Posted on 12/29/2004 5:15:48 AM PST by djf
I am curious if any Freepers have seen the Phantom in movie form. For those of us who are old enough, it seems impossible that anyone could match Crawford and Brightman and the London Symphony.
Having read the play, I can only say that the opera surpasses it by far. And Webber, no matter what his politics are, is an extraordinary genius.
I also saw it on Broadway. It was an amazing experience. I am waiting for the movie to arrive.
Here is a link to the film's web site. It is nicely done. http://phantomthemovie.warnerbros.com/
And here is the link to the trailers.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thephantomoftheopera/trailer/
Why don't they make a remake of the remake.
I love Sarah Brightman--because she's so cute and seems to like men (naturally I love women who like men); however, Sarah needs a few more practice sessions if she's going to upstage Cecilia Bartoli.
That's actually in the works. Look for a new version of "Cape Fear" in 2008. And, with the mediocre showing of "Fat Albert" recently, look for them to get an honest-to-goodness fat guy to play the role (as opposed to someone in a
"fatsuit")and do a re-launch next Christmas (oops, I meant Holiday Season--sorry if I offended anyone, the re-education hasn't set in yet)
You need to remember one thing...many "critics" hate ALW and his productions. They'd have done anything to give Phantom a bad review. I've seen it on stage three times, love the music, and always find something I missed the last time. Will catch the movie soon.
Saw two stage productions and really liked the movie. My only disappointment was "Masquerade." The costumes were dull, almost all black and white and did not come remotely close to the stage production.
Cape Fear is past do for it's third round as is Miracle on 34th Street.
When are they going to quit casting girly boys like Leo DeCrappio in manly roles. He should play James Dean of Rock Hudson.
Are they ever going to make another Raiders of The Lost Ark?
Ford is not getting any younger and his last several movies have been terrible.
There's an open call for Karl Rove look-a-likes this coming March for auditions.
My take on the movie is that the music, staging, cinematography, and Emmy Rossum’s Christine were fantastic! I was even more impressed when I found out that Ms. Rossum is only 19 years old.
However, I thought that Joel Schumacher could have done much better with the casting of both the Phantom and Raoul. I was not all that impressed with either Gerard Butler or Patrick Wilson’s performance.
Gerard Butler, in my opinion, cannot sing. In fact, I would go as far as to say that he couldn’t hold a note if it had a handle attached.
And Patrick Wilson must have taken acting lessons from Pee Wee Herman, because his portrayal of Raoul was one of the wimpiest I have ever seen. On a brighter note, at least he can sing.
Lloyd Webber was rightfully sued by the Giacomo Puccini estate for plagiarizing Puccini's "La fanciulla del West" for the theme of "All I Ask Of You". He settled out of court. Although I was not privy to the details of the settlement, scuttlebutt among long-time cast members was that the Puccini Estate receives a small percentage of the profits of "Phantom" worldwide. As Billy Crystal opines in the movie "Forget Paris", the big song in "Phantom" (i.e.,The Music Of The Night) is "School Days" ("School Days, School Days; Dear, old Golden Rule days...).
Personally, I am convinced that the success of "Phantom" has more to do with a lot of smoke on stage, candles coming out of the stage floor and the robotic boat in which the Phantom plies the supposed underground lake, than with the music, most of which is poorly written from a technical standpoint, and almost all derivative from Lloyd Webber's betters. Certainly, Handel and Bach lifted bits of melody from other composers, but they then turned those themes into glorious masterpieces. Conversely, Lloyd Webber appropriates glorious themes from other composers and turns them into pop mush.
There is no way that Joel Schumacher can take a poor work like "Phantom" and make it into something worth seeing and hearing.
Modern musicals are produced by such sickening no-talents that Lloyd Webber can seem like Richard Rodgers in comparison. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Hey, ride..thanks for ping.. Movie lover & addict that I am, must put in my 4 or 5 cents.
I saw stage plays 4 times. twice in Toronto & twice in Cleveland. They were remarkable & I enjoyed them.
I thought the movie was excellent and I agree with someone's comments on going to a theater that has the top quality sound.
our theater was packed with people of all ages It was a Cinemark with the largest seating venue & had DLP & digital sound that was awesome. The whole audience broke out into applause at the end.
There is a magic and charm in live theater.. there is another magic & charm in movies.
There is an artistic enlargement in the movie & I think it was great. Things can be done in movies that you cannot do in theater.
To always compare something to something else & not let it just be what it is as entertainment , can really rob one of much that any movie (or play or concert) has to offer.
Somehow Minnie Driver having someone else's voice rubbed me the wrong way.. not sure why she had the role (which she acted well.) It is just that there are so many super talented actresses WHO CAN SING also. just thought it strage. (is she sleeping with one of the producers?)
But, ah with movies.. they permit me to run away from the mundane of life, the problems of life & the anxiety and for awhile go to lands of make believe.
I appreciate your comments, although they are surely much different than mine
Heh. New Order fan?
I'm a big fan of the stage production and found the movie to be slightly disappointing. I enjoyed a majority of it... the cinematography was great, there were some added scenes that explained more of the story, etc, but the voice of the phantom was the biggest problem. The phantom was suppose to be Christine's TEACHER! You'd think they'd get an actor who could sing, for crying out loud! On a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 5 for me.
Don't you *hate* that? To me, it's just a modern version of "blackface" - you know, we want to see a black character, but "those people" shouldn't be allowed on stage, so we dress white actors up as black people instead. It's *grossly* insulting. Just get a fat actor or actress, for crying out loud.
The only thing the film has going for it IMO is Minnie Driver. I am in love with that woman. However, my ardor is not strong enough to sit through a musical that I HATED when I saw it on Broadway.
Wow. Hadn't quite thought of it that way, but you are spot-on.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.