Barry Grant presents …
Phantom of the Paradise
Brian De Palma | USA | 1974 | 91m
Phantom of the Paradise made its debut in Winnipeg on 26 December 1974. The Brian De Palma film blends elements of rock music, comedy, and horror to create a glam-rock twist on The Phantom of the Opera. The film was critically panned and considered a box office failure everywhere except Winnipeg, Manitoba and Paris, France. When it comes to passionate, aberrant fandom, nothing quite compares to the way Winnipeg embraced this rock-horror-comedy when just about every other city in North America rejected it. While the film died an ignominious box office death in most cities within days of its release, it played continuously in Winnipeg cinemas over four months and over one year non-continuously until 1976. Fervent “Phans” would go on to organize festivals to celebrate it along with IMAX screenings. On the 50th anniversary of this phenomena, the Mighty Niagara Film Fest offers another opportunity to solve the mystery of Winnipeg’s fascination with the Phantom of the Paradise.
The film will be introduced by film author and professor emeritus Barry Grant.
Address: 354 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, L2R 3N2, Canada
Phone: 905-641-0331
Website: https://nac.org
