World Famous Comics: The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)
The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver Directed By: Joel Schumacher Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Warner Home Video Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: May 03, 2005 Running Time: 141 minutes Theatrical Release Date: January 21, 2005
Product Description: A mad and disfigured musician hides out in the dungeons under the Paris Opera where he falls in love with a young singer and lures her to his hiding place. Genre: Musicals Rating: PG13 Release Date: 6-SEP-2005 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com: Although it's not as bold as Oscar darling Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera continues the resuscitation of the movie musical with a faithful adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster stage musical. Emmy Rossum glows in a breakout role as opera ingénue Christine Daae, and if phantom Gerard Butler isn't Rossum's match vocally, he does convey menace and sensuality in such numbers as "The Music of the Night." The most experienced musical theater veteran in the cast, romantic lead Patrick Wilson, sings sweetly but seems wooden. The biggest name in the cast, Minnie Driver, hams it up as diva Carlotta, and she's the only principal whose voice was dubbed (though she does sing the closing-credit number, "Learn to Be Lonely," which is also the only new song).
Director Joel Schumacher, no stranger to visual spectacle, seems to have found a good match in Lloyd Webber's larger-than-life vision of Gaston LeRoux's Gothic horror-romance. His weakness is cuing too many audience-reaction shots and showing too much of the lurking Phantom, but when he calms down and lets Rossum sings "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" alone in a silent graveyard, it's exquisite.
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Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties.
DVD Features The special edition of The Phantom of the Opera has two major extras. "Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera" is an hourlong documentary tracing the genesis of the stage show, with interviews of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Harold Prince, producer Cameron Macintosh, lyricists Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart, choreographer Gillian Lynne, and others. Conspicuously absent are stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Both do appear in video clips, including Brightman performing with Colm Wilkinson at an early workshop, and Crawford is the subject of a casting segment. Other brief scenes from the show are represented by a 2001 production. The other major feature is the 45-minute making-of focusing on the movie, including casting and the selection of director Joel Schumacher Both are well-done productions by Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group.
The deleted scene is a new song written by Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, "No One Would Listen," sung by the Phantom toward the end of the movie. It's a beautiful song that, along with Madame Giry's story, makes him a more sympathetic character. But because that bit of backstory already slowed down the ending, it was probably a good move to cut the song. --David Horiuchi
More on The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (Special Extended Edition Soundtrack) (CD)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack) (CD)
The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast) (CD)
Evita (DVD)
Andrew Lloyd Weber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (DVD)
Mute button operational? Visually beautiful, but exercise your mute button finger in preparation for the Phantom's songs. The choice of Gerard Butler's incredibly grating voice for the title role is perplexing.
Phantom Low key and with lesser-known performers but pretty true to the stage show -- a good take!
One of the best musical movies If you love music, then you got to get Phantom of the Opera. Phantom of the Opera has some of the best music in the world in the movie. Some music you can compare to others. Like I compare 'Masqurade' to 'Be our Guest'. For all the music lovers out there, I recommend getting Phantom of the Opera.
Beloved Musical Comes to the Big Screen I was in highschool when the musical debuted with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in 1986. I have been familiar with Weber's music and the voices tied to the characters that became an overnight phenomenon world wide.
However, I did not have an opportunity to see the stage show (until just this year) so was delighted when they had made a movie of it. Thank you, Joel Schumacker! The movie tied the music and the story line together and I have been hooked since. So it was for obvious reasons why I purchased the movie soundtrack as well as the movie DVD.
I am amazed and a little dismayed over the reaction Gerard Butler received as the movie Phantom. I knew nothing of this actor prior to this film. After seeing the movie, I was in love with this man and had to learn who he was and anything else about him. Off to the internet I went in search of this actor who made such an impression on me. I learned that Gerry (as he likes to be called) was not a stage-trained vocalist before he took on this role. Now, some people say that was obvious as they did not like his vocals. Many fans are true to the original London cast. And that's OK. But does that mean you cannot be open minded and realistic enough to know that Michael Crawford is not and will not be the only man to ever portray our beloved Phantom?
It would have been disastrous to have Mr. Crawford portray the Phantom for the movie. It would have been even more disastrous if Sarah Brightman played Christine. The point is these 2 beloved people are past the age where they can realistically play these young roles. It was much more realistic to have younger fresh actors. Christine was only 16 years old in the original novel. The Phantom was in his very early forties. The actors chosen were spot on age wise. Emmy Rossum was 16 when she signed on. She also trained at the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 7. Gerard Butler was 34. A tad younger, but it didn't really matter yet it was more acceptable that a 34 year old recluse would be sexually attracted to a 16 year old budding diva and vice versa.
I am a trained singer. I have sung in the finest concert halls of Europe. I have heard many, many trained vocalists. BUT NONE OF THEM DO TO ME WHAT GERARD BUTLER'S VOICE DOES TO ME. It doesn't bother me at all that he is not a classically trained vocalist. In fact, after finding out that he wasn't trained when he took on this challenge, made me admire him even more. While I was listening to POTO for the first time, you couldn't tell me that he wasn't trained. I knew his vocals were much different than Michael Crawford's, but I felt his voice fit the role for the film. Gerard has a deeper, richer, fuller voice that is sexy as heck and a voice that I now prefer over Mr. Crawford's tinnier, higher tenor.
Gerard's raw passionate performance knocked me off my feet. I fell in love with Gerry after watching Phantom because of the way he moved me so. His voice is so seductive and rich and sexy and captivating. His "Music of the Night" leaves me breathless. His "Point of No Return" seduces the heck out of me (and the entire female population). His sad, pleading "All I Ask of You" before Christine rips his mask off during "Don Juan Triumphant" is heartbreaking. Heartwrenching, growling "Down Once More" has me crying for his pain. He grips me in the core of my womanhood and won't let go. In this way I feel like I am Christine....drawn to the hypnotic power of his voice and the raw sensuality that draws me to him. I can't explain it, I can only FEEL it. And I can't get enough of him.
Emmy Rossum's Christine was a standout, breakout performance. This young lady CAN SING! Her voice is so clear and vibrant and sexy and she possess an incredible range. And she's beautiful to boot. This gal has a future in music and movies. I would keep an eye on this one!
I also feel Patrick Wilson's Raoul was fresh and much more developed than the stage version. He becomes the swashbuckling hero, and lover trying to protect his Christine from a murdering lunatic. Patrick's voice is just angelic and beautiful, but he lacks the passion that Gerard seems to have in spades.
Although Minnie Driver did not sing her own vocals, her performance was without a doubt brilliant as La Carlotta. She sings the ending title song "Learn to Be Lonely". She does a beautiful job.
Miranda Richardson's Madame Giry was classy and elegant, and more developed as a character who knew more than she was telling as opposed to the stick-thumping 'evil step-mother' portrayal on stage.
The orchestrations are slightly different than the musical but all in all, it is the same music we all fell in love with back in 1986. The orchestrations are fuller with 110 piece orchestra, 90 voice choir and an added guitar that gives this familiar music a fresh rock n roll edge, but not enough to take away from the classic orchestrations we all love.
I truly admire and LOVE ALL the performances of the movie. The sets and costumes are lavish and stunning.
Gerard, while not a trained singer, put his entire heart and soul into this role and rose to the challenge and did the best job anybody could have hoped to do. That to me, no matter what the critics say, impresses and amazes me the most and Gerard deserves the credit of a job exceptionally well done.
If you are a fan of Weber's musical - you need to see this movie!
A meteocre remake I have to admit, the first time I watched this I thought it was great. But a short while after, I saw the real thing - on stage, and it blew this movie out of the water. It was SO much better: the music, the effects, everything. I then realized how bad this movie was compared to it. Not to mention that Gerald Butler was a little too hot for the role of Erik (with his mask on anyway), and when his mask came off at the end, it wasn't even that bad; it looked like a bad sunburn.
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