You wouldnt think youd need to know anything more about it.
A performance or design detail that slipped past me in all those other viewings.
in which he took on the media and the counterculture.
From a commercial standpoint, it seemed a fantastic idea.
Both on stage and film, rock operas likeHairandJesus Christ Superstarwere huge in the early 70s.
But times had changed.
Dylan no longer mattered when you had Alice Cooper and Black Oak Arkansas.
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He hired the great Paul Williams to compose some dark, catchy numbers.
He also signed Williams to star as the films demonic villain.
Songs aside (the soundtrack is pretty fucking awesome), it was an inspired bit of casting.
Everyone loved that Paul Williams.
Enter gangly, dorky songwriter Winslow Leach (De Palma regular William Finley).
the scream you hear in the final film is real).
Poor Winslow, though.
In simple stylistic terms, its a film quite unlike anything De Palma had done before or since.
As the story unfolds, the references add up as well.
Once De Palma hit the 80s he left subtlety behind all together.
Then there are all those weird bird motifs throughout the film.
Notably in this most recent viewing I also caught a number of variations on a theme.
So theres a lot to watch out for here, and in future viewings I suspect Ill find more.
Visually its also the most unique film De Palma ever made.
Ultimately though I must confess that I still prefer the Juicy Fruits over Winslow.
AndGoogle+, if thats your thing!
Rating:
4.5 out of 5
