Brian De Palma and the Phantom of the Paradise

Phantom of the Paradise is one of the few films that belongs to the lost and lonely genre of the rock opera. Other such entries into the genre include, Tommy and Pink Floyd's The Wall, the latter of which I have seen. This is the kind of film that probably would have been just awful had it been directed by anyone other than Brian De Palma. It's kind of an uneven mess as it is, but with De Palma at the helm, at least it's a fun, visually radical uneven mess. Here he combines elements of primarily Phantom of the Opera and Faust with touches of Psycho and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari among others. An evil record producer who sold his soul for eternal youth and worldly success takes advantage of an upcoming composer by stealing his work and then having him framed for drug possession. The composer gets out of prison and in the process of attempting revenge, disfigures his face. You see where this is going. Plus, there is a girl, and only she is worthy of singing this composers lyrics. De Palma certainly knows how to keep things interesting with a dark sense of humor and some biting satire at musicals, rock culture, and horror films. You may need to be in the right mood (or on drugs) for this movie, but I have no idea what mood that is. But when you're in it, you'll know, and then hurry up and watch this movie.