Phantom of the Opera 2004 movie

[egskater0003]

I just watched POTO for the first time this weekend on dvd. Now I wish I had seen it in the theatres. It was much better than I expected and found myself really enjoying the songs.

I didn't really know the storyline so it was surprising to me how sad it was. The "phantom" was so lonely and hurt from those days when he was in the freak shows of the circus. And then he had to hide beneath the opera house indefinitely.

At first I really wanted Christine to be with the Phantom but then Raoul was so handsome and he was what was "real." The phantom was going crazy over Christine and kind of freaky.

Anyway, I thought Emmy did a great job portraying Christine. She was beautiful and she had a very lovely sweet voice, although not that powerful, but perhaps that's the way it's suppose to be. She really brought out the emotion.

Raoul was hot and the phantom was handsome in a mysterious way.

[Krista]

The Phantom was gorgeous when he was leading Christine down the hall with the candles. *insert drooling icon here* lol

I loved that movie. The music is so great and I thought they did a wonderful conversion from the play to the movie. Play is still better, but the movie comes close.

Happy to hear you liked it :)

[Bliss784]

I agree, Emmy did a good job...her voice isn't as strong as others who have played the part, but she puts a different spin on Christine and her voice is so lovely and lyrical. Most of the time, I'll prefer to listen to the Movie CD rather than the stage version.

[Krista]

lol Bliss, love the dancing cat.

Im the same way, I like the movie soundtrack better than the play. I like Gerard's deeper voice for the phantom.

[Bliss784]

The cat is a great dancer, isn't he? :lol
I forgot to mention that....Gerard did a wonderful angry, turmoiled, and sad Phantom.

[egskater0003]

I think all the characters were well played out. And I did much prefer Emmy's pretty & gentle voice vs the normal loud shrieking opera voice.

I also thought the movie sounded better in French than English. Opera's just don't sound that good in English. But I want to buy the soundtrack in English & French.

Yes, I too think that whole scene where she first meets the phantom and follows him through the hallway of candles is beautiful and then getting on the boat to his layer. It's very enchanting.

Another scenes I love are:

roof top with Raoul (love that song)
masquarade (love the part where they sing & dance on the stairs)
don juan duet (phantom & christine)...I thought she might be so entraced with the phantom she would willingly run off with him...made Raoul nervous in his box that Christine might choose the phantom over him...
last scenes...christine kisses the phantom and chooses him to save raoul's life, then the phantom let's them go but it was so freaking sad...poor phantom...later at the graveyard...Raoul puts the singing monkey on her headstone and sees the single red rose with the ring...

sigh...it was a great movie. I hope to see the stage version if it comes to town.

[chipso1]

Ahh! I really want to see this movie now! I need to go rent it!:)

:FL

[Krista]

don juan duet (phantom & christine)...I thought she might be so entraced with the phantom she would willingly run off with him...made Raoul nervous in his box that Christine might choose the phantom over him...
last scenes...christine kisses the phantom and chooses him to save raoul's life, then the phantom let's them go but it was so freaking sad...poor phantom...later at the graveyard...Raoul puts the singing monkey on her headstone and sees the single red rose with the ring...

LOVE the don juan duet.

And Music of the Night practically brings me to tears everytime. That has to be one of the most beautiful songs every written.

[DCSkate]

I enjoyed this movie, and it made me want to see the musical on stage. The visuals were great, I especially liked the beginning when they went from black and write to color when starting the flashback.

Gerard and Emmy I thought were pretty good, maybe both could have been stronger but they were not awful.

Another cast member I was impressed with is Jennifer Ellison as Meg. She came across as a good friend, sweet and curious, and I loved her part in "Angel of Music."

[uncchristine99]

I don't remember how it was that I never went to see this on the big screen but I finally saw it on DVD a few weeks ago and I thought it was horrible. I wanted to like it.... I really did! I went on a school trip to NYC a few years ago and got to see it on Broadway. I looooooooooved it!

I was really horrified with the Phantom's voice. It's sounded pretty good in "Phantom of the Opera" and for most of "Music of the Night" but every song after that, I just cringed everytime he opened his mouth. Christine's voice was too soft and lyrical for me. In the last part of "Phantom" where she's just singing the ah's... I really wanted her to punch those notes and she just kept scooping up to them. Weak!! Give me Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman anyday.

The cinematography is probably the best of any movie I've ever seen. I wanted to like this movie so much but something about the Phantom and about Christine just didn't gel!!! It really annoyed me cuz I really love this opera.

The best song sequence was Raoul and Christine up on the roof. I loved the shots of the Phantom behind the statue, hearing everything. OMG!! I wanted to strangle myself! Now, Raoul had a pretty good voice, IMHO.

As far as keeping it with the original, I thought the movie did that very well. It's just the singing that ruined it for me.

[Cole50]

Not to add too much to the discussion, but I just purchased the movie today and cannot wait to watch it later tonight. I love Phantom, and cannot wait to hear the music all over again! *sigh*

[LondonGirl25]

The best song sequence was Raoul and Christine up on the roof. I loved the shots of the Phantom behind the statue, hearing everything. OMG!! I wanted to strangle myself! Now, Raoul had a pretty good voice, IMHO.

Yes, I agree. IMO, Raoul did have the best voice of the main characters. But then again, that's probably because Patrick Wilson (who played Raoul) is a seasoned Broadway singer, whereas Gerard Butler (Phantom) and Emmy Rossum (Christine) are not. I read that Emmy studied singing in NY, but other than that, I don't think she's ever sang professionally in major roles on Broadway.

I really wanted her to punch those notes and she just kept scooping up to them. Weak!! Give me Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman anyday.

Yeah, there were parts where Emmy was a bit thin on the notes, but for the most part, I think she did a good job. As for the Phantom . . . well, I personally feel that Michael Crawford is the Phantom. I always felt that he owned that role. On the other hand, I don't feel the same way about Sarah Brightman. I've seen POTO on stage three times, and with the exception of one actress, I liked the voices of the ladies who sang Christine's part. For the most part, I really think Christine's role is easier to fill than the Phantom's.

As for the movie, I liked it a lot. The visuals were really nice. I liked the fact that they went with a younger cast of actors as compared to the Broadway version. I felt that Emmy brought a more innocent look to the role, more than Sarah Brightman ever did. I also liked the flashforward sequences with Raoul as an old man. It gave me a better sense of closure that you really don't get from the musical.

I just have one question, for anyone who has seen the movie: When we see Raoul at the auction in the future, is the old lady Madame Giry (Meg's mom)? I wasn't sure if the old lady was Meg or her mother. If it is Meg's mother, I kind of found it hard to believe that she would still be alive, considering how old Raoul looks next to her. I mean, the old lady and Raoul look about the same age, so unless Mme. Giry discovered some immortality elixir, I'm guessing the old lady has to be Meg. :lol Just curious . . .

[colinmom71]

Well, the elderly lady was played by Miranda Richardson, who portrayed Mme. Giry (Meg's mother). Personally, I'm going with her being Mme. Giry and not Meg, despite what would be her advanced age. Considering Christine's gravestone reveals that she died relatively young (in her 50's IIRC - don't yet have the DVD's to confirm), it's plausible that Mme. Giry was still alive and in her 80's by the end of the film. Unlikely as heck, but plausible.

Emmy Rossum indeed has no experience in theatrical musicals. But she did train and work at the Metropolitan Opera as a child, earning roles in numerous opera productions there, including Turandot and La Boheme. She left the Opera after she hit her teens and had outgrown the children's chorus.

I can't help but wonder how much better her singing could have been if the movie's production staff and director had allotted more time for vocal training before filming began... But I thought she did a fine job considering the time constraints involved (Rossum was the dead last actor to be cast - only weeks before production began!). At least she did a very good job of acting the role, which based on the video segments I've seen cannot be equally said about Ms. Brightman...

[egskater0003]

I can't help but wonder how much better her singing could have been if the movie's production staff and director had allotted more time for vocal training before filming began... But I thought she did a fine job considering the time constraints involved (Rossum was the dead last actor to be cast - only weeks before production began!). At least she did a very good job of acting the role, which based on the video segments I've seen cannot be equally said about Ms. Brightman...

I think maybe they purposely wanted a vocalist who had a gentle, soft voice vs. the traditional opera voice. I think she did a good job with what she had.

Anyway, ITA with what you said about Emmy doing a good job in the acting dept. I was kind of skeptical as if she could pull it off since I'd only seen her in The Day After Tomorrow and Mystic River.(only small parts) But she did great! I could really feel all the emotions she protrayed.

Again I just have to say I loved the songs!

And just to add that I thought the old lady was Mme Giry at first but after watching it a few times, I came to see that it was Meg.....or at least I think so.

[Krista]

Yeah Im pretty sure it was Meg as well, although not positive. I think they used the woman that played Madame Giry, to play the older Meg. Because Raoul was rather old and he would have been closer to Meg's age I believe.

[THIZfiyaVIETgrl]

I thought the movie was only ok. I'm not a big fan of the Broadway show either, but when I start missing Brightman and Crawford, you know something is wrong.

I never understood all the praise Emmy Rossum got considering she whispered every line she had. Christine is such a wimp anyway, but Emmy really didn't need to make her utterly useless/worthless. Gerad Butler's singing was very inconsistent that went from passable to flat and too wannabe rockstar for my taste. Patrick Wilson who played Raoul (I loved him in Angels in America) was way too bland, but his character isn't that interesting anyway. I think Wilson is a bland actor anyway, and that hair he had didn't make it better. I'm also confused about the way Richardson played her character. If this is set in France and everyone except the over the top Minnie Driver is French, then why is everyone else in plain American accents while Richardson is in a faux French accent?
I thought the direction of this movie was horrible, and many of the scenes could've been staged so much better. There were times where I was just laughing at how stupid things looked or done.

I also had problems with the choreography...the masquerade scene was just blah and the whole time I was thinking of Madonna's Vogue.

For those of you who are praising the cinematography, I don't see the big deal. There are some good shots here and there, but overall, we've seen those types of movies done better. IMO, House of Flying Daggers had the best cinematography last year hands down. For those of you who think Phantom of the Opera is the most beautiful movie you've seen, you need to see either Hero or House of Flying Daggers before you say that

[Bliss784]

Christime is a wimp, but that's staying true to the young, fragile character in the book. Did anyone notice how when Phantom is leading Christine down to the lair, her eye makeup suddenly becomes really thick? Either right before she sits in the boat or before Music of the Night starts, she goes from none to visible black eye-shadow. I don't think Phantom would let her stop their trip so she could apply 'sexier" eye makeup:b . (or maybe he would!)

[MidnightNess]

the one part of the movie where I burst out laughing is the second time that Christine pulled off the mask. His hair went from dark brown/black to BLOND in like two shots..then it was light brown for the rest of the movie. :rollin

Raoul was too wimpy for my taste and I had already developed a liking towards Gerard Butler after Dracula 20008)

[Krista]

Im thinking with the hair, that he was supposed to have been wearing a wig as well. his "scars" go back quite a bit on his head. So I don't think the original hair was his to start with. She just didn't pull off that part the first time. not positive though.

[tongueincheek]

His hair went from dark brown/black to BLOND in like two shots If you watch it on DVD, use slo-mo during the scene where Christine tears off the mask the second time. You can clearly see a black wig attached to the mask coming off of Erik/the Phantom. The first time she tears off the mask, the wig is not attached and stays on his head.

For me, it was the movie Dear Frankie that made me a Gerry Butler fan. :smokin

[MidnightNess]

I'll have to take another look because I did not catch it.

Dracula 2000..just had me drooling.:b It's a pretty bad Dracula movie done MTV style but..for Gerard, I'd watch it.

[tongueincheek]

Thank you for the tip, Midnightness. For Gerard, I'd watch it too. ;)

And I had exactly the same reaction as you re: the Phantom's hair and mask. That's why I ended up watching it in slo-mo, I just couldn't believe they'd make a mistake that obvious. You really can't see the wig come off in regular speed, but you can see it in slo-mo. You can also see that the Phantom has a wig, as it is seen in his dressing room/lair in an earlier scene.

I had the same questions as you about the hair colorl. In scene where Christine tears off the mask the second time, the Phantom's hair does appear very blonde. I believe it's because the stage lights and chandelier are shining directly on him. A few seconds later when the Phantom turns away from Christine to look up at the chandelier, you can see that his hair (on the left side of his head away from the lights) is actually light brown or dark blonde, it just appeared very blonde because of the lights. And when he and Christine descend to the tunnels below the Opera House, it's dark there, so his hair would appear darker.

That's not to say the movie doesn't have its mistakes. Here are just a few found by observant fans (not me): Revealing: During the second kiss, you can see behind Gerard Butler's neck (going from under his hair down to his back) the wire of the apparatus used to keep his lower right eyelid pulled down.

Continuity: On the Opera House's rooftop, the lining of the Phantom's cape goes from light-coloured to dark-coloured before and after he jumps on the statue.

Continuity: In the last scene, Christine pulls the cover off one mirror. The coverings stay like this till the Phantom leaves, when both mirrors are uncovered

Continuity: When Christine approaches her family mausoleum, behind her you can see an above-ground tomb that has chains around the top cover. There is something on top of the cover that looks like a bouquet of flowers covered in snow, and there is not a lot of snow on the tomb. Later, when Raoul and the Phantom are fighting and the Phantom slashes Raoul's arm. Raoul falls backward onto this same tomb, and when we see him from above, rising, the chains on his side are missing, and there is suddenly lots more snow all over the tomb. The bouqet (or whatever it is) is missing. However, in the next shot that shows the same tomb, now there is much less snow, the bouquet is back, and one-half of the side chains have reappeared.

Continuity: As Christine and the Phantom first enter the lair in the boat, when we get the first sweeping look at the living quarters of the lair, we can see the alcove which contains the Christine mannequin, which will cause Christine to faint in a few minutes. You can see that it is totally bare.

Continuity: When the Phantom appears at the top of the stairs during Masquerade his hands are empty, yet by the time he reaches the bottom he's holding the score to Don Juan

Visible crew/equipment: During The Music of the Night, you can see a camera shadow pass over the Phantom's and Christine's face. It's around the part where he says, 'Let your fantasies unwind'.

Revealing: As the grating descends on Raoul, in two shots, large bubbles are flowing downwards. It's obvious, the film was reversed.

At the end of the movie, after the Phantom takes the wedding veil off the mannequin and puts it on Christine, she takes it off and it lands on the floor: however when the Phantom is about to pick up the candlestick to smash the mirrors, he walks past the same mannequin and guess what? Somehow the bridal veil appears back on the mannequin. Then it's gone again when Meg walks past.

Towards the end, the Phantom places the veil on Christine's head. In the next shot, you can still see the back of Christine's head and she is not wearing the veil - it reappears subsequently.

Continuity: During "Music Of The Night" the slit in Christine's dress/robe repeatedly changes from side to middle to other side.

Continuity: During "Masquerade/Why So Silent..." the Phantom's belt buckle moves around his waist.

Continuity: When Christine first lights a candle for her father after her first performance and Meg Giry comes, she lights the taper from a second candle, but the long shot shows only one candle is lit - the one Christine just lit.

Revealing mistakes: When Christine is visiting the cemetery, we see her pass the same set of tombstones (most notably a small stone with an iron fence and a much larger one shaped vaguely like a bed) from three or four different directions before she finally reaches her father's tomb.

Continuity: When Meg steps out of the underground river and into the Phantom's lair, her black pants are clearly soaked with water; a few moments later, when she finds the Phantom's mask in the bedchamber, her pants are perfectly dry.

Continuity: Christine's hair is wild while running up the stairs in "Why have you brought me here..." and then on the roof her hair is pulled back.

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the beginning of the "Masquerade" scene the singers lips are not matched to the music.

Revealing mistakes: In the cemetery, the snowflakes that land on Christine's face do not melt. And someone above has already mentioned Christine's changing makeup during the Phantom of the Opera/Music of the Night numbers. :lol

[Krista]

ooo, Ill have to watch Dracula 2000 now too. Didn't realize Gerard was in it :D . Thanks for the info.

[Bliss784]

Just for the heck of it.....
<img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/Bliss784/phantombanner2.bmp" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

I'm going to try to find those...but I'm assuming there are people who were really looking for mistakes. Every time i watch the movie, i get too caught up with it to notice.

About the changing deformity....When my friend and I were watching POTO in the movie theatre we were like, hey his scar can't be that bad if that little mask can cover it up. Then she pulled it off at the end of Point of no Return and it was like "ewww, okay it's bad<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/laugh.gif" />" I mean really, he's still pretty hot as long as that mask stays on. If only he didn't go around killing people and being possessive.

[Crizzy]

I love the movie but I love the musical better. There's just something magical watching it live. Anyway, I guess some of you guys never saw that 2 disc DVD special. Well they only sell it online. The original Phantom before the great Michael Crawford was supposed to be Steve Harley, a member of the rock band "Cockeye Rebel". Webber wanted a rock n roll feel on the phantom but then decided that Steve Harley's voice couldn't carry the show. I agree with Webber, his voice sounded too Pikey and it sounded like he was burping. Steve Harley still sounds bitter to this day:b

Michael Crawford was the most unlikely candidated, kind of like Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. But they went against protocol and took a chance with Crawford which paid off.

Now with the movie, they wanted to play to the younger crowd hence they got Butler, young, smoldering and rocknroll. BTW he's in a rock band called 'Speed'. His voice is not classical because they wanted a rough voice that oozes SEX. But in the book the phantom is supposed to be as old as Christine's father.

Crawford's voice in the musical is more deceiving, manipulated and hypnotic while Butler's suppose to be raunchy, motorcycle riding stud that you just want to pour chocolate syrup all over his chest and lick it.:hat

I find the swashbuckling swordfight to be corny. It was never in the book or the musical. Shumacker and Webber wanted to beef up Raoul's character so he doesn't look like a sissy next to Butler. It was cheesy in the beginning how Raoul was riding standing up on a white horses drawn carriage. :rolleyes Again, another cheesefest how the Phantom was riding in black horses and Raoul the white shining knight in armor was riding in white horses when Christine went to visit her father's grave.:rolleyes

The chandelier was to fall in the end of first act not the finale. But they wanted to make a loud bang in the end. That's not suppose to be Miranda Richardson in the beginning, it's suppose to be Meg Giry. Remember she found the mask and saw the musical box at the end? Producers most likely wanted to give Richardson more parts since she is an Oscar nominated actress. Madam Giry should have been more cold and a strict disciplinarian.

Christine's voice could never match Sarah Brightman's soprano but she did play her part as an innocent 16 year old, considering she was 16 at the time of filming, as well. Emmy's voice was more soft, light and lyrical and very very innocent with naivete (sp?).

Patrick Wilson has been sharpen from years of doing broadway and has velvety voice but I still like the original. Coincidentally Patrick Wilson and Steve Barton (Original) were both bolding men.

Minnie Driver was way over the top but I actually enjoyed her. That wasn't her singing voice. The music at the end of the movie, that was Minnie's voice. She can sing just not opera.

Another Trivia: Sarah Brightman and Webber were getting married at the time of production. His colleagues believe that the story of the Phantom and Christine bare similarities to the relationship of Brightman and Webber. "He fell in love with Sarah's voice first before the person."

Movie dud. Christine's father is suppose to be a poor violinists. It doesn't make sense that he can afford a maoseleum whereas Christine who became a countess only has a tombstone.:o

The managers were awesome and witty.
Did anybody noticed that when Christine took off the mask in The Point of No Return? The phantom looked like Brendan Frazier:eek :lol

Notice Christine never uttered the words "I love you" either to the Phantom or Raoul. Makes you wonder if there's a third man:rollin :rollin

[egskater0003]

Crizzy,

Thanks for your comments. It sheds some light for me since I've never read the story...just going by what I saw in the movie for the first time.

Didn't know the phantom was suppose to be old. No wonder Christine didn't want the phantom...I was hoping she would run off with him because he was hot but she chose Raoul, which was ok because he was cute too.

And I did always wonder about the tombstone thing too...glad you explained it.

Overall I loved the movie since I've never seen any other verions, stage or movie.

[Krista]

Crawford's voice in the musical is more deceiving, manipulated and hypnotic while Butler's suppose to be raunchy, motorcycle riding stud that you just want to pour chocolate syrup all over his chest and lick it.

LOL :lol

And it was Meg Giry, Im almost positive, in the beginning. But because she was whatshernames daughter, they just had whatshername*can't remember her name lol* play the older Meg. Thats how I interpreted it anyhow.

[CheekyMo]

Crizzy that's so funny. After the mask was torn off my sister said the exact same thing; that he looked like Brendan Frasier!
I wonder how old Gerard Butler is. If he's in his mid thirties then he would be old enough to be the father figure age of the phantom to Christine.

[Crizzy]

Gerard Butler is in his mid 30s but the Phantom in the book is suppose to be in his 40s-50s something like that:eek

Christine is suppose to be 16 in the book. Therefore Emmy's age and youth did the book justice compare to the stage were they get singers in their 30s. Christine lived in the opera house around 7 or 8. I can't remember.

That is why if you think about it, the Phantom story is like a Pedophile story....YIKES

I hate the Madonna Vogue Masquerade Ball, too! The fans got to go and take a vacation. The stage used tons of reds and the lighting was darker. They marched down the stairs like an army of darkness in the musical. But the fans in the movie ruined it for me. I wanted to smack the mime.:rolleyes And the phantom is the stage version had a huge death mask and he looked like a skeleton in drag with all the frills. But Butler looked soooo juicy in red and his Don Juan cape. He really knew how to work that cape. lol. When they were singing the Point of no Return, they were sitting on a bench next to a buffet table. There weren't all those annoying people in the background dancing.

It is still a great watch, my 3 year old daughter loves that movie. Everytime she hears a commercial she just runs and starts twirling.:D

[kwancierto de aranjuez]

I took my little sister to see this movie and we both wanted to go see it. It was one of those movies we were dying to see.

However, when we went and saw it, I was bored to tears. I enjoyed the "famous" songs but thought the movie was boring throughout. I kept saying to my head as I was watching the movie, "they keep singing on and on... when will this movie end?"

Towards the end of it, I decide to go to the bathroom and to give myself a break from the movie. It was around the time, they were doing the Don Juan (Red and Black) opera. When I got back my sister told me that I had missed THE most exciting part of the movie. I wanted to kick myself for missing that part.

Haha... I haven't gone back to see the part I missed but my sister has clued me in.

[shanilia]

I'm so glad the musical came out as a movie because I've seen the musical before but couldn't understand the story because I loathe musicals. I find live acting to be so distracting.

The movie was great. I finally know what the heck the story is about.

[uncchristine99]

I realize this is an opera but going to film, I wish they had cut some of the songs and changed to dialogue. The instance I found particularly baffling was when everyone was producing the different letters they got and they were all singing as they were doing it. It was fun in the stage show but in the film, it was just awkward.