DePalma penned the script himself and the storyline moves like a pulp-charged bullet, mixing elements of Faust, Phantom Of The Opera and The Picture Of Dorian Gray into a satire that pokes fun at the music business, Phil Spector and the general showbiz tendency to steamroll over dreamers as it endlessly repackages the same old thing. It’s worth noting that the film boasts an endless buffet of quotable dialogue, thus illustrating one of DePalma’s most underrated skills as a writer. (…)
Special praise should go to Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor and Peter Elbling (a.k.a. Harold Oblong), a trio of gifted comedians/musicians who jump from genre to genre to interpret the style of Swan’s different bands: Sha Na Na, the Beach Boys, Alice Cooper — they do it all…
That said, DePalma’s key collaborator on the film — both in acting and in music — is the great Paul Williams. As Swan, he draws on several years of music-biz experience to create a sinister yet witty and oddly charming villain. The way Williams plays the role, you can understand why people fall for his ruses again and again — and later in the film, he reveals some hidden dramatic levels when the character’s past history is explored. Better yet, his score for the film is phenomenal, mixing songs of stunning beauty and melancholy with pitch-perfect satirical pastiches or rock styles (George Tipton’s silent film-style underscore is also beautifully composed and arranged).
