this movie seemed like a fever dream to me. I saw it on some cable channel back when I was like fifteen late at night and no one I talked to ever seen it. On par with Tommy and Hedgewig and the angry inch