This review is for the 2004, Joel Schumacher directed film version of The Phantom of the Opera (adapted from the stage show with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which in itself was adapted from Gaston Leoux’s novel).
Gerard Butler plays the Phantom, the mysterious man/creature who haunts the opera house in Paris in 1870. The Phantom is in love with young singer Christine (Emmy Rossum), and manages to replace the usual opera singer Carlotta (Minnie Driver, in a fantastic comedic part) with Christine, in order to further the career of the woman he loves.
However, when Christine’s first love Raoul comes back to the opera house and Christine falls in love with him again, the Phantom becomes jealous and vengeful.
I enjoyed this movie very much – certainly a lot more than I thought I might. I watched it on a whim, and I’m very glad I did. The music is familiar to many, and it sounds fantastic here. My three favourite songs – and probably the most famous of the show – are the title track, Music of the Night and That’s All I Ask Of You – and they all come across well.
The cast are all great – even, as mentioned earlier, Gerard Butler, who I would not normally associate with or expect to see in such a part. Simon Callow is great and very funny in a supporting role, but the aforementioned Minnie Driver steals of her scenes and provides some terrific moments of light relief.
The story itself is quite sad, and I did actually want to cry at certain parts! If I was determined to find something to criticise, I probably could – it’s perhaps slightly overlong, and the inclusion of Jennifer Ellison in a supporting role was something of a surprise. But sometimes a whole film is worth more than the sum of its parts, and I think that that is the case here. I really enjoyed this film – a modern musical with a dark theme – and I definitely recommend it.
Year of release: 2004
Director: Joel Schumacher
Writers: Gaston Leoux (book), Andrew Lloyd Webber, Joel Schumacher
Main cast: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Miranda Richardson, Patrick Wilson
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Click here for my review of the 2013 stage production at Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre.
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