Gaston Leroux´s 1909 novel Le Fantôme de l´Opéra was first adapted in 1911. This adaptation was from its native French language to English, where it gained its more familiar name, The Phantom of the Opera. That was just the start of adaptations for the storied tale of a deformed opera fanatic who terrorizes the French opera house. Three quarters of a century later, the book would be adapted again, but this time from print to theatre. English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber opened his famous musical in 1986; a musical that has become the longest running and financially successful musical and is still running over two decades later. Having earned more than its fair share of box office receipts in London´s West End and Broadway, it was only a matter of time before an expensive adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera" made its way to the big screen. The film launched in 2004 with a budget of sixty million dollars and topped the fifty million dollar mark in domestic receipts.
The 2004 version of the film is noteworthy as it is produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was originally promoted as "Andrew Lloyd Webber´s The Phantom of the Opera." This marked the first time that the creative team behind the long running stage production became involved with a cinematic version of Gaston Leroux´s novel as the 1989 film featuring Robert Englund as the Phantom and the 1998 Dario Argento film did not have the benefit of Webber´s involvement. Webber had long wanted Joel Schumacher to helm the film as its director and the film took nearly fourteen years to complete, as the composer had originally intended to feature the stage version´s original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.
For those unfamiliar with the musical´s basic story, "The Phantom of the Opera" tells the tale of the Paris Opera House and events that unfold when the opera house comes under the control of new managers and the Opera House´s diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) refuses to perform and is replaced by the young and lovely Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). Christine has been tutored by a mysterious Phantom (Gerard Butler) who uses terror and intimidation to collect a salary and enact some control over the happenings of the Opera House. The Phantom is a disfigured loner who is a talented mentor, but remains hidden in the shadows. His apparent fatherly love of Christine runs deeper and jealousy builds when Christine´s childhood love Raoul (Patrick Wilson) patrons the Opera House and attempts to rekindle his flame with the pretty opera singer. This causes the Phantom to emerge from the shadows and enact a vengeful rage over those involved with the Opera House.
"The Phantom of the Opera" has succeeded for as long as it has on Broadway for a reason. It is a top notch musical that features captivating and memorable songs and a strong plot. "The Phantom of the Opera" features all of the elements of a powerful story. There is strong romance between characters, thrills and suspense lie behind the Phantom´s mystique and mysterious maneuvers. There is action and excitement. A rare few laughs are thrown in, though the film doesn´t possess too much comedy to its storyline. The film´s primary purpose is to surround its viewer with intrigue, sadness, romance and music. The film´s title song is very upbeat and will rattle around in your mind for quite some time after hearing its mesh of rock and roll and classical music. The remaining songs are also potent and "Masquerade" was perhaps my favorite song included in the film.
I am not a person that is particularly fond of musicals and I loathe operas. It doesn´t matter of I´m culturing myself with the "Barber of Seville" or "Madame Butterfly," I´m not going to become too engrossed in the stage production. I´ve seen both of the aforementioned operas and struggled to reach the curtain call. "The Phantom of the Opera" is and English Opera and I have to admit that there were rather arduous moments in the musical for me to endure. This isn´t because "The Phantom of the Opera" is a bad musical; it is quite the opposite. It was difficult for me to sit completely through became I´m just not particularly fond of this style of film – the operatic musical. I did enjoy the majority of this beautifully shot and well told musical and had my ears been more welcoming of the brilliantly sung songs, I´m sure I would be raving about Joel Schumacher´s "The Phantom of the Opera." It is a well done and engrossing film that is just not quite my cup of tea.
The 2004 version of the film is noteworthy as it is produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was originally promoted as "Andrew Lloyd Webber´s The Phantom of the Opera." This marked the first time that the creative team behind the long running stage production became involved with a cinematic version of Gaston Leroux´s novel as the 1989 film featuring Robert Englund as the Phantom and the 1998 Dario Argento film did not have the benefit of Webber´s involvement. Webber had long wanted Joel Schumacher to helm the film as its director and the film took nearly fourteen years to complete, as the composer had originally intended to feature the stage version´s original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.
For those unfamiliar with the musical´s basic story, "The Phantom of the Opera" tells the tale of the Paris Opera House and events that unfold when the opera house comes under the control of new managers and the Opera House´s diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) refuses to perform and is replaced by the young and lovely Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). Christine has been tutored by a mysterious Phantom (Gerard Butler) who uses terror and intimidation to collect a salary and enact some control over the happenings of the Opera House. The Phantom is a disfigured loner who is a talented mentor, but remains hidden in the shadows. His apparent fatherly love of Christine runs deeper and jealousy builds when Christine´s childhood love Raoul (Patrick Wilson) patrons the Opera House and attempts to rekindle his flame with the pretty opera singer. This causes the Phantom to emerge from the shadows and enact a vengeful rage over those involved with the Opera House.
"The Phantom of the Opera" has succeeded for as long as it has on Broadway for a reason. It is a top notch musical that features captivating and memorable songs and a strong plot. "The Phantom of the Opera" features all of the elements of a powerful story. There is strong romance between characters, thrills and suspense lie behind the Phantom´s mystique and mysterious maneuvers. There is action and excitement. A rare few laughs are thrown in, though the film doesn´t possess too much comedy to its storyline. The film´s primary purpose is to surround its viewer with intrigue, sadness, romance and music. The film´s title song is very upbeat and will rattle around in your mind for quite some time after hearing its mesh of rock and roll and classical music. The remaining songs are also potent and "Masquerade" was perhaps my favorite song included in the film.
I am not a person that is particularly fond of musicals and I loathe operas. It doesn´t matter of I´m culturing myself with the "Barber of Seville" or "Madame Butterfly," I´m not going to become too engrossed in the stage production. I´ve seen both of the aforementioned operas and struggled to reach the curtain call. "The Phantom of the Opera" is and English Opera and I have to admit that there were rather arduous moments in the musical for me to endure. This isn´t because "The Phantom of the Opera" is a bad musical; it is quite the opposite. It was difficult for me to sit completely through became I´m just not particularly fond of this style of film – the operatic musical. I did enjoy the majority of this beautifully shot and well told musical and had my ears been more welcoming of the brilliantly sung songs, I´m sure I would be raving about Joel Schumacher´s "The Phantom of the Opera." It is a well done and engrossing film that is just not quite my cup of tea.
Gaston Leroux´s 1909 novel Le Fantôme de l´Opéra was first adapted in 1911. This adaptation was from its native French language to English, where it gained its more familiar name, The Phantom of the Opera. That was just the start of adaptations for the storied tale of a deformed opera fanatic who terrorizes the French opera house. Three quarters of a century later, the book would be adapted again, but this time from print to theatre. English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber opened his famous musical in 1986; a musical that has become the longest running and financially successful musical and is still running over two decades later. Having earned more than its fair share of box office receipts in London´s West End and Broadway, it was only a matter of time before an expensive adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera" made its way to the big screen. The film launched in 2004 with a budget of sixty million dollars and topped the fifty million dollar mark in domestic receipts.
The 2004 version of the film is noteworthy as it is produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was originally promoted as "Andrew Lloyd Webber´s The Phantom of the Opera." This marked the first time that the creative team behind the long running stage production became involved with a cinematic version of Gaston Leroux´s novel as the 1989 film featuring Robert Englund as the Phantom and the 1998 Dario Argento film did not have the benefit of Webber´s involvement. Webber had long wanted Joel Schumacher to helm the film as its director and the film took nearly fourteen years to complete, as the composer had originally intended to feature the stage version´s original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.
For those unfamiliar with the musical´s basic story, "The Phantom of the Opera" tells the tale of the Paris Opera House and events that unfold when the opera house comes under the control of new managers and the Opera House´s diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) refuses to perform and is replaced by the young and lovely Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). Christine has been tutored by a mysterious Phantom (Gerard Butler) who uses terror and intimidation to collect a salary and enact some control over the happenings of the Opera House. The Phantom is a disfigured loner who is a talented mentor, but remains hidden in the shadows. His apparent fatherly love of Christine runs deeper and jealousy builds when Christine´s childhood love Raoul (Patrick Wilson) patrons the Opera House and attempts to rekindle his flame with the pretty opera singer. This causes the Phantom to emerge from the shadows and enact a vengeful rage over those involved with the Opera House.
"The Phantom of the Opera" has succeeded for as long as it has on Broadway for a reason. It is a top notch musical that features captivating and memorable songs and a strong plot. "The Phantom of the Opera" features all of the elements of a powerful story. There is strong romance between characters, thrills and suspense lie behind the Phantom´s mystique and mysterious maneuvers. There is action and excitement. A rare few laughs are thrown in, though the film doesn´t possess too much comedy to its storyline. The film´s primary purpose is to surround its viewer with intrigue, sadness, romance and music. The film´s title song is very upbeat and will rattle around in your mind for quite some time after hearing its mesh of rock and roll and classical music. The remaining songs are also potent and "Masquerade" was perhaps my favorite song included in the film.
I am not a person that is particularly fond of musicals and I loathe operas. It doesn´t matter of I´m culturing myself with the "Barber of Seville" or "Madame Butterfly," I´m not going to become too engrossed in the stage production. I´ve seen both of the aforementioned operas and struggled to reach the curtain call. "The Phantom of the Opera" is and English Opera and I have to admit that there were rather arduous moments in the musical for me to endure. This isn´t because "The Phantom of the Opera" is a bad musical; it is quite the opposite. It was difficult for me to sit completely through became I´m just not particularly fond of this style of film – the operatic musical. I did enjoy the majority of this beautifully shot and well told musical and had my ears been more welcoming of the brilliantly sung songs, I´m sure I would be raving about Joel Schumacher´s "The Phantom of the Opera." It is a well done and engrossing film that is just not quite my cup of tea.
The 2004 version of the film is noteworthy as it is produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was originally promoted as "Andrew Lloyd Webber´s The Phantom of the Opera." This marked the first time that the creative team behind the long running stage production became involved with a cinematic version of Gaston Leroux´s novel as the 1989 film featuring Robert Englund as the Phantom and the 1998 Dario Argento film did not have the benefit of Webber´s involvement. Webber had long wanted Joel Schumacher to helm the film as its director and the film took nearly fourteen years to complete, as the composer had originally intended to feature the stage version´s original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.
For those unfamiliar with the musical´s basic story, "The Phantom of the Opera" tells the tale of the Paris Opera House and events that unfold when the opera house comes under the control of new managers and the Opera House´s diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) refuses to perform and is replaced by the young and lovely Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). Christine has been tutored by a mysterious Phantom (Gerard Butler) who uses terror and intimidation to collect a salary and enact some control over the happenings of the Opera House. The Phantom is a disfigured loner who is a talented mentor, but remains hidden in the shadows. His apparent fatherly love of Christine runs deeper and jealousy builds when Christine´s childhood love Raoul (Patrick Wilson) patrons the Opera House and attempts to rekindle his flame with the pretty opera singer. This causes the Phantom to emerge from the shadows and enact a vengeful rage over those involved with the Opera House.
"The Phantom of the Opera" has succeeded for as long as it has on Broadway for a reason. It is a top notch musical that features captivating and memorable songs and a strong plot. "The Phantom of the Opera" features all of the elements of a powerful story. There is strong romance between characters, thrills and suspense lie behind the Phantom´s mystique and mysterious maneuvers. There is action and excitement. A rare few laughs are thrown in, though the film doesn´t possess too much comedy to its storyline. The film´s primary purpose is to surround its viewer with intrigue, sadness, romance and music. The film´s title song is very upbeat and will rattle around in your mind for quite some time after hearing its mesh of rock and roll and classical music. The remaining songs are also potent and "Masquerade" was perhaps my favorite song included in the film.
I am not a person that is particularly fond of musicals and I loathe operas. It doesn´t matter of I´m culturing myself with the "Barber of Seville" or "Madame Butterfly," I´m not going to become too engrossed in the stage production. I´ve seen both of the aforementioned operas and struggled to reach the curtain call. "The Phantom of the Opera" is and English Opera and I have to admit that there were rather arduous moments in the musical for me to endure. This isn´t because "The Phantom of the Opera" is a bad musical; it is quite the opposite. It was difficult for me to sit completely through became I´m just not particularly fond of this style of film – the operatic musical. I did enjoy the majority of this beautifully shot and well told musical and had my ears been more welcoming of the brilliantly sung songs, I´m sure I would be raving about Joel Schumacher´s "The Phantom of the Opera." It is a well done and engrossing film that is just not quite my cup of tea.
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