RSS 2.0
If there was one movie in 2004 that did not deserve the huge amount of crap it got poured out over it, it must have been this one! The story is about a deformed (and therefore masked) musical genius who lives underneath the Paris Opera House. Ill-treatment by the outside world have driven him to solitude, insanity and well, homicide. When he falls in love with a beautiful young soprano, things escalate and drama ensues. For some reason critics enjoyed snubbing this movie, its director and its actors. Let me take a few moments to explain to you why they are wrong.
For a start, the movie is visually stunning. Joel Schumacher is in great form and gives the viewer one perfect tracking shot after the other, literally pulling you into the story. The flashback structure he uses works very well at the beginning and the end of the movie, the first time he “switches” from the “present day” to the “past”, took my breath away. However, during the rest of the movie the flashbacks take the pace out of the story. He would have been better off using only the flashback at the beginning and the flash-forward at the end. The story and the pace of the movie would have benefited.
Furthermore the singing and most of the acting is great. Regardless of what you may have read: Gerard Butler sounds wonderful. His voice (with the resonance of a rock- rather than a musical-foundation and therefore sporadically not as strong as the other two leads) is rich, warm and textured. And more importantly: he can sing. He sounds velvety and seductive, or forceful and masculine, or vulnerable, or psychotic, depending on what his character requires. Each emotion is perfectly placed and perfectly in place. At every moment in the film you are aware of what the Phantom is feeling and why. His acting too, is right on the spot. He shows you just where the Phantom is broken and does it credibly and truthfully. You are left feeling nothing but compassion for this poor wretched creature, even knowing all the bad things he’s done. Butler gives one of the best performances I’ve seen in 2004 (particularly considering he has only half a face to work with here and has to do the job of two people every time his flat-acting female co-star is in the shot) and, together with his excellent work in Dear Frankie, delivers his best performance so far.
Unfortunately, and particularly compared to Gerard Butler’s acting, Emmy Rossum’s Christine is rather lifeless. Hearing her sing she is the embodiment of doe-eyed innocence, but you do not quite know what Christine is feeling and don’t get much insight into why she makes the choices she makes. Although her voice is incredibly pretty, there is not enough emotion in both her singing and her acting. That is not to say Rossum does not give a remarkable performance for someone as young as she is. It is easy to see her potential, and her current lack of depth is a result of youth and not of talent-deficiency. I look forward to seeing what she’ll do next.
Minnie Driver meanwhile steals every scene she is in as the hilarious over-the-top-Carlotta, Miranda Richardson is a joy to watch as always, and Patrick Wilson does the best he can in what is undoubtedly the most ungrateful part in the movie. He’s basically just there to play the sweet-voiced pretty boy who gets the girl in the end, but by then nobody really wants him to win anymore.
Finally, Schumacher has done an excellent job of translating a stage-production onto the (big) screen. Costumes are lavish, sets abundant, cinematography flawless. And although he quotes from the stage-version (how could he not?), he definitely makes this film his own, adding all kinds of details, and a nice little twist at the end. Also the melodrama works well, mainly because most of the cast is so skilled. Precisely because Schumacher piles on the drama so hugely, the emotions portrayed by the actors come across as truthful and grab you by the throat. I am not ashamed to admit that for three days after seeing the movie, I cried every time I thought of the final scenes in the Phantom’s lair. Mind you: I am the only person I know who kept a dry eye during Titanic and I did not even cry when Bambi’s mother died…
So yes, I recommend this movie. Sure, maybe it’s a bit of a chick-flick, with all the singing and the costumes and the handsome dude behind the mask, but just ignore al the venom-spitting critics, who for some reason chose to hate this movie before they even saw it. Go see for yourself and make up your own mind. I can almost guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.
Mariken (69 posts)Legal secretary/traveller. Omnivorous about music (Bach, Henry Rollins, Ella Fitzgerald), movies (Don't Look Now, Shawshank Redemption, Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter), books (Beckett, Palahniuk, Palmen, Pratchett) and shoes (preferably those with more than a 4 inch heel)
14 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post.
i think this movie was just beautiful. I’m not really one for opera but the classical songs just made me cry and wish the ending had been different. I really don’ think this movie should have been given all the bad reviews it had to deal with. At first I was very confused about the ending and the flashbacks. I was left just wanting more than anything for christine to go with the pahntom. The scenes where the phantom was young were very horribel to me, as i hate seeing scenes where children or animals are hurt. I feel a huge deeply moving compassion for the phantom. for those who see the movie and think the phantom is simply a murderer i really think you should re-think your opinion and re-think human nature and the way the world is. Everybody needs love and this is common news, the phantom was denied this in the worst possible way with his mother and his father not even baring to look at him. this would have caused a deep lifelong scar and a constant reminder of what our society today thinks of appearance. I only wish that christine went with the phantom. Then he would have had love and his music talent would have been shown to the world. This is just a movie i know but i does happen and you hear it all the tijme with body image problems many people. Raol kind of annoyed me, he had terrible hair and was the barrier between Christine and The phantom. It goes to show, just show love and the entire movie would have worked out happy. sigh….i wish they would write another movie where christine does choose the phantom. but now i will just think about how much better the ending could have been. The other thing that makes me cry is when he smashes the mirrors and how much he hates his face. And i wish i knew what he did after that.
Comment by Gemma — Mon October 24, 2005 @ 14:10I think that the phantom of the opera is the BEST movie in world history along with the play!!!!
Comment by Madeline martens — Wed November 16, 2005 @ 1:40ANYONE who has anything bad to say about the phantom should just keep it to themselves they should not waist their time coming on here cause we really dont want to hear it!!!!!!!! YOU HEAR THAT LOSERS do not diss on the phantom keep it to yourself OK
THANX
Madeline, darling…. Learn to spell and learn to differentiate between reality and fiction and perhaps then people might take your opinions more seriously. Oh and incidentally is that the royal “we” you are referring to? ‘Coz “we” at CoP DO want to hear opinions, even if they are immature ones like yours. Free speech will prevail… although we may moderate you slightly if you get out of hand
Comment by suzero — Wed November 16, 2005 @ 9:49I was glad to read this good review of Phantom of the Opera. I have been wading through so many bad reviews that this one is a breath of fresh air. I have viewed the movie many times and I listen to the soundtrack constantly. I have yet to understand the criticism of Gerard Butler’s voice. I thought he was outstanding, his singing excellent and well-suited to the Phantom. He has a great vocal range and puts immense emotion into his character. I follow Gerard Butler’s career, so I know that he is a very talented actor. His choice as the Phantom has made me appreciate Joel Schumacher’s directorial talent. The entire movie was very well done and a feast for the eyes and ears. I think it will stand the test of time and come to be appreciated someday as it certainly wasn’t at its release. The snubbing it got from the critics was baffling. The occasional really nasty reviews were totally unnecessary. It seems that most reviewers start off by saying that they hate Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work. So why do they consider themselves qualified to judge a movie based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work? Shouldn’t they just pass and let less biased reviewers take on the challenge? I will admit that I do not know how the world of movies and movie politics and reviewers and axes to grind all come together, but it was evident something was askew by the way Phantom of the Opera was received.
Comment by Ginger — Fri December 23, 2005 @ 1:29I’m in love with this movie. I am an aspiring actress/singer, and seeing this really inspired me. Gerard Butler was amazing and Emmy Rossum was just phenomenal. I love her voice because she has the perfect facial expressions and matches that to her voice. She can really portray what she’s feeling. I also loved Minnie Driver as Carlotta. She was hilarious, and some of my favorite scenes are the ones that Carlotta is in. People who don’t like Phantom of the Opera really just are kind of stupid. How can you not like it? I’ve decided people like that aren’t worth my time.
Comment by Stephanie — Fri June 23, 2006 @ 4:04i have not yet seen the phantom of the opera and have wanted to see it for a long time and this review has made me want to see it even more but the problem is that in all of the shops i have been in i have not seen the film out on the shelves!
Comment by bex — Tue August 1, 2006 @ 15:05what kind of shop owners do they call themselves if they dont have the film out on the shelves
really upset that i havent managed to see it yet
@ Bex: try Amazon, or Play.com. They usually have it in stock and are generally cheaper than the average (high street) store.
)
Comment by mariken — Wed August 2, 2006 @ 13:27If you do not want to buy online, HMV is probably your best bet.
(thus ended the commercial presentation
I have seen this movie so many times and must say it is my favorite. I sing the songs from this movie, or at least part of them, everyday.
Comment by Angel D. — Wed August 23, 2006 @ 5:43Emmy Rossum did such a good job in Phantom of the Opera, that I must also say that she is my favorite actress. She beautiful, has a sense of humor, young, and a great voice. Gerard Butler is adored by me too. He has everything that Emmy has: Handsome, a sense of humor, (sorta young), and a GREAT voice.
Someday I hope to follow my dream and meet them someday. But it is NOT going to happen anytime soon.
Luv you Emmy and Gerry!
Angel
Where have I been the past 20 years? Nowhere near the musical theater, that’s for sure. I knew nothing about Phantom of the Opera, aside from the iconic Lon Chaney silent movie, and barely registered that the phenominally popular stage musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber had been brought to the screen. Until 3 weeks ago, that is.
As of this date, August 25, I have watched the movie on DVD six times, bought and listened to (and sung with) the two-disc special edition CD at least a dozen times, borrowed and listened to the original cast recording with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, read the libretto, and made plans to see the stage production when it comes to town next year. Obsessed? Could be.
I have also read half of the movie reviews on the IMDb and have come to the conclusion that I must be somehow lacking in the finer points of cinematic taste and style because the movie sure worked for me. And yes, I like Gerard Butler’s phantom. His voice, although not a traditionally trained opera-style voice, has a passionate intensity that thrills those of us who have very primal responses to dark, sexy men. In spite of Butler’s obvious physical magnitism, he is able to convey the phantom’s emotional torment, his obsessive love for his protege, Christine, and his ultimate surrender of her to Raoul, in a very powerful way. The phantom’s mask has been reduced to little more than a fashion accessory, which makes his psychological balance the main focus of the film as opposed to his “horrible deformity.”
I think Emmy Rossem shines as Christine. She is quite the accomplished actress–Mystic River, The Day After Tomorrow–and yet she plays Christine as a shy, unassuming teenager who is being unwittingly manipulated by her “angel of music”, aka the phantom. Her voice and visage have the sweet innocence that make her character believable. She is apparently mesmerized by the phantom when he first shows himself to her and takes her to his underground lair. Later, she is frightened by his mecurial temper when she removes his mask in an effort to see who he is. (We do not fully see the phantom’s face at this point, but Christine does.) She is confused by her own feelings, gratitude for the gift of her musical tutoring on the one hand and horror at the reality of the phantom on the other.
Raoul is certainly not what one would call a fully-rounded character, although Patrick Wilson does wonders with what has been given to him, and the film version gives him a bit more to do the stage version. When Christine goes to the graveyard to visit her father’s tomb and begins to fall once more under the spell of the phantom, Raoul duels with him in a lively action sequence. Later, as the opera house is in flames, Raoul races to the underground abode where the phantom has taken Christine and is caught in a diabolical water trap from which he must free himself first, before he can free Christine. Wilson’s tenor is clear and true and in the romantic duet “All I Ask of You” he promises to keep Christine safe, though in a typically 19th-century, paternalistic fashion: “Let me be your shelter/ Let me be your light/ I’m here, no-one can harm you/ My words will warm and calm you.” But when Wilson sings those words, for the moment all any girl wants is to be taken care of.
One other major character is not really a character at all. It is the music. Although it has been described as bombastic, repetitive and overly cloying, I thought the score fit this particular production to a “T”. From dark and passionate pieces to light, humorous songs, The Phantom of the Opera left a decided reverberation in my mind that demanded I hear it all again.
In the end, The Phantom of the Opera is a tragic love story, pure and simple. And the finale, and possibly the only, unselfish act of the phantom will rip your heart out as it so obviously did his. Yes, the music of the night is over, indeed.
Comment by Lily — Fri August 25, 2006 @ 16:46aug.28.06
this movie is and has been one of my all time favorites. i am doing a research on emmy rossem for a speech in drama we had to choose someone famous so my first choice was emmy, from her fisrt film, songcathcher to the phantom of the opera and everything yet to come she will be put down in history for me the movie phantom of the opera is a classsic in my family and even know i am just 15 i think of big exspectations and as emmy is my idol that is why i choose her to do for this project. i belive everyone should watch this film and if u leave not likeing the movie there is something seriously wrong with you…ill post another comment to show u how my project is comming along.
love courtney
Comment by courtney hazelett — Mon August 28, 2006 @ 16:41mountain home,ak
The reason this movie received so many horrible reviews was because everyone was comparing it to the original musical from 1986. And compared to it, the actors weren’t as skilled in acting or singing. But of course with Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine, was anyone truly expecting it to rival them? It is just like how a popular book is always better than the movie, except this time it was the musical.
Comment by Lindsay — Tue December 18, 2007 @ 3:59However, if you reviewed this movie without expecting it to be as good as the musical, you will probably end up enjoying immensely. Gerard was able to show much emotion with his character, although his voice isn’t the traditional opera style most people were looking for, and if you listen closely to the songs, you can hear that he has trouble holding some notes. Other than that, his looks were probably enough to win the hearts of many teenage girls.
Emmy has a beautiful voice but, as said before, seems inexperienced as an actor. And what can I say for Patrick Wilson. I just didn’t like him, I’m not sure if it was only his character that made me feel this, or that he wasn’t that good at acting.
Overall I really liked this movie, and soon became addicted to the songs. I would recommend it to anyone.
I don’t get out much due to health reasons, so I did not see this until it ran on Hallmark Movie Channel. It was one of the best movie’s I have ever seen, and that encompases many years since I am 66. I cried when I watched it, and watched it again today and cried again. I bought the soundtrack, and plan to get the 2-disc movie. I am a music major, and I absolutely loved it. I agree with you about Greard Butler. He was wonderful. His voice was great, and went the range of emotions from love to bitterness, to dispair and anger. I think he was superb-great acting AND singing. Emmy’s vooice is lovely, she tends to be a coloratura soprano, which is lighter than the regular soprano voice. And she was 17 and playing a 17 year old, so it was just right. A deeper and more resonant voice would have been correct for a person in their 20’s or 30’s. Hers was right for the part. I think she shower far more emotion with the scenes with the Phantom than with Raoul. I felt she loved him(P) but was afraid to explore it deeper. She was unable to understand the depth of emotion that he aroused in her. Raoul was , as said, a pretty boy, with a nice voice, who I, for one, in no way would have chosen over the Phantom-even unmasked. I almost laughed when he pinned the Phantom during the swordfight. NO way!!!
Comment by Anne Bernie — Sun May 11, 2008 @ 22:50He was just too wimpy.
The scenery was magnificent, the music glorious and the acting wonderful. If the fans gave Oscars, from what I have read here and elsewhere, it would have won hands down.
I do not usually cry in movies, unless a dog is hurt or dies, but now, I even get tears in my eyes listening to the soundtrack. The scene when he first takes her to his Lair is beautiful. It borders on almost erotic, yet plainly pure, clean and beautiful. He shows her that he wants to marry her. He could have taken advantage when she fainted, but he did not. This showed his love was pure, and that there was good in him. In the final scene, which is the most emotional, from the song” The Point of No Return” till the end it is just emotion heaped upon emotion. I think he is more docile when he has his mask on, but when unmasked, he becomes angry. No one can really blame him when you know his story, shunned by his mother, ridiculed by almost everyone , hated, scorned and reviled. But still, he has a heart full of love, and only wants to be loved in return. In a way, it bothers me when she kisses him, because it is almost like giving him a taste of what he will never have-in my words-cruel punishment. At the end, when he is singing to the monkey and crying, and she comes and gives him her ring, and then LEAVES AGAIN- well, I could’ve drop kicked her across the lake.
My favorite thing about this movie, aside from the beauty of the music, great acting, was that it was clean and decent, which unfortunately today, is not the NORM.
Bravo to all involved in it.
I LOVED this movie. My friend and I wanted to rent it again, but they didn’t have the 2004 version, so we rented the one from 1989. It was TERRIBLE…whether comparing it to the newer one or not. Anyway, that was really disapointing.
I’m an artict, though, and this movie (2004) really inspired me. I’d really like to see the Broadway play for this in New York someday. The Masquerade was AMAZING. All the work they had to have put into those costumes! The dancing, the music, and EVERYTHING! And the storyline was so, so beautiful. Brilliant! Amen to Phantom of the Opera!
Comment by Kayla — Mon May 26, 2008 @ 3:56I’ve seen dozens of movies that have been adapted from broadway musicals. In my opinion, “The Phantom of the Opera” is the absolute best. It has everything a good movie should have: beautiful music, an involving storyline, and Emmy Rossum. SHE’S A BABE!!!!!!!!
Comment by jared — Fri November 7, 2008 @ 21:23