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The Swan Archives FAQ and Links Page
Q: Why did you do this? Are you out of your mind?
A: Thanks for asking. The Swan Archives' mission is to preserve, and make available to the public, whatever physical record remains of the life of Swan. Unfortunately, the vast bulk of what has survived of such material is limited to Phantom of the Paradise collateral.
Q: Do you actually have all the items that are pictured on your site?
A: Pretty much, yes. The Swan Archives has been building its collection for more than 30 years.
Q: Is any of your Phantom memorabilia for sale?
A: Sorry, no. If we sold it, there wouldn't be any Swan Archives.
Q: I hear there are some excellent reproductions of the Phantom's helmet available...do you know where I can get one?
A: Yes, they're made by a fellow in Winnipeg. If you'd like to send The Swan Archives an email, we'll forward it along to him. Our email address is archivist at swanarchives.org
Q: I have an item of Phantom memorabilia that's not in your collection. Would you be interested in buying it from me?
A: Probably. The Swan Archives is always looking for pieces to add to the collection and make available at our website, as a public service.
Q: Where can I reach you by email? I'd like to tell you how much I love your site, or correct a factual error, or sell you a piece of Phantom memorabilia that you don't already have.
A: We would love to hear from you. You can reach The Swan Archives by sending email to archivist at swanarchives.org.
Q: I've been waiting all my life for someone to do this. I'm so grateful. Can I send you some money? A donation to help offset your bandwidth costs?
A: Thanks, that's very nice of you. But no, The Swan Archives maintains this site for reference, not for profit, and we do not accept donations. Did you notice that there are no banner ads, no co-marketing links to Amazon, and no popups sending you to porn sites? Accepting donations, or generating revenue, even if it's only to offset our bandwidth costs, could create the appearance that The Swan Archives is attempting to profit from the work of the creative people who made Phantom of the Paradise, and nothing could be further from the truth.
Q: Someone on Ebay is selling this "clacker". Was it actually used in the production of the movie?
A: No, it's a novelty item.
Q: Someone on Ebay is selling what they say is the actual helmet worn by the Phantom in the movie. Is it really the helmet that was used in the movie?
A: No.
Q: Someone on Ebay is selling what they say is the actual rubber stamp that Swan used in the movie to sign his name in blood in Winslow's contract. Is it really the actual prop stamp that was used in the movie?
A: No.
Q: Someone on Ebay is selling what they say is the actual facial appliance that William Finley wore in the movie to make his face look scarred. Is it really the one used in the movie?
A: No.
Cast and Crew of Phantompalooza 2006
Q: Were you involved with Phantompalooza in some way?
A: Yes, some of The Swan Archives' memorabilia collection decorated the lobby at Phantompalooza 1, in 2005, and our principal archivist was one of the organizers of Phantompalooza 2, in 2006. If you had a good time there, The Swan Archives would love to hear about your experience.
Q: Were you involved with the French collector's edition double DVD in some way?
A: Yes, The Swan Archives provided the trailers (previews of coming attractions) on the supplement disc, and also provided many of the stills and posters and things that were used in the Paradise Regained documentary.
Q: Can you forward an email to Paul Williams/William Finley/Jessica Harper/ that blonde chick in the Swanage orgy scene/Gerrit Graham for me, or tell me how to reach them?
A: No, sorry. Some of those folks have their own websites, though, and if you go there, you might find contact information for them. The Swan Archives does not provide anyone's email address, or other contact info. We at The Swan Archives value our privacy, and we're sure they value theirs.
While we're on the topic, though, the blonde girl in the orgy scene, the one who wants help "warming up her voice," was Cheryl Rainbeaux Smith, who has a bit of a cult following of her own, the result of her appearances in iconic B-films like Caged Heat, Video Vixens, Massacre at Central High, and others.
Miss Smith unfortunately died in 2002.
Q: On the autographed items in your collection, it says "To Ari". Why is that?
A: "Ari" is the name of The Swan Archives' principal archivist. He's also known in some circles as "Joe User".
Q: Hey! I own the copyright in something on your site! Take it down RIGHT NOW!
A: Don't be rude; this page is for frequently asked QUESTIONS. The Swan Archives' position is that our use of all the material on our site is permitted by the fair use provisions of the US Copyright Act. In particular: The Swan Archives does not generate any revenue whatsoever from the website; the use of the copyrighted works is "transformative"; The Swan Archives is not displacing anyone's sales of any copyrighted work; and The Swan Archives' use is not having any effect on the value of any copyrighted work. If you've got a copyright concern, you could send us an email, to archivist at swanarchives.org. Unless your name is Brian De Palma, though, we'll probably ignore it.
LINKS
Festival in Winnipeg celebrating Phantom of the Paradise
Unofficial but excellent news site chronicling Brian De Palma's activities. Webmaster Geoff always posts the latest De Palma related news before anyone else, and is unfailingly accurate; it's pretty hard to beat him to the story
The most authoritative Paul Williams fansite out there
The Paul Williams Connection - Paul Williams' official site.
Jessica Harper's own "official" website, with an emphasis on her books and CD's for children, which we at The Swan Archives think are a blast by the way: the songs are well produced, witty and interesting, with a lot more variety in rhythms and percussion and far better musicianship and songwriting than any other music for children we've ever heard. Ms. Harper's sly wit and sense of fun is evident throughout. Very listenable for adults as well as kids...great stuff! Check it out!
Peter Elbling's (Harold Oblong) own "official" website, with information on his recent work, including his Archie the Anteater video and his book, The Food Taster, which we at The Swan Archives thoroughly enjoyed. The Food Taster is an exciting and funny page-turner about a fellow who gets a job being the food taster (as in testing for poison) for a despicable 16th century duke with many enemies. Lots of doublecrosses, outsmartings, poisonings, unexpected turns of events, duplicity, and romance. Our principal archivist usually abhors perfection in anyone but himself, but is willing to make an exception here.
Gerrit Graham's "official" website.
Articles and discussion about film, with an emphasis on De Palma. Headquarters for some of the most cerebral essays and discussion (on an active forum) on the web -- some really smart people making interesting observations
Giuseppe Puccio's De Palma site, emphasizing Puccio's theories about De Palma's recurrent themes, and his use of space and camera angles to convey information
A wonderful French fansite that begins to answer the question, "What's so great about Brian De Palma anyway?" We at The Swan Archives admire this site tremendously
Romain Desbiens' fan site; always a good read, frequently updated, mostly in French
Some images not loading? Try refreshing the page, but wait for all the images to load BEFORE clicking on any of the pop-up links. (Some browsers stop loading images as soon as you click on anything in the page.)
All inquiries should be directed by email to archivist at swanarchives.org. The words "grand guignol" appear nowhere on this site. All website text, design, and coding is Copyright 2006-2008, Ari the Principal Archivist. No claim is made to the copyrighted works, trademarks or service marks of 20th Century Fox or A&M Records, and The Swan Archives is in no way affiliated with either company.
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