The Phantom of the Opera 2004

      Christine is a young soprano and she becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opera House.  The opera ghost terrorizes the cast and crew of the French Opera House when Christine is being tutored.  He drives the lead soprano crazy so she will leave along with her friend.  Christine is able to sing the lead one night but the soprano doesn’t want lose her place in the show.  She decides to return but the ghost demands they keep giving his protege the lead roles.  Christine falls in love with the Vicomte de Chagny but the Phantom is in love with his student Christine.  The Phantom is extremely outraged that Christine is in love with the Vicomte!!  He kidnaps Christine to be his eternal bride and the Vicomte must try to stop this turn of events. 

     I saw a live presentation of this opera in person.  It is fabulous to see it live and the huge chandelier came up from the stage and across the audience.  I will never forget how it looked and how it felt to the audience.  The music is fantastic too and every enjoyable with the plot diving deeply into the characters.  I would absolutely see a live performance again plus I would also watch the film again.  The film is very good and the actors, plot and the music are very good.   Stunning!!!  5 1/2* (I really liked this movie) 

143 min, Drama directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Gaston Leroux novel), Andrew Lloyd Webber (book/screenplay), Joel Schumacher (screenplay) with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, Ciaran Hinds, Simon Callow, Victor McGuire, Jennifer Ellison, Murray Melvin, Kevin McNally, James Fleet, Imogen Bain, Miles Western, Judith Paris, Halcro Johnston, Paul Brooke, Oliver Chopping, Alison Skilbeck.

 
Note:  Imdb 7.2* out of 10* with 115,441 reviews, 33% with 171 critics 84% with 412,133 audience scores, Metacritc 40 out of 100 with 39 critic reviews 8.8 out of 10 with 369 ratings, reel views 2* James Berardinelli, Roger Ebert 3*, the guardian.com 1* out of 5*.

Special Note.  The doll in the Phantom’s lair is supposed to resemble Emmy Rossum but is not a wax mold as it seems.  Emmy Rossum is actually the mask.  Originally, a mask of her face was used on the mannequin but the fake eyes didn’t look like her?  She suggested that she would stand in as the mannequin instead.  She was made up with waxy makeup and she stands very still.  The Phantom speaks fourteen of his lines and sings the rest.  The chandelier weighted 2.2 tons and cost $1.3 million.  It was provided by Swarovski and a stunt double was used for riskier scenes.  There was also a third chandelier made that was equipped with electricity and lighting for the opening scene.  Raoul briefly enters a circular chamber full of mirrors.  This refers to the original Phantom of the Opera novel.  The Phantom used the mirrored chamber as a torture chamber to drive victims insane!!  There is a silent version of this film from 1925, when Christine takes off his mask, she was horrified and the audience was too!!