Posted on 05/16/2005 3:42:01 PM PDT by Cinnamon Girl
For those who never saw the musical, or the movie when it was released, the DVD is out now, and I recommend it. Very much. Number one because of this guy:
Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who I first saw on the DVD release of "Attila," cannot cover his Scottish brogue no matter how hard he tries (and why should he, really?) and the unfortunate truth is that, well, he isn't the strongest singer they could find, but he is a good actor and let's face it, he's hot.
I knew before seeing the DVD that Butler couldn't sing so well and that Schumacher and Andrew Lloyd Webber cast him for the other reasons mentioned, so I didn't have high expectations. But Butler is so intense, and it's such a dazzling film, and Emmy Rossum is such a fine singer, that it was all very appealing.
The look of the opera house was fascinating and elaborate as were the costumes, and especially intricate were the secret passages to the Phantom's cave-like home.
Emmy Rossum is remarkable. Isn't she 18? I like her voice because it's clear and strong but not opera-ish. And the two leads definitely expressed a chemistry which made their scenes together more powerful.
ATTENTION: *****(the following may sort of ruin certain aspects of the story for anyone who isn't totally familiar with it, so skip it, please!):
Some parts of the movie I didn't understand, like, why exactly was Christine's boyfriend, the visconte, better than the Phantom? If it hadn't been for one particularly hugely wrong incident which I didn't understand the motivation for anyway, what was so wrong with the man in the mask?
I cried my head off at the end, when the Phantom had an emotional revelation and then cried for his broken heart. That's when Butler's acting abilities really shined. You could see his face change as he considered what was happening, and his tears just flowed.
Minnie Driver's singing was looped. I guess it would have been too weird to loop the Phantom, but I'm not sure it would have been a bad idea.
Overall, I liked and maybe loved this film and recommend it, recognizing that guys may not care for it much or at all.
Have you seen it? Please share.
For those of you who may be interested.
I saw the DVD last week and totally enjoyed it. The sets and staging were spectacular. And I happen to love the music.
I just saw Moulon Rouge for the first time last night and was blown away.
I am heading to Netflix now to and this one to my list.
Haven't seen it yet.
Saw the origional play in Toronto years ago.
Cy, check it out!
I so agree...
Haven't seen it and have no desire to, but it's always interesting to me how many women I've known are hugely into musicals, while the few I've seen have left me not only uninterested but completely bored stiff. (I'm not putting this movie down, btw, just using this opportunity to talk about the general topic.) It's not about imagination, as I've sold some pretty far-out fiction, but I think it's about making overt emotions that women feel and think about but never get to express, or, maybe more pertinently, they wish men would express overtly. I don't like the music, don't like musicals, the style of music is just florid and sappy to me, but I am always amazed at how INTENSELY some people love this stuff.
:o)
BTW, Minnie Driver was the only one in the cast who did not sing, all dubbed, thought she was hysterical though, "get my doggies, bring my doggies, bye, bye!!
There were some small things that could have improved it dramatically (pun....).
Don't continue if you haven't seen it yet.
The part where the phantom chases the stage hand in the rigging up over the stage was done badly. It was appropriate that they showed the phantom chasing him. But then he caught him, and you watched the phantom put the noose over his neck. Then the stage hand fell down and hung over the stage.
Totally predictable. Written like someone who was "too close" to the stage production would have converted it to movie.
They could have showed the chase. But then skip directly to the body dropping on the noose. It would have had the surprise that it had on the stage where a normal show was going on and suddenly this body drops down. Wow.
excellent... thanks for thinking of me...a thick,scottish accent would loosen my morals in a hot second.
I still have the copy I got from Netflix. I'm thinking about sending it back...
The LA stage production was awesome. The music is beautiful too.
OMG I saw this on the big screen and ran to the store the first day of release. I loved this movie, I cried everytime I've watched it (about 100x) and my kids love it.
And yeah the Phanton is so hot! I can't believe she would go for that wuss over the Phantom... now he has testosterone.
Heck I'd do him even with the messed up face :)
I couldn't figure out why the Phantom killed that guy. Sure he was obnoxious, but how was he exceptionally bad to the Phantom?
just brought it yesterday. Havent seen it yet
I saw it with my wife in the theater. Puzzlingly bad, in my opinion.
The cinematography is great, but the story seems to have been written by a pretentious undergrad student trying to impress someone. It's got elements stolen from a dozen other stories, inappropriate and story-disrupting outfits (who walks around in the cold of winter with their chest bared?), a musical accompaniment straight out of a 70s rock opera, and so on.
The cinematography is alluring, but all the accollades this film receives strikes me like the applause people gave at "seeing" the emperor's new clothes.
I guess what I'm saying is that people shouldn't be ashamed to say they don't care for such a "classic" as this....
screw the guy who played the Phantom, who was that young blonde that was Christine's friend? SHE was gorgeous!!!!
Still, the list of sillinesses is pretty impressive:
Agree with all of it. Was the boyfriend more appealing in the stage show? Because I didn't get it. Not that this guy wasn't a fine singer, and would probably have it going on with shorter hair and some jeans, but where was the appeal here? And remember when the Phantom showed up at the Mascarade while Christine and boyfriend were dancing, and boyfriend just left the room, leaving her unprotected?
I think he ran out to get his sword.
Yes, you're right, but he just left her there, defenseless, while everybody is all screaming and scared that the Phantom has just shown up. If he really felt so threatened by the Phantom, why didn't he take her with?
We all laughed at that scene, altho I know he went to get his sword. I was too busy watching the Phanton walk down those stairs in that hot red suit. woooooooooooh
I don't know of any other actor who could have made the Phantom so loved even tho he was capable of murder and kidnapping.
Gerard was able to show the Phantoms evil side yet still seduce us, and Christine. You know she wanted him...lol she was just too young to know a man with a bad temper is always the better lover and protector than milquetoast.
That said, I think Emmy Rossum could become a major star.
Good examples. It was that "Plan Nine from Outer Space" silliness that distracted me from enjoying the film.
Combine silly song lyrics, 70s instrumentation, self-conscious sophomoric film editing, and a "trying too hard to be profound" storyline, and this is what you're left with....
I'd think the overly dramatic theater community would enjoy this film, though.
My DVD just came! My son loved the movie! I saw the movie and the play with Crawford.
Attila.
How not?
Think of me, think of me fondly, when you say Goodbyeeeeeeee
it was outstanding
Put it on Broadway and it would run for 10 years, though Baz seems to have a problem with the rights and financing issues
Here's a question: why did Miranda Richardson's character have a french accent but none of the other French people did? It wasn't necessary.
I used to drive a Scottish friend of mine crazy by asking him to say "univairrrrrsity" over and over again. :-)
Saw the musical twice in NYC on Broadway - the first time with the original Phantom - Michael Crawford - shortly after its Broadway debut. Saw it again in London years later. I have to admit - I liked each and every phantom in all four versions of the musical and/or movie I saw. If I had to vote for best Phantom in the musical though, I'd have to vote for Crawford.
Emmy Rossum is remarkable. Isn't she 18? I like her voice because it's clear and strong but not opera-ish.
I was absoutely stunned to learn she's 18 (or was in 2004). I've read that Andrew Lloyd Webber wanted the character of Christine to have a clear, strong yet sweet voice, without sounding too professionally "opera-ish", so Emmy was perfect for the part, IMHO.
As a child, Emmy Rossum sung at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in NYC, performing in over 20 operas in six different languages, alongside stars such as Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. Incredible resume for such a young age! Emmy Rossum bio - imdb.com
Well, it is just a movie (play).
The stage hand seemed to actually know the Phantom's secret. Or at least part of it.
Actually, the good part of the movie is that I understand more of what the play was about. I never had any exposure to Phantom before it was on stage in LA. Then all the co-workers were talking about it, so we went.
I think Phantom may be on stage in NY this summer. I'd like to find a way to go, if possible.
Race, YOU could play the Phantom... you have a nice voice! (for singing and radio)
:o)
I thought that was odd also. If memory serves me, in all three "Phantoms" I saw on B'way and in London... the casts had British accents.
Well, her character's name is "Madmae Giry" rather than "Mrs. Giry" or "Frau Giry" or "Signora Giri", so she oughta be French. As for other characters not being, I don't usually worry about such things in musicals if they're not outrageously absurd.
Most of the silliness I noticed was not a result of inattention to detail so much as it was a result of someone's deliberate decision to be silly.
I know she was supposed to be French, hence the question. ALL the characters were French, but they didn't put on fake accents, so why bother with her?
I think the accent was designed not so much to mark her as French, but rather to mark her as having a 'wisdom' that many of the other characters lacked. Not that being French implies that one is wise, but rather that a more closed voice would suggest a more reserved character.
I was thinking of buying the DVD having missed it in the theaters.
Then, a group of friends who all went to the play in Los Angeles pretty much all called this movie crap, so maybe I'll rent it instead for a dollar months from now.
Imagine that the movie Ben Hur (1959 version) had been released exactly as it was, except that in the naval battle scene one of the boat commanders called out "Damn the torpedos--full speed ahead!" Would that make it a bad movie in your eyes, or would you simply shrug and ignore the gross anacrhonism and notice that the rest of the movie was good?
If you are the sort of person who can notice was is good about a movie with with flaws that are insignificant but glaringly obvious, then you might enjoy the movie. If such flaws prevent you from enjoying a movie, then you probably won't.
That's an interesting idea. I wonder if the character in the stage production has a french accent.
Most of the singing was total crap according to the people I know who are into this stuff.
Like I said, I won't buy it, but will either borrow it or rent it for a dollar down the line to see what I think about it.
Couldn't be much worse than a Michael Moore film, so how bad could it have been?
I think it had a chance to be an A+ movie that came in as a B- and that it disappointed people into it was all.
I'm sure there are lots worse DVDs out there though.
bump for later
Someone who could read the released film into an editing suite could improve it by making a few slight edits (e.g. eliminate the "James Bond" swimming scene). Someone with the original film elements could probably do even better--even without reshooting anything--by choosing some different camera angles which avoid obvious goofiness. Looping a few lines of dialog would help things further.
I would expect that it really wouldn't take much to get the film up to an "A-" rating from a "B-" rating (some people aren't going to like the singing, but that's a matter of taste). I am perplexed as to why the producers couldn't have done better.
Planning to rent it. :-)
I would have liked to have seen an all out Hollywood edition with Hugh Jackman/Antonio Banderas as the Phantom, Emmy or Charlotte Church as Christine and Leo Di Caprio perhaps as the other lead. (which was pretty much their ideal casting list to begin with)
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