Phantom of the opera movie movie#

They allowed him to make mistakes and fail (swordfight scene with Raoul) and his physical appearance is much less repulsive than the playвЂ™s Phantom. Gerard ButlerвЂ™s Phantom is not as smooth and all-powerful.

Phantom of the opera movie movie#

There is a marked difference in the character portrayals in the movie compared to the play. The story of the Phantom is told in flashbacks, with the movie opening 50 years later with an elderly Raoul visiting an auction in the dilapidated Paris Opera House. It is the play, but with more visuals and details added like the PhantomвЂ™s and Madame GiryвЂ™s first meeting when they were young. Joel SchumacherвЂ™s 2004 film didnвЂ™t deviate much from the play. If youвЂ™ve never seen it and youвЂ™re passing through London, I recommend visiting Her MajestyвЂ™s Theatre for this.

And his genius is emphasized, just as Erik is in the original novel by Gaston Leroux from where the musical is adapted.

The Phantom is portrayed to be ugly, cruel and violent but not without heart. BaileyвЂ™s version of Raoul made him seem like the latter and if that was what he was trying to portray, then he did it very well.ДЄll in all, the play is very VERY good. I couldnвЂ™t quiet decide if Raoul was a sympathetic character who deserved Christine or if he was the annoying third party. I have mixed feelings about Bailey as Raoul. While I couldnвЂ™t find fault with BeckвЂ™s performance (her Christine is excellent), it didnвЂ™t leave an impression on me. One could understand why Christine finds it difficult to break away from him even at the end. In the play, the Phantom is scary but fascinating and seductive. Shannon played Phantom flawlessly, singing All I Ask of You (reprise) with such heartbreak and sadness that audience finds themselves subconsciously siding with him in spite of his twisted soul and bursts of cruelty. The play ran for more than two hours but it was so easy to get lost in the story that it seemed much shorter and I was left wanting more of the Phantom at the end. From the eerie scenes in the PhantomвЂ™s lair to the bright grand staircase dance during the Masquerade in Act II, the actors and dancers made it all flow smoothly. The colors and lights were so vibrant but they were all mere accessories to Lloyd WebberвЂ™s music. The production and props are more dated than newer and flashier musicals like Wicked, but that didnвЂ™t mean it wasnвЂ™t impressive. It was a Saturday matinee and David Shannon was singing as the Phantom with Gina Beck (Christine) and Simon Bailey (Raoul). This post is a review of both the play and the movie and my personal comparison of the two. Then, out of curiosity, I decided to watch the 2004 movie version to see if they botched everything up like Hollywood is prone to do to perfectly good plays or books. Last April, I watched Andrew Lloyd WebberвЂ™s The Phantom of the Opera with my fiance in Her MajestyвЂ™s Theatre in London and aside from an unfortunate (and very painful) fall, the experience was absolutely perfect. I have been fortunate enough to see both the stage musical and the movie, in that order.