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Phantom of the Opera

Thursday Jan 6, 2005

Last night I had the wonderful privilege of viewing what is now an additional nominee for my list of the best of ’04, The Phantom of the Opera. I thought that the show would really suffer the translation from stage to the silver screen and boy was I wrong. This film was visually stunning! Torch-lit underground catacombs, French cemeteries in the dead of winter, and huge operatic productions with the costumes to match were just a few pieces of the eye candy that this film was loaded with.

New meanings were also brought out by this version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic work. Perhaps that would have something to do with the fact that I had not viewed it in over 10 years and I see things differently now, but I’d like to suggest that because it is such a HUGE production a lot of the subtler points get lost on stage.

Par example: I never got a sense that Christine loved the Phantom and was physically attracted to him back on the stage. But on the big screen her lust was quite apparent and added a new dimension of subtext to the film. Also, I always had trouble hearing exactly what they were talking about. I never really caught all of the back-story about Christine being orphaned and believing that the Phantom was her father’s spirit protecting her. This information amplified her inner conflict about her connection to the Phantom and made him less of a villain and more of an unfortunate victim.

Musical theatre, for better or worse, has been a big part of my life. Seeing this show that had meant so much to my mother changed the way I viewed it. As a result I heard the song, "Wishing you were Somehow Here Again" with completely different ears. This is the song Christine sings at the foot of her father’s grave. What a beautiful song! I must admit I got a bit teary eyed when I heard this stanza:

"All through the years, holding back tears.
Why can’t the past just die?"

I do have some criticisms for this film though. The sync during songs was often not even close. The lack of marriage between image and audio often detracted from the power of the songs and made me long for the theatre and the way the voices and music move through you and shake your core. Even in the most fantastic of moments in the film I was not swept up in the performances the way one is when experiencing the raw emotion of hearing it live. Also a few of the lines seemed cheesy especially by one character that seemed more like a porn star type than an Opera Chorus Girl.

"Wishing you were somehow hear again. Knowing we must say goodbye…"

You would have loved it Mom.