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Masquerade |
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The Book vs. the Movie
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THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA PROLOGUE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN WHICH THE AUTHOROF THHIS SINGULAR WORK INFORMS THE READER HOW HE ACQUIRED THE CERTAINTY THAT THE OPERA GOAST REALLY EXISTED The Opera ghost really existed.
He was not, as long as we believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product
of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloak-room
attendants or the concierge... This is the beginning of The Phantom of the
Opera written by Gaston Leroux.
Revews
Jane eriks_mask@yahoo.com
The Original Splendor
Before Andrew Lyod Webber created the musical, or even the first black and white production of the movie,
there was this baby. Gaston Leroux's original novel surpasses all modern adaptations of the novel and goes into far greater
depths of all of his characters. He makes the setting far more realistic and believeable to the reader, unlike most all modern
views of the original Phantom of the Opera). In no way is it familar or in a modern setting and a different experience entirely.
The reader is actually taken back to the original time era and what was law back then. A marred visage was a crime against
nature, even at birth. Gaston Leroux is amazing in his way of sneaking snide hints here and there until the reader reaches
the critical climax of the book. I must admit, the ending had me in tears, something that no book has done before. The only
negative aspect of the book is that Leroux seems to shift between a love story, a murder mystery, and even financially fraud
themed story. It is all depending on who is telling the story, for the points of view switch drasticly, starting out with
a ballet girl called La Sorelli, to Firmin and Andre, to Raoul and even a character that no movie or musical adaptation even
includes (the Persian). Christine is very much the naive, innocent, and foolishly stupid woman that women were expected to
be back in the 1800's. Leroux practiclly had me shouting at her in the book to see past Erik. You are taken into a whole new
level of the Phantom, where the reader knows him as only Erik, a poor and tormented genius forced to baracade himself under
the Paris Opera House. He is in no way, the phsycopathic lover that all media adaptations have made him out to be, and the
ending is so tragic and sad. Even worse, is the fact of how true and humane Erik really is in comparison to the rest of the
world as seen through the book. I reccomend this to all fans of the movie(s.
Also recommended: Phantom by Susan Kay, anything by J.R.R.
Tolkien, anything by Terry Brooks, the Harry Potter saga, Deerskin by Robin McKinley.
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Joel Schumacher's film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's spectacular Broadway musical expands greatly on the stage show while retaining everything that made it such
a smash. The musical sequences are lovingly presented, woven into the action in operatic fashion -- but Schumacher's Phantom
goes way beyond the theatrical edition, making the most of the story's primary setting: the magnificent Paris Opera House.
The stage show only suggests what the film shows in opulent detail; every level of the magnificent structure -- including
the catacombs beneath it -- are explored in microscopic detail by the cinematographer. The Opera House becomes a living, breathing
character, not so much a home to the Phantom as a co-conspirator to his crimes. As created by French novelist Gaston Leroux,
the Phantom was a criminal mastermind with a talent for refined torture. Drawing upon the character as it evolved in movies,
Webber makes him a tragic figure deserving of the audience's sympathy (at least to some extent). The always masked, hideously
scarred Phantom has fixed his eye on Christine Daae (18-year-old Emmy Rossum in a star-making performance), a young chorus girl of great promise whom he has taken on as a protégée of sorts.
Under his tutelage she becomes a great singer, but having never seen him she naturally falls in love with a handsome nobleman,
Raoul (Patrick Wilson). But the Phantom refuses to surrender her and is prepared to do anything to secure her loyalty and affection.
Gerard Butler plays the title role extremely well, although he lacks the charisma of some of his predecessors. He's never
quite the spellbinder one expects to see; some viewers will wonder how he maintains his hold over Christine. Nonetheless,
he does a more-than-passable job. On the cast's distaff side, Rossum gets stiff competition from Minnie Driver, who's surprisingly good as the tempestuous diva Carlotta, whom the younger woman is expected to replace. Driver
does her own singing and makes an indelible impression in what is actually a minor role. Schumacher exhibits a keen understanding
of this material -- which, along with his visual sense, makes this adaptation so richly satisfying. Viewers get the best of
both worlds: the unabashed artifice of the stage version and the stylish visualization afforded by top-drawer production design
and cinematography. If you've ever heard Webber's score (and how could you not have?) you know that his Phantom is
a treat for the ears. Now Schumacher has turned out a screen adaptation that's a feast for the eyes. Don't miss it. Ed
Hulse
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