Phantom of the Opera

 Describe:

           The musical originated from Gaston Leroux's novel Phantom of the Opera. Andrew Lloyd Webber created the Broadway version in 1986. It happens to be the longest running show to date. In 2004, Joel Schumacher created a movie, which is the one we saw in class. Gerald Butler plays the Phantom, Emmy Rossum plays Christine, and Patrick Wilson plays Raoul. Minnie Driver plays Carlotta. It is set in the Paris Opera House.  In the beginning, there was a transfer of owners. The Opera House had been terrorized by the Phantom for a long time. He demanded money as well as his say in who should sing what in the opera. When the owners did not follow his rules, he began to destroy the Opera House. In the meantime, Christine got the leading lady role and has rekindled her love with her childhood friend Raoul. The Phantom becomes jealous of their relationship and threatens to kill Raoul.

Analyze:

         The actors in the movie did a wonderful job portraying the characters they were playing. The scenery, music, and costumes perfectly portrayed the era they were supposed to be in. Watching the film, I better understood what an opera was. The Phantom's love for Christine was beautifully portrayed by Gerald Butler. He did an excellent job with his facial expressions and his voice. Emmy Rossum's acting was so believable. I could feel her love for both Raoul and Phantom. Her voice was amazing! The music was powerful throughout the film.

Interpret

          I was a little confused with the story line. I believe that Christine loved both Raoul and Phantom, but in different ways. Although she ended up with Raoul, I think she had feelings with the Phantom since he trained her to become the amazing singer that she was. I liked that the story line was not so obvious and it left it to the audience to decide what happened.

Evaluate

       I really enjoyed this film. It made me want to see the actual musical. I think the actors all did an amazing job portraying the characters. The music, scenery, and costumes were all fabulous! I highly recommend this film. Before watching it, I always thought of opera being boring. Now, I realize there is much more to it. For one thing, their voices are all powerful and not boring at all!