For Immediate Release
December 17, 2024
CLARK ART INSTITUTE SCREENS
THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Thursday, January 23, the Clark Art Institute screens the latest installment in its Hollywood Auteurs film series, The Phantom of the Paradise (1974), at 6 pm. Presented in partnership with Images Cinema, this series captures the explosion of creativity, critical acclaim, and box office success that Hollywood directors found after the fall of the studio system. This film is shown in the Manton Research Center auditorium.
Brian De Palma’s rock opera Phantom of the Paradise remains a connoisseur’s cult classic, fifty years after its release. Disfigured composer Winslow Leach (William Finley) seeks revenge on Swan (Paul Williams), the heartless producer who stole his music, which Leach wrote for Phoenix (Jessica Harper), the woman he loves from afar. Williams’ wicked rock music powers director De Palma’s outré musical, which combines elements of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Goethe’s Faust. A cult classic among cult classics. (Run time: 1 hour, 32 minutes)
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events. Admission to the Clark is free January through March 2025.
The next screening in this series is Young Frankenstein (1974) on January 30 at 6 pm in the Manton Research Center auditorium.
ABOUT IMAGES CINEMA
Images Cinema has received funding support from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation's Arts Build Community grant to co-present/co-produce this series.
A Berkshire tradition for over 100 years, Images Cinema, a non-profit, community-supported movie theater, celebrates film as an art form, a source of entertainment and learning, and a means to cultivate an engaged community. As a non-profit organization, Images relies on support from the community through memberships, donations, and sponsorships from local businesses. Images Cinema is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information visit www.imagescinema.org.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of some 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free January through March and is $20 from March through December; admission is free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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