Phantom of the Opera

[donjuan]

Has anyone here seen that new film version of Phantom of the Opera? 

https://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808631670

I saw it on thursday.. I liked the music and the singers quite a bit and although it seemed a little pretentious, I felt it had an effective way of telling the story.

what did you think?

[Tash]

i quite liked it. i haven't seen it on stage before so had no idea how it compared to the real thing, but according to my friend who's seen it 3 times she thought it followed the script really well.
minnie driver singing opera that was funny, i'm sure she was really singing too

[donjuan]

oh yeah minnie driver!  her voice was so shrill I almost had to cover my ears in the theatre.  But then Emmy Rossum came on and it was all nice.  I thought she had a beautiful voice.

[lilpep4ever]

I luv Phantom of the Opera....but through the trailers... i think the phantom should be uglier to match the script.....isn't he suppose to be ugly?

[Tash]

yeah i didn't think he was too overly ugly, i could've lived with a face like that

[chopinisque]

It was quite good.  Especially the songs.  The genius of Andrew Lyold Webber exposed for all to hear!

[chopiabin]

Though I haven't seen the movie version yet, I love the original Broadway cast. I have heard clips from the movie, and I think the Phantom sounded terrible, especiall when compared to the original Phantom, Michael Crawford. I also know that Sarah Brightman, the original Christine, has a better voice than Emmy Rossum, though someone of Emmy's age is much more suited to the role of Christine. However, I have heard from many people that the movie is great, so I really want to see it.

Oh, yeah, Minnie Driver is definitely not doing her own singing!!!!

[richard w]

Strangely, I've been to see this film, despite being Mr Only-watches-a-film-every-eight-years. A friend of mine asked me if I would like to go, and with nothing better to do I thought I would give it a go.

I thought it was good. To be honest, I don't have the energy to criticise anything, because then I have to justify myself, and that involves using my brain. Last time I did that, the consequences spoke for themselves!!!



Richard.

[Allan]

Give me the original 1925 version with the great Lon Chaney with a great orchestral or organ score!

[Nina_too]

Apparently Minnie Driver didn't do her own singing in "Phantom," shrillness or no:

https://www.girl.com.au/phantom-of-the-opera-minnie-driver-pf.htm

[klavierkonzerte]

i watched it with my sister yesterday

IT SUCKS.

it's even worst than the one with antonio banderas.
many left befor it ended and many were laughting.

one of the worst movies i have ever watched.

[musik_man]

i watched it with my sister yesterday

IT SUCKS.

it's even worst than the one with antonio banderas.
many left befor it ended and many were laughting.

one of the worst movies i have ever watched.

Agreed. 

I found it to be very poor musically.  Crappy pop music with an orchestra.  The music is also quite repetitous(sp?).  2 hours with only a few melodies introduced.  I almost laughed at how, when for example anger needed to be shown, the character sang the same music, but very angrily with a loud orchestra.  It reminded me of what my English teachers always told my classes with regard to writing, 'show, don't tell.'  Good music lets me feel the emotions it needs to, his music was just informing me of what emotion should happen when.

In terms of plot... well I'll just say it's plot is as bad as most opera's plots.  No character has any dimension to them.  The character's motivations are completely bizarre.

Well, I'll stop for now before I go on a rant(or to be more accurate, stop before I make a really really long rant,) and end by saying that this is a long movie.  It seems to last longer than a Wagner opera.

[galonia]

I went to see it a couple of nights ago, and I have to say I'm glad I didn't have to pay for the tickets, coz it wasn't that good.  It looked like a bad adaptation of something that should be performed on stage.

I saw Chicago starring Catherine Zeta-Jones et al, and the adaptation there for screen was heaps better.

Emmy Rossum was too tame for my liking... I agree with the comments that the music was very repetitive.  There was no development of any of the musical motifs.

[e60m5]

Gotta say I disagree with those who say the movie wasn't good. I found it spellbinding.

[pianowelsh]

agreed! The film version has its faults (im actually not sure that it was as well cast as it could have been especially in terms of the vocal capabilities) I think it works better on stage in someways (elements of 19thC melodrama  - which look a bit strange with backdrop of realism in film acting) but I would ask those who dismiss the score outright to go back and actually study it a bit. There are many VERY well written songs and andrews treatment of leitmotif is masterfull actually not to mention some pretty fabulous orchestral colours. The organ toccata is now a 'classic'!! There will always be those who snub andrew outright because he writes music which is generally very immediate and popular but there is much subtlety in his music dramas (yes they are music dramas) which people miss because they hear an electric guitar or a cliched cadence. Don't let the superficial disrrupt the underlying map he uses to carry a musical emotional through the show - its very clever stuff. In my opinion 'musically' his best is Aspects of love that is very skillful but actually so is Sunset Boulevard (a very dark score). I am also a huge fan of Boubil and Scoenbergs work and Sondheim amongst others. They are, if were honest the 'popular' classical composers of our day!

[pianoboi666]

I haven't seen the new film version yet, I have seen the one with Jason Englund(freddy Kreuger) as the phantom, and even though I loved him in Nightmare on Elm street, I wasn't impressed at all with the Phantom of the Opera (film).  I have however seen the stage show for the Phantom of the Opera about 12 times I absolutely loved it and I can't even imagine how the film could be newhere near as good as the show.  and judging by the comments I don't think I will see the new movie, at least not if I have to pay for it, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE STAGE VERSION, SEE IT, IT IS AMAZING.

Dan