Phantom of the Opera

Describe

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber.  In 2004, Joel Schumacher directed the film adaptation of the musical.  The film was also produced and cowrtten by Lloyd Weber. Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum played the two main characters in the play. Butler played the title role of the phantom and Emmy Rossum played the lead female role as Christine Daae. Production of the movie started in 2002 and was entirely shot at Pinewood Studios.  Most of the actors had to get singing lessons before the shooting began because most had no singing experience. The movie altogether is 189 minutes and grossed over $154 million worldwide.

The movie starts in 1919 at the Paris Opera House during an auction.  Raoul, a man in a wheelchair, purchases a music box.  Raoul sees Madame Giry at the auction who he met when he was only a young man at the opera house.  Raoul has his eye on the huge chandelier for sell and as the auctioneer begins talking about the restored chandelier; crescendo music takes the viewer back in time to 1870 for the beginning of the story, when the opera house was in its prime.  Management of the Opera house is changing hands to Mr. Richard Firmin and Mr. Gile Andre. Raoul is introduced as a new member of the cast.  Christine recognizes Raoul.  This is when the phantom makes his first glimpse to the new management.  La Carlotta, the opera diva, is singing and the phantom drops a back drop on her and leaves a welcoming letter to the new management where he demands his monthly salary of 20,000 Francs.  La Carlotta is angry and leaves.  Christine takes her place in the show that night and does a fantastic job thanks to the Phantom who has been secretly training her since she was a child.  The Phantom lures Christine to his home under the Opera house after the performance.  Christine wakes to the sound of the music box, the one Raoul buys at the auction. The Phantom takes Christine back after she takes his mask off and sees his face that has been distorted since he was a child.  The phantom visits that night during the show because his box was not left open.  Buque is strangles and dropped over the stage out of the Phantoms anger during the performance. Christine and Raoul sing and fall in love together.  The Phantom overhears this and locks himself in his room.  The Phantom pours his heart out to Christine one night at the Opera house during the performance of Don Juan Triumphant.  Christine removes his mask and this reveals his burns and scars to everyone.  He takes her and drops the enormous chandelier which starts a fire at the Opera house.  Raoul gets Madame Giry to show him house to get to the Phantom’s lair.  The Phantom traps Raoul and threatens to strangle him if Christine doesn’t come live with him. Christine shows the Phantom kindness and he lets both of them go as long as they never tell what happened. The Phantom leaves through a secret passage and he leaves his mask behind.  The story then goes back to current time where Raoul, now an old man in a wheelchair, arrives to the cemetery where he places the music box on Christine’s headstone.  He finds a single rose with a piece of black ribbon around it and Christine’s engagement ring to Raoul on it.  The film ends with Raoul seeing a figure in the distance and a shot of the rose on the headstone with a burning candle in front of it.

Analyze

The Phantom of the Opera focused on a love story between the Phantom and Christine as well as Raoul and Christine.  The emotions and feelings of the characters where usually seen and heard through song.  The music was dark and heavy when characters where angered.  The music would become light when characters where happy and in love.  When the Phantom was spoke of or seen in the movie there was always a mysterious feeling that came with the tone and emotion of the music.  The colors of the movie helped tell the time period.  While the movie was back in time at the prime of the Opera house the movie was in color, but when the current time shots were shown the color was in black and white.  This helped the audience keep up with what scenes went with what time period.  The movie flowed together and was harmonized as well as balanced through the use of music.  The music helped to tell the story and bring scenes and characters together. 

Interpret

The Phantom of the Opera starts as being extremely confusing.  It takes the audience on a journey in which they do not fully understand.  Overtime, details and information becomes available which makes it possible for the audience to being to understand the movie.  The movie was full of metaphors and symbols.  Myself, I was still realizing why certain things happened in the movie hours later after the movie was over.  I did not get all of the symbols and what exactly happened until long after.  This is the type of movie that a viewer could watch many times before truly understanding it.  I believe that this is the type of movie that you could watch many times and still see things differently.

Judge

            I really enjoyed The Phantom of the Opera.   I thought that the intricate and well-developed plot made for a very interesting and intriguing movie.  The movie was long, but was able to keep my interest because it was the kind of movie that if you did not watch the whole thing you would come back confused.  Like I said before, I believe I could watch this movie many different times and still see new ideas and symbols every time.  The music also kept my interest because it helped me understand the feeling and emotion of the characters as well as further develop the plot.  I saw the play in Atlanta a couple of years ago, but I enjoyed being able to see the movie because I believe the movie did a better job of explaining the story.